Matthew 11:16–30

But where was the fitting response to John's ministry, which called men to repentance? Or to the ministry of the Lord Jesus, which brought in the precious age of grace? Instead of recognizing God's voice in both, "this generation" were like children sitting in the markets. That is, they were childish and idle, though the serious realities of life surrounded them.

That generation as a whole could only be compared to children sitting in the market-place. They played at life: they wanted John to dance when they piped, and the Lord and His disciples to weep when they mourned. They understood neither the one nor the other, because they were too careless to understand.

God had now put man fully to the test, speaking to him through different ministries, but man had no answer for God. When He mourned to him, man had no tears; when He piped to him, man had no dancing. The human heart proved to be no instrument for the finger of God. All was out of tune, when God tried it.

They were displeased with John and with Jesus alike, content neither with law nor with grace. Men do not like righteousness — that is too strict for them; neither do they like grace — that is too free. They would have part of one and part of the other.

John did not dance to their music. He came neither eating nor drinking — that is, he did not join their celebrations, for he had a solemn message of repentance to preach. They resented this. On the other hand, the Son of Man had come among men in grace, eating and drinking with them. They resented that He was not mourning, and dared to accuse Him of being a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

The meaning here is moral, not a matter of time. In Deuteronomy 32:5, 20 we find "generation" used the same way. It does not stand for a period of time. It expresses the moral character of Israel.

In this Gospel the first plain sign that the kingdom is rejected comes with the change of teaching in Matthew 11:16. Until then the kingdom had been presented to the nation in the person of the King.

Wisdom's children were those whose consciences God had taught. They accepted the truth of John's testimony, even though it spoke against them. They also accepted the grace of the ways of Jesus — grace that the guilty so badly need.

Instead of recognizing God's voice in both cases, "this generation" were like children sitting in the markets. That is, they were childish and also idle, though surrounded by the serious realities of life. They called out to others and complained. The others had not danced to their music, and had not lamented when they mourned.

He was the one who "mourned" to them, for he had about him the same stern manner that had marked the prophet Elijah. He was strict and kept himself apart. In his ministry he kept putting his finger on the weakest spots in the lives of his hearers. They paid no real attention to him and did not "lament." Then came the blessed Lord Jesus Christ with news of grace. He mixed with men, He went to their feasts, He worked miracles in grace on their behalf.

Equally displeased with John and with Jesus, content neither with law nor with grace. Men do not like righteousness — that is too strict for them. Neither do they like grace — that is too free. They would have part of one and part of the other.

They treated pleasure as a game. They treated sorrow as a game too, even the sorrow that lay on man because of his sins. They wanted John to dance to their piping. They wanted Jesus and His disciples to beat their breasts to their idle funeral song. The ways of God never suited them.

God had now been making full proof of him, addressing him by different ministries, but man had no answer for God. When He mourned to him, man had no tears; when He piped to him, he had no dancing. The human heart proved to be no instrument for the finger of God. All was out of tune when God tried it… He would have raised a solemn note through John the Baptist, who came neither eating nor drinking. Then He would have raised a more joyful one through the sociable Son of Man. But there was no music in the heart of man for God.

They refused the lesser testimony, so they never passed into the greater things — the reality from God. Their own consciences ought to have proved it true. Because they refused it, they were not ready to receive the gift of His grace. A person receives Christ to salvation only in the conscience. Feeling and understanding will never do alone.

The men of that generation rejected both alike. One was the stern and distant minister of righteousness, with the axe of judgement in his hand. The other was the lowly, gentle Minister of divine grace, with words of tenderness and acts of goodness. But wisdom's children will always justify her, in all her doings and in all her sayings. … What a privilege to be one of that favoured group, wisdom's children! To have an eye to see, an ear to hear, and a heart to understand and appreciate the ways and works and words of divine Wisdom!

John the Baptist had come in a completely different way, and in a way that was naturally more striking. He had come as a man who separated himself from everyone alike, and did so completely. He preached in the wilderness of Judea. He was never seen in their cities and never took part in their religious ceremonies, though he came from a priestly family. With his strange, unfashionable coat of camel's hair and his food of locusts and wild honey, he stood apart from men, calling a whole nation to repent and to flee from the coming wrath.

John, separate from the iniquity of the nation, had, in their eyes, a devil. Jesus, kind to the most wretched, they accused of falling in with evil ways.

The ways of God never suited them. If John came in the way of righteousness, and so with his call to repentance, they said he had a demon — he would drive us among the tombs.

Israel was equally displeased with John and with Jesus, content neither with law nor with grace. Men do not like righteousness; it is too strict for them. They do not like grace either; it is too free. They would have part of one and part of the other.

By the Baptist, who came neither eating nor drinking, God would have raised a solemn tone. By the sociable Son of man He would have raised a more joyful one. But there was no music in the heart of man for God. This was proved after the most skilful hands had made the trial.

It is a blessed thing to see John linked with His Master in persecution and death. "John came neither eating nor drinking." His home was the desert and his food locusts and wild honey. "They say, 'He has a demon.'" Through John came one of the greatest revivals Israel had known, yet his head was traded away for a dance. He stands out clearly in God's roll of honour.

They worked on the idea that you know a man by the company he keeps. So they hinted that He was like tax collectors and immoral people in character and tastes. There was a sting in this charge that He was a "friend" of such people. Friend is a very strong word in a Jewish context. The word puts one person in debt to another. It lays an obligation on both people in the friendship. But in this verse Christ shows that receiving God's grace changes the sinner. Grace is the source of true holiness, not of loose living.

His friendship toward the sinner was one of His distinctive glories. True, He was holy, harmless, and undefiled in all His ways. Yet by that friendship He could pardon the guilty. He could do more than speak of paradise to a criminal who repented. And yet men branded Him for such grace! Blessed brand!

John was like the children who "mourned": he called the people to repentance. The Lord was like those who "piped": He brought the sweet music of grace to all. The first came with the sternness of a prophet, standing apart from a people under judgment. The second made Himself easy to approach, so that He might, if it were possible, win the trust of sinners for God. Neither testimony found any echo. Men rejected both witnesses. They did worse than that: they accused John of having a demon, and Christ of sharing in the sins of those He came to save.

John the Baptist was a literal Nazirite — set apart by vow, abstaining from wine and much else. He came neither eating nor drinking, and the thanks he got was that he had a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking. He was a Man with men. The blessed Lord did not need any external self-righteous separation. His holy soul was fully separate to His Father, and He needed no outward sign to prove it. When they called Him a glutton and a drunkard, the lie was so plain that it needed no answer.

The contrast is with "this generation." In the verses that follow, the Lord shows that generation as the object of more than outward judgment, while wisdom's children are the objects of the Father's sovereign grace. For the works of the Wisdom of God to prove her right seems obvious. For her children to prove her right is a weighty truth.

Justifying God is the great point of true righteousness inside a person. That righteousness is wholly lost in us. We can only own it in Another, and own it as sinners. First we own it under John the Baptist, the ministry of repentance, where we admit that we stand rightly condemned. Then we own it in grace, in God's ways toward us as sinners. We cannot justify grace shown to the chief of sinners, and to everyone alike, unless we put ourselves in that place.

Wisdom's children will always justify her, in all she does and all she says. The Lord be praised for this rich mercy! What a privilege to be one of that favoured number! To have an eye to see, an ear to hear, and a heart to understand and value the ways and works and words of divine Wisdom!

The Lord did most of His mighty works round the Sea of Galilee. Here we get His rejection, the rejection of His Galilean ministry. These verses are very solemn; we need to weigh them well.

The Lord reproaches the cities where He had done most of His mighty works, because they did not repent. Tyre and Sidon would have repented if they had seen them. Is it not a real change of life and a self-judgment in answer to the testimony set before them?

Repentance is real submission of soul to what God says in His word about me. There is a lot of subtle teaching around about another chance, drawn from what we have here. Let it be clear; everything about eternity is settled in this life.

We learn from this that no outward circumstances are enough to convert a soul. There must be an inward work of the word and Spirit of God. The mighty works of our blessed Lord did not produce repentance in favoured Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum! So it will be in the millennium. With all its displayed power and glory and increased knowledge, the heart of man stays unchanged, unless it is the subject of divine grace. There must be a new birth, and this cannot happen apart from repentance and faith.

How deep and awful the word "Woe!" sounds, coming from the lips of the Son of God. It is the woe that follows rejected grace. It is no longer just a question of a broken law, or of ordinances dishonoured and abused. It is no longer just divine institutions shamefully corrupted, or prophets and wise men rejected and stoned.

There was another city that was favoured even more. It is called His own city elsewhere (Matt. 9:1), because that is where He usually lived at the time. For that reason its guilt was so much worse… In other words, the measure of privilege is always the measure of responsibility.

He could weep over Jerusalem, and at the sight of the power of death over the hearts of men. The refusal of His love was a constant source of grief to Him. He reproached the cities where He had done most of His mighty works. Yet He is perfect in His patience. In that same hour He said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children," Matt. 11. He gives thanks at the very moment He reproaches.

We fear that very few people realise the awful responsibility of hearing the gospel again and again and rejecting it. It was a solemn thing for Capernaum to reject the light that shone on it. How much more solemn it is for anyone now to reject the still brighter light that shines on him in the gospel of the grace of God! Redemption is now accomplished. Christ is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour. The Holy Spirit has come down. The written word of God is complete. Everything has been done that love could do.

Most of the Lord's mighty works were done around the sea of Galilee... So He rebukes the cities because they did not repent, and He rebukes His own people because they did not believe. This is the only place where Chorazin is named. Philip, Andrew, and Peter all belonged to Bethsaida. These verses are very solemn; we need to weigh them well. Repentance is real submission of soul to what God says in His word about me. Much subtle teaching draws the idea of a second chance out of these words. Let it be clear: everything about eternity is settled in this life.

The Son Himself had come, in richest grace. He had spoken in their ears such words as none other had ever spoken. He had done His mighty miracles among them. He had healed their sick, cleansed their lepers, raised their dead, fed their hungry, opened the eyes of their blind. What had He not done? What had He not said? He longed to gather them under His sheltering wing; but they would not settle there... and now, at length, after long patience, He pours out His solemn woes upon them.

Sackcloth was the badge of mourning, used at times of bereavement, calamity, or individual and national repentance.

It might have been said, Why was the message not sent to Tyre, ready to listen? Why not to Sodom, so that the city might have escaped the fire that consumed it? It is that man must be tested in every way, so that the perfect counsels of God may be developed. If Tyre or Sodom had abused the advantages heaped on them by a God of creation and providence, the Jews were to show what was in the heart of man. They held all the promises, and God had entrusted them with all His words.

Why then did He not do these works there? Because He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and would give them every opportunity to repent.

The Lord recalled the memory of Tyre and Sidon, but it was only to show the far greater guilt of the cities where most of His mighty works were done... In other words, the measure of privilege is ever the measure of responsibility.

Each will be dealt with on his own distinct ground and according to his light and privilege... It will be "more tolerable" for some than for others, as in Matthew 11. The Judge of all the earth will do right, but man is responsible, and his responsibility is measured by the light and advantage given him. All are not lumped together carelessly, as though they were all on one common ground. On the contrary, God makes the most exact distinctions. No one will ever be condemned for making light of advantages that were never within his reach.

What feelings at such a time! Oh, for grace to bow like that and bless God, even when our little labour seems to be in vain! At that time Jesus answered, "I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children."

But Israel would not repent. His works left them without excuse, His grace made the sin the greater. On their day of judgment it would be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon, and for Sodom and Gomorrah, than for these cities. That is how great the testimony was that they rejected.

The Son Himself had come, in richest grace. He had spoken in their ears such words as none other had ever spoken. He had worked His mighty miracles among them. He had healed their sick, cleansed their lepers, raised their dead, fed their hungry, opened the eyes of their blind. What had He not done? What had He not said? He longed to gather them under His sheltering wing; but they would not nestle there... Now, at last, after long patience, He pours out His solemn woes on them. He tells them of the terrible destiny waiting for them.

The Lord recalled the memory of Tyre and Sidon (Matt. 11), but it was only to show the far greater guilt of the cities where most of His mighty works were done... In other words, the measure of privilege is ever the measure of responsibility.

Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities. He says that if they had seen the mighty works He did in Chorazin and Bethsaida, those Gentiles would have repented long before, in sackcloth and ashes. Why then did He not do these works there? Because He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and would give them every opportunity to repent.

It will be "more bearable" for some in the day of judgment than for others. Not that the place or duration of punishment varies for any of the lost. Eternity in the lake of fire is the portion of all who die in their sins. Yet the Saviour speaks of a "light beating" and a "severe beating," showing degrees of severity in what God inflicts.

Each will be dealt with on his own distinct ground and according to his light and privilege... The Judge of all the earth will do right. But man is responsible, and God measures that responsibility by the light and advantage He has given him. All are not lumped together carelessly, as though they were all on one common ground. Instead God makes the most exact distinctions. He will never condemn anyone for ignoring and refusing advantages that were never within his reach.

This is a solemn principle much too easily and too often forgotten. People are apt to pity the heathen and to think of distant lands... But there is no greater delusion than this: to suppose that when the judgment comes, men as such will be better off, for example, in England than in a distant land like Tartary... Israel was privileged, of course. But privileges despised or misused bring only deeper ruin on those who reject or twist them.

It was exalted to heaven — how? Because it witnessed His mightiest works. It saw the display of divine power in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ as well as in His works. And so it was privileged. But Matthew 11, where this verse occurs, shows you how little they gained by it. It shows that it was all, so to speak, given to them in vain.

Capernaum, the city of His choice, had come near to heaven by the Presence which indeed makes heaven for those who have received His grace. It would sink down under the weight of its rejection of Him, into a mere home of death and desolation. And such it has long been, whether the identification of its site is correct or not.

Capernaum did not repent at the preaching of Jesus. Its unbelieving people must still answer for themselves, one by one, in a day of judgment yet to come. Meanwhile this, the Lord's own city in Galilee, has been so completely overthrown that no one can identify its site with certainty.

They refuse the voice of heavenly wisdom. So the judgment must be more unsparing than the one that long ago made Sodom the monument of God's vengeance. Which city in the land was the most favoured? Capernaum, where most of His miracles were done — and yet this very city would be brought down to hell. Even the notoriously depraved Sodom had not come under so fearful a sentence. The Lord only comes in judgment when the means and calls to repentance have run out. But when He does judge, who will be able to stand?

Capernaum was indeed brought near to heaven, and to the power and grace of heaven. But it was all in vain, so far as most of the people were concerned. As in that day, so in this, mere crowds do not mean that souls are stirred or consciences awakened. The Lord's coming among them was only a passing wonder in their eyes. But before God, their lack of repentance under such a ministry left them in a more terrible position.

In other words, the measure of privilege is always the measure of responsibility.

But, dear reader, does it not occur to you that the "woe" of Matthew 11 may reach further than Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum? Should it not fall with even deeper force on the ear of Christendom, with more power to subdue the soul? For our part, we cannot doubt it for a moment. We cannot try to list everything that makes the guilt of the professing Church heavier. Scriptural knowledge and gospel light have spread widely. Spiritual privileges lie scattered along the path of this generation in countless, nameless forms.

How deeply and terribly solemn the word "Woe!" sounds when it comes from the lips of the Son of God. It is the woe that follows grace refused. This is no longer only a question of a broken law. It is no longer only about God's commands dishonoured and abused. It is no longer only about His institutions shamefully corrupted, His prophets and wise men rejected and stoned.

Was there one place or city in the land more favoured than another? It was Capernaum, where He did most of His miracles. Yet this very city would be brought down to hell. Even Sodom, famous for its corruption, had never received so terrible a sentence. The Lord comes in judgment only when every means and every call to repentance has been used up. But when He does judge, who will be able to stand?

The word "tolerable" here is not a positive promise; it is a word used to bring out a contrast. The Saviour did not say that Capernaum would have a tolerable time. On the contrary, He showed the extreme gravity of its sin by contrasting its greater privileges with the lesser privileges of Sodom.

In verse 24 the Lord must be speaking of eternal judgment. Sodom was completely destroyed, so it had already received its full judgment in this world. It will be more tolerable for her on the day of judgment than for Capernaum. Luke 12:47-48 shows that all unbelievers will go to hell, yet their punishment will come in different degrees. The measure of each one's responsibility decides it.

God had already judged Tyre and Sidon. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed them, for example. But God has not finished with them. Judgments in this world are not eternal judgments. They will still have to stand before the Great White Throne.

What the Lord says about Sodom is very solemn and very striking. Those who rejected Christ will face a harsher judgment and a harsher penalty at the Great White Throne than even the filthy people of Sodom. God alone knows how to measure out the guilt of each person. So it will be more tolerable for Sodom itself than for those who rejected Christ. The greatest guilt that can rest on any soul is the rejection of Him.

It is God's people, when they are in a bad state, who are worse than anybody… They talked about how horrible Sodom and Gomorrah were. "Oh," said the Lord, "it is you that are worse than they."… Capernaum was the place where He lived. It was counted as His own city in Galilee. What He thought worse was the rejection of all His light and all His love. And therefore the nearer you are to the blessing, if the blessing is not yours the more guilty you are.

Privileges that are not valued bring the severest judgment from God. How far does this principle apply to our favoured land?

What is the history of that chapter? Simply this — everything in His outward circumstances was a complete desolation to His heart. John doubted Him, the cities that saw His mightiest works had not repented… "In that hour," when there was not a single star to light up the darkness of things around, what did His heart find its comfort in? Was it not this? In being perfectly subject to His Father's will.

Man's rejection of Him grows before our eyes, and Jesus says, "I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth." His hopes are not limited to the earth now. He looks to God as Lord of heaven and earth — sovereign over all things… They may refuse Him the throne of Israel; the Jews may reject Him, the leaders may despise Him… Refuse Him in His earthly dignity, and He only shines in His heavenly one; despise Him as a man, and He is clearly God.

"Wise and prudent," that is, self-sufficient ones. "Wise," as the New Testament uses it, means people with education and training… "prudent" means shrewd. In both cases it implies self-sufficiency. "Babes" — not the reasoners but receivers… God bans all human pride, and no one can boast in His presence. Man gets the blessing, God the glory, in doing things this way.

It was right to hide from the world's wise and prudent what to babes He could reveal. This is not hiding anything from men as men, but from men that cling to their own wisdom — who are wise enough to judge God, but not to judge themselves. In that condition it is impossible that He and they should come together. The first necessity is that God should have His place — that He should be God, and that man should be the small creature he is, a babe indeed before Him. Real wisdom finds it no hardship to take that place before the Lord of heaven and earth, and here is the condition of all true blessing.

These words from the lips of the Lord Himself declare that no one can gain the knowledge of God by hard, tiring study, however sincere the effort may be. It comes only by revelation… And they show that revelation has two sides. God is active; we receive. God reveals Himself, and the babes receive the revelation; the light shines and there are eyes that admit it. We depend on God for the babe-nature, the opened eyes, the believing heart and the listening ears, just as much as we depend on Him for the revelation they take in.

We often wonder why the wise and prudent of our day do not see certain truths… Others, poor and weak though they are, hold these revelations in full and keep receiving more out of His fullness. The reason is soon found. Only one kind of person can receive these things: the one who owns his nothingness, who takes his place in weakness at His feet, and is like a babe. The Lord never entrusts His secrets and His counsels to the wise and prudent… Would we know more of Him, of His Word, His purposes and His thoughts? There is only one way — be a babe.

If we see our testimony rejected, our wishes disappointed, our motives misunderstood; if trial comes from where we least expected it — from Christians, perhaps from our own family, from those we have sought to serve — then is the time to bow to the righteous sovereignty of God. Then is the time to say, "I thank you, O Father: for so it seems good in your sight."

This is the most wonderful statement recorded in the whole word of God: "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight." What amazing words from His lips, the Eternal Son of the Father! Everything in His outward circumstances was a complete desolation to His heart. John doubted Him, the cities where His mightiest works were done had not repented... "In that hour," there was not a single star to light up the darkness of things around. What did His heart find its comfort in? In being perfectly subject to His Father's will.

The knowledge of God makes everything necessarily good to us, because it comes from Him. It may be very contrary to our nature. To Jesus, men's rejection of His message was of course painful. It threw Him on the sovereignty of God His Father, whom He knew. His Father had hidden these things from the wise men of the world and revealed them to the despised and weak.

It was right to hide from the world's wise and prudent what He could reveal to babes. This is not hiding anything from men as men, but from men who cling to their own wisdom. They are wise enough to judge God, but not to judge themselves. In that condition it is impossible that He and they should come together. God must first have His place — He must be God. So man must be the small creature that he is, a babe indeed before Him. If a man has true wisdom, he will find it no hardship to take that place before the Lord of heaven and earth. Here is the condition of all true blessing.

If we have been attracted to Jesus... we have been the subjects of the Father's work. He has revealed these things to us. He has given us eyes that can look into the heart of our Prince. Our Lord was satisfied to have it so, since this was His Father's doing. There was no resentment in His heart. He accepted the situation and spoke those memorable words of perfect submission.

And yet it is not violent or hard work. In one sense it is easy, as the Lord says. Submit! Say, "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight." That is His yoke. This is how we learn of Him, who credited everything to the Father, not to the circumstances... "It seemed good in thy sight." That was enough. It was perfect submission, and the Father shone out in it. Its value depends on the perfect knowledge of sonship.

Sometimes we see our testimony rejected, our wishes disappointed, our motives misunderstood. Trouble comes from where we least expected it — from Christians, perhaps from our own family, from those we have tried to serve. Then is the time to bow to the righteous sovereignty of God... God has revealed Jesus to us. He made us alive when we were dead in trespasses and sins. He stretched out the arm of His power on our behalf. If our souls knew a little more of that amazing mercy shown to any of us, we would not be wasting our time, as too often happens, in pointless grumbling and regrets.

An absence of reasoning marks the humble soul. He is content to leave the management and outcome of everything in the Lord's hands... And this — "it seemed good in Thy sight" — will be the anchor of our souls if we are marked by the same features as the Psalmist.

"All things have been handed over to me by my Father." The throne of Israel may be refused Him. The Jews may reject Him and the leaders may despise Him. All this may happen — but what is the result? Not merely what was promised to David or Solomon, but "All things have been handed over to me by my Father." Where was anything like this revealed before — in the Psalms, in the Prophets? Man refuses the rejected Messiah, and He submits to it. They strip Him of His robes of Messianic glory, and what comes out? He is the Son of the Father, the Son of God from all eternity. Refuse Him in His earthly dignity, and He only shines in His heavenly one; despise Him as a man, and He is manifestly God.

In the hour of Jewish rejection the Lord takes up the glorious purposes of universal rule as the Son and the Heir of all things, far beyond the Messianic Kingdom.

No one knows Him but the Father. Who among the proud could fathom what He was? From all eternity He was one with the Father, and then He became man. In the deep mystery of His being He was beyond all knowledge except the Father's own. He emptied Himself to become man, and no one could know Him. That very impossibility kept His divinity certain and real, though this self-emptying might have hidden it from the eyes of unbelief. The incomprehensibility of a being in a finite form revealed the infinite that was there.

Not to know Him at all (ginoskein) was to be without eternal life; but to know Him thoroughly (epiginoskein) was only possible to God the Father. We cannot fathom, but we most surely believe. It is our deep joy that the Father only fully knows the Son, though we know Him enough to have eternal life in Him.

Does this mean that we do not know Christ as our Saviour and Lord? Certainly not. But we do well to accept without reserve the limitation that we shall never know the mystery of His person. To neglect this is to court disaster. If we remember it, we will take care not to go a hair's breadth beyond what Scripture says on this profound and holy subject.

There is a certain knowledge of the Son which cannot be shared with anyone; that belongs to the Father only. But there is a knowledge of the Father that the Son was able to share with those whom He chose. Until the Son came, no one knew the Father. The Son brought with Him a divine revelation, something hidden from past generations.

The Godhead glory of the Father, beyond all words, could only be revealed by the Son. But that He could reveal it proved His own personal Deity, for who but God could reveal God?

The Son made this revelation according to His own good pleasure. What a mark of divine perfection! He came for this purpose, and He did it according to His own wisdom.

He is revealing the Father now. He has not merely come to fulfil the promises of God. He is revealing the Father, and bringing souls into a deeper knowledge of God than was possible before. "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." It is perfect grace: no restriction; no setting the Jew in the foremost seat of honour.

In Matthew, chapter 11 marks the transition from the presentation of Christ to the nation, with the Gentiles being excluded... The Saviour rebukes the cities where He had worked, because of their terrible unbelief. He bows to the will of God for this time. That submission opens His heart to the secret of grace, and grace now appears in all its simplicity and power. Everything turns on knowing the Father. Only the Son can reveal Him. Yet He invites "all who labor and are heavy laden" to come to Him, and He will give them rest. His Person, and not Israel, is the centre of grace and of the work of grace.

Here the people among whom He had chosen to live reject Him as King. Even so, there is blessing for a circle far wider than Israel: "Come to me, all who labor." He has rest, blessed be His name, for any who will simply come to Him. "I will give you rest." It is all of grace.

He spoke among a people who for many generations had been under the law of Moses. They knew it well... And the scribes and Pharisees — the religious teachers of the day — tied the law like a heavy load on people's shoulders. They would not lift it with one finger themselves.

Many are weighed down by guilt they feel. Others groan under religious ceremonies they hope will one day earn them salvation. To all these the Saviour offers rest as a gracious gift. His atoning sacrifice has met every claim of God's holiness about sin. So no one need carry the burden of guilt for a single hour. And His work is finished, so no one need labour to save themselves.

There are no conditions proposed, no demands made, no barriers erected. The simple, touching, heart-softening, winning word is "Come." It is not "Go," "Do," "Give," "Bring," "Feel," or "Realize." No, it is, "Come." And how are we to come? Just as we are. To whom are we to come? To Jesus. When are we to come? Now.

COME TO ME. Search no longer in the depths of your own heart for the goodness that satisfies. Come to Me. Stop looking to men for help. Come to Me... Do not turn to churches or religious ceremonies. Come to Me. Do not depend on famous evangelists, pastors and teachers. Come to Me. Do not rest in stirring meetings, Bible conferences, sound Christian books, or being in the right church. Come to Me — TO ME — ME.

There is a clear difference between Jesus giving rest and our finding rest, and it matters a great deal. He does not tell me to do anything so that He may give me rest. It is simply "come to me." But to find rest, He says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart." Practical obedience is needed.

A sinner gets rest of conscience in the work of Christ. A believer gets rest of heart in the Person of Christ. Then there is God's own rest — GLORY. Sin and what it produces can never come there. He is going to take us who believe into it, spirit, soul, and body, for eternity.

Notice the difference. In verse 28 it is, "Come to Me… and I will give you rest." That is pure grace to the soul in need, with nothing but its sins to bring. But in saying, "Take My yoke upon you… and you will find rest for your souls," He speaks of subjection to Him, and the effect is finding rest for our souls. When the sinner goes to Jesus in his misery, the Saviour gives him rest — "without money and without price." But that soul may not go on in the ways of Christ. Then he becomes miserable, and loses the comfort he had at first. Why? He has not taken Christ's yoke upon him.

These things are distinct, so we should never confuse them. They are closely connected, so we should never separate them. Confusing them dims the brightness of divine grace. Separating them trespasses on the claims of divine holiness.

In Scripture the "yoke" is always a picture of submission to the will of another.

The yoke is not the law, but His own yoke, His loving restraint; and two belong in the yoke — we are yoked together with Him. And having Him, the One meek and lowly in heart, always before the soul, rest for the soul is the blessed fruit.

He urges His hearers to take the yoke — the yoke He had taken Himself. He urges them to learn from Him in this display of submission and poverty of spirit, and they will find rest for their souls. Perfect grace, the revelation of the Father in the Son, gives rest to hearts weary of this world of sin. Perfect submission of the will gives practical peace to the heart while one crosses that world.

Sometimes we hear Christians, old and young, complain about how slow they are to learn. Why have I learned so little of Christ? These words of our Lord may show us the reason. He said, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me," and we cannot reverse the order of the two halves of the sentence. He did not say — learn from Me, and later you may take My yoke upon you. Taking His yoke is what comes first, before learning of Him.

It is interesting that in the verse just quoted our Lord says of Himself, "I am meek and lowly in heart." Meekness and lowliness were not a thin coat of paint over something coarse and ugly underneath. As a blessed perfect Man down here, He was meek and lowly in Himself, in His nature. So His ways took their character from what He was.

The exact opposite of the meek man is the self-assertive man, and the opposite of the one who is lowly in heart is the high-minded one. By nature we were all high-minded and self-assertive.

This goes beyond rest of conscience. It is rest of heart in the circumstances of daily life. Many who enjoy the one blessing know little of the other. Yet the condition is very simple. It is giving up self-will. It is gladly accepting the authority of the One whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. Nothing is more unsettling than self-will that gets thwarted.

The yoke is not the law, but His own yoke, His loving restraint; and two belong in the yoke; we are yoked together with Him. And having Him, the One meek and lowly in heart, ever before the soul, rest for the soul is the blessed fruit.

He spoke in the opposite way to another of David's sons, who said: "My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke." Now they heard Christ saying, "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light!" What did this mean? Why could He call this yoke easy? The answer lies in Himself.

Doesn't it seem a contradiction — the yoke easy, the burden light? But the Lord is always right. If we walk along with Him we find the yoke is "gracious," and the burden "light."

Greek uses two words for 'burden.' The first, baros (from barys, 'heavy'), always means a load that is heavy and crushing. The idea in the second, phortion (from phero, 'to carry'), is simply that it has to be carried, like freight or baggage; it need not be heavy. It may be heavy, as was the burden the Jewish leaders laid on others, Matt. 23:4; Luke 11:46; or it may be light, as the Lord says, "My burden is light."

Jesus had borne the "burden," Jesus had borne the "yoke" Himself, and therefore He could say, "Learn of Me." I am not speaking about the burden of our sins. The Lord Jesus came also to "learn obedience by the things that He suffered." Jesus was the One who had found out all the bitterness of rejection and scorn, and yet could say, "Even so, Father."

Rest of conscience He gives through the forgiveness of our sins, when first we believe in Him. Rest of heart we find in obedience and subjection to His will… This explains why so many run into trouble of soul soon after the joys of conversion. It explains why they are uneasy and restless when difficulties come, even though they may know the forgiveness of sins. They have lost sight of being subject to Christ in the details of life, both among people and in the church, and of learning from Him.

If your will is opposed to the Lord's will, it is hard for you and it is not easy for Him. But that clash of wills will stop if you give yourself wholly to Him… Look into the Lord's heart, and you will give yourself to Him with joy, for His love for you is perfect. You will find that His yoke is padded with love. It will not chafe or hurt you.

What makes it easy? Nothing but Christ. If the eye is on Him, His yoke is easy. If the eye is off Christ — on myself or on anything else — His burden becomes unbearable, and in unbelief a person breaks down completely.

He may well direct you to many things that go against the desires of the flesh and the ways of the world. But He will never direct you against that new nature which is yours, created new in Christ Jesus… More and more, as you walk in His ways, you will find how happy and delightful they are.