Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me....

Matthew 11:13-11:30
'For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.'


Until John the Baptist the Jewish people had their prophets and the law which prophesied to them. They accepted those prophets of old but then John came, a prophet unlike any they had seen. John came to call people to repent, John came to prepare the way of the Lord. And Jesus had this to say...

'And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.'


Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD


Jesus said IF YE WILL RECEIVE IT- THIS IS ELIAS, this was the promised prophet Elijah which was to come before the LORD.


The prophet John wasn't to be forced upon anyone any more than Jesus would force Himself upon anyone. John was the the prophet to preach and make way the coming of the Lord, and those that heard him and believed him would know that he was indeed the prophet who was prophesized to come before the Lord. Jesus said...


'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.'


And Jesus continued...


'But whereunto shall I liken this generation?
It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced;
we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.'


Children not pleased with the results their actions wrought from others. Children are like that aren't they? Fickle. Children have no qualms about letting you know that you haven't acted the way they wanted or expected. A child won't hesitate to say, I did this, but you didn't act like you were supposed to. I played you music and you were supposed to dance instead you just sat there. I complained to you but you didn't give me the sympathy I wanted. It's all about expectation. The majority of the generation of Jesus had expectations of things to come. They knew a prophet was to come before the Lord but they complained that John couldn't be a prophet of God because he didn't feast and drink- he denied himself- he has a devil.


Then the Lord came and they complained of his eating and drinking. The Son of God wouldn't be gluttonous, or a winebibber and because Jesus ate and drank normally and didn't deny himself they complained. The Son of man wouldn't be a friend of publicans or sinners. The people enivisoned the promised Messiah as a man much like themselves with the same disdain for publican and sinners, the same shunning of them. They didn't imagine that the Son of man would come to save the lost, but they pictured Him as one would would confirm their own ideals and share in their disdain for others. Because Jesus didn't fit their idea it was easy to reject Him outright and say He was a sinner just as the others. In grouping Jesus with the others they rejected they rejected their own salvation.


'Wisdom is justified of her children.' KJV
'And wisdom is justified by her works.' American Standard Version of the Bible


The wise don't need to be justified by others. The results of the wise will speak for themselves. The generation of Jesus' day rejected John the Baptist and Jesus Himself, very unwise. The results of the unwise are damnation, the results of the wise, are salvation. Wisdom is justified of her children, by her works. Time will tell.


Continuing... Matthew 11:20-30


'Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.'


WOW! Jesus began to UPBRAID the cities where most of his works were done!!! Why? Because they REPENTED NOT!


Think about it for a moment miracle after miracle wrought from the Son of God before mankind- healing after healing, feeding thousands miraculously, raising the dead to life- miracles of the like they'd never ever seen before and only a few of the thousands believed, only a few of the thousands repented.


When light is given to people they are accountable for that light. These people were given the miracle of having Jesus live His life prior to rising from the dead among them. These people were witnesses of His miracles, His power. They will be accountable for rejecting light of Jesus among them, of rejecting so great a salvation.


Heb 2:3 how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard


There will be no escape and Jesus Himself warned of that.


Continuing...


'At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.



Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'


Praise be to God! All glory, honor, and praise, all thanksgiving to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever!!!


Let us not be as the majority in Jesus' day all caught up it our imagined salvation so that the reality eludes us. Let us accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, our redeemer, offering us salvation, offering us forgiveness through Him, through His blood. By His love may we take His yoke upon us, may we learn of Him, learn of his meekness and lowliness of heart so we can find rest for our souls. His yoke is easy, His burden is light.


AMEN!