Matthew 11: Taking the Kingdom by Force (6)

Pray Psalm 84.8-12.
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
O God, behold our shield,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Sing Psalm 84.8-12.
(Holy Manna: Brethren, We Have Met to Worship)
Lord of hosts, my prayer receiving, hear me, help me by Your grace!
In Your courts I stand believing; turn to me Your glorious face!
Lord, our sun, our shield, our glory, no good thing will You deny
to those who proclaim Your story, and who on Your grace rely.

Read Matthew 11.1-30; meditate on verses 25-30.

Prepare.
1. How can someone come to the Father?

2. How can we have our burdens lifted and know peace and rest?

Meditate.
This passage divides into three sections, each equally important. The first provides a lesson about prayer; the second reminds us of the uniqueness of Jesus; and the third offers a beautiful metaphor for discipleship.

Our passage occurs at the conclusion of Jesus’ rebuke to the unrepentant cities, and His warning of judgment to come. Jesus offers a prayer of thanksgiving to His Father (vv. 25, 26). He doesn’t withdraw to pray; instead, He simply gives thanks before all the people around Him. It seems to me as if Jesus’ running conversation with His Father, which must have been continuous, broke through here for a moment, giving us a glimpse into His prayer life. It is a most natural bit of apostrophe, and points back to the “these things” He talked about in this chapter: Is He the Messiah? How does one enter the Kingdom? How do we avoid the judgment of God? We’re reminded that such “hidden things” are revealed to those who receive them like babes, trusting, without having to figure everything out.

Second, Jesus explains that God has given “all things” into His care and authority, and He reveals them to whomever He will – those who receive them like babes. The revelation of the Father that Jesus provides will not come to those who keep demanding reasons, explanations, answers to objections, and the like. The heart, not the mind, is ground zero for conversion to Christ. Jesus reveals Himself and His salvation to those who are humble in faith and obedience. As we think of the people we want to come to Jesus, let’s not spend too much time boning up on the best arguments and mind-tricks. Let’s pray that God would humble them to hear Jesus, open their hearts to His sweetness and power, and enable them to believe.

Finally, Jesus calls us to rest with Him in the hard work of plowing furrows for Kingdom seed. He is with us as we take up the work of the Kingdom, walking and directing and sharing in every step. We must join with Him in the “easy” yoke of obedience to God’s Word, keeping our eyes on every next step and sowing the good seed of the Kingdom day by day. Gentle and lowly like Him, we will do our work faithfully, bearing our burdens with joy, and laboring to prepare our Personal Mission Field for His Kingdom. The rest we seek, and the relief from all tedium, trouble, and tumult, comes from joining Jesus in His work of restoring the world for the Kingdom of God.

Notice the centrality of Jesus in each of these texts: He is the Son of the Father and key to knowing the mysteries of God and His Kingdom. And He strengthens and guides us in the light burden of seeking and advancing His rule on earth as it is in heaven. Does He occupy that central place in our lives?

Reflect.
1. Why does Jesus only reveal the “hidden things” of God to “babes”?

2. How do you know when you’re walking with Jesus in His “easy” yoke?

3. What are the best ways to learn the gentleness and lowliness of Jesus?

You are to “take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” You are not learning from me how to refashion the fabric of the world, nor to create all things visible and invisible, nor to work miracles and raise the dead. Rather, you are simply learning of me: “that I am meek and lowly in heart.” If you wish to reach high, then begin at the lowest level. If you are trying to construct some mighty edifice in height, you will begin with the lowest foundation. This is humility. Augustine (354-430), Sermon 69.2

Grant that I may walk with You today, Jesus, so that together we may…

Pray Psalm 84.1-7.
Pray for strength, that you may be a living sacrifice for the Lord today in your Personal Mission Field.

Sing Psalm 84.1-7.
Psalm 84.1-7 (Holy Manna: Brethren, We Have Met to Worship)
Lord of hosts, how sweet Your dwelling; how my soul longs for Your courts!
Let my soul with joy keep telling of Your grace forever more.
Like a bird upon the altar, let my life to You belong.
Blessed are they who never falter as they praise Your grace with song!

Blessed are they whose strength is founded in Your strength, O Lord above.
All whose hearts in You are grounded journey in Your strength and love.
Though they weep with tears of sadness, grace shall all their way sustain.
In Your presence, filled with gladness, they shall conquer all their pain.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).