Woe and Welcome
TRANSLATION
(16) “To what should I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to others, (17) ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ (18) For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ (19) The Son of man came eating and drinking and they say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
(20) Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed because they did not repent. (21) “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. (22) But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. (23) And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No! You will go down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. (24) But I tell you that it shall be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
(25) At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and learned and revealed them unto little children. (26) Yes, Father, this is what you were pleased to do. (27) All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son apart from the Father, neither does anyone know the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (28) Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
OBSERVATIONS
Repetitions again enable us to determine the message of this segment of Matthew’s Gospel. In the first paragraph, we find the same phrase used first with the negative and then without it: “came (neither) eating nor/and drinking, and they say” (vss. 18 & 19). In the second paragraph where Jesus pronounced “woe” (used twice in vs. 21) on the towns in Galilee, repetitions included “miracles…performed” three times (vss. 20, 21, & 23) with two additional occurrences of “performed” (vss. 21 & 23). Those towns included “Chorazin” (vs. 21), “Bethsaida” (vs. 21), “Tyre and Sidon” (vss. 21 & 22), “Capernaum” (vs. 23), and the destroyed city of “Sodom” (vss. 23 & 24). One important phrase is found twice: “it will be more bearable…on the day of judgment than for you” (vss. 22 & 24).
In the third paragraph containing Jesus’ prayer to the Father and his lovely invitation to the weary and burdened, we find repetitions of “Father” (five times in vss. 25, 26, & 27), “Son” (three times in vs. 27), “burden(ed)” (vss. 28 & 30), “rest” (vss. 28 & 29), and “yoke” (vss. 29 & 30).
OUTLINE
I. Jesus likened his generation to fickle children playing games in the market. (16-19)
II. Jesus condemned several cities in Galilee for rejecting the testimony of his miracles. (20-24)
III. After praising his Father for both concealing and revealing the truth, Jesus offered rest to all who would come to him in faith. (25-30)
IDEA STATEMENT
While condemning those who rejected his ministry, Jesus offered the promise of rest to all who come to him seeking relief from their burdens.
APPLICATION
The yoke is an amazingly rich symbol of the discipleship relationship. Literally, the yoke is a wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two animals enabling them to pull a plow or cart as a team. When Jesus invited his hearers to “take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” he was welcoming them into a partnership relationship with himself. In this arrangement, he personally shows us how we should serve God and provides us with all the help we might need. Linked to him and working with him at our side, our yoke becomes “easy,” and our burdens grow “light.”
Under the Law, attempting to live for God in our own strength is not only exhausting but also an impossible demand. God’s standard of perfection is simply unattainable for frail human beings who are “weak and wounded” by the fall. However, yoked to the Savior who lifts our burdens and bestows on us his grace and enablement, what previously seemed beyond our capacity becomes “easy and light” as we walk with him in close fellowship. Joseph Hart’s lovely poem written nearly 300 years ago captures the essence of this passage:
Come ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore.
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love, and power.
I will arise and go to Jesus.
He will embrace me in his arms.
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms!