16 “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, 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, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 (Year A July 3-9) concerns a testimony of Jesus concerning John and good news revealed to the simple.
Introduction
My intent is to provide a theological and exegetical commentary. I emphasize
· Jesus’ testimony about John the Baptist
· The contrast between rejection by “this generation” and revelation to the simple
· Jesus’ invitation to the weary to find rest in him
I present the text as a passage about:
· the misunderstanding and rejection of God’s messengers,
· the humility required to receive revelation, and
· the gracious invitation of Jesus to those burdened by life and religion alike.
Verse by verse study
Matthew 11:16-19 (Luke 7:31-35) is a saying of Jesus in the form of a testimony about John concerning children in the marketplaces, expressing the solidarity of Jesus with John. Verses 16-17 are a parable. But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates, 'We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.' Jesus compares this generation of adults to children offering childish ridicule. They harass each other by playing the flute as at weddings and wailing as if for a dirge leading to mourning, chiding others for not participating in the game they are playing. Jesus compares the crowds to a gang of spoiled and sulking children. They complain that no one will play a game, whether wedding or funeral, with them. Verses 18-19a are an explanation of the parable, an expression of the prophetic self-consciousness of Jesus.[1] For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; the image of John as an ascetic not being a surprise, but nowhere else is he ever said to have had a demon, although traveling cynic teachers are also described as demented and ascetic, the Son of man (ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου translated, bar enasha, one like me[2]) came eating and drinking. This analogy is then made explicit in setting the John the ascetic over against Jesus the party animal. These characterizations fit what we otherwise know of John and Jesus. Jesus' behavior plainly did not conform to his contemporaries' image of a serious and upright man. As if such habits were not enough, Jesus is also characterized in v. 19a as having been a friend of tax-collectors and sinners. The picture that emerges is one of a bit of a hellion and wanderer on the wild, even illicit, side of things. Whereas John the Baptist was called a madman when he came as an ascetic, when someone else comes to do similar evangelistic work, but carefully avoids the rigorous asceticism that was held against John, he is dismissed as a self-indulgent person. Jesus is making a claim regarding himself. He refuses to allow any denial of his commission from God.[3] Neither John nor Jesus fulfilled their expectations, as they stand apart as critical observers. And, as if such habits were not enough, they say, 'Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' “Sinners” were those who notoriously failed to observe the commandments, but was also a specific term for those engaged in despised trades, such as gambler, those who charge interest, tax collectors, toll collectors, and a suspicion of herd sheep.[4] While this generation thinks John has a demon because of his lifestyle, it also thinks the lifestyle of Jesus means he is a glutton, drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners, an accusation made in Deut 21:20-21 against a disobedient child who is to be stoned to death, purging the evil from the community. Such an accusation, an excessively hostile reaction, from religious leaders would have led Jesus to consider the possibility that his life would end violently.[5] It presents a slur on the style of Jesus. “Be not among winebibbers, or among gluttonous eaters of meat” (Prov 23:20). Such a saying contrasts John the ascetic who fasts while they want to party with Jesus the glutton and drunk while they insist on strict separation from sinners, and this generation unhappy with both, Jesus portraying it as sulky and immature. The crowd discounts John and his preaching of repentance because his abstinence is too strict, while the crowd rejects Jesus and his proclamation of the gospel because his behavior is not strict enough. Verse 19b is a wisdom saying concerning the rejection of Jesus and John by the people: Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds (all her children in Luke 7:35). In this ambiguous proverb, Jesus suggests the wisdom of God in choosing these servants, John and Jesus. People show their wisdom by receiving John and Jesus. This wisdom was demonstrated in the changed lives of those who followed him. It is a call not to sit on the sidelines as an uninvolved spectator, not to live under any illusions, for this generation will always have its wisdom, but true wisdom will often lay in places this generation will not expect or desire.[6] By deflecting the questions of John’s disciples about Jesus’ identity, and by undermining the people’s expectations about John’s identity, Jesus can focus his hearers’ attention on the kingdom of heaven. The rule of God is the common point of reference for both Jesus and John, as the substance of both their teaching and their ways of life, and thus the source of their identities. Implicit in the text is the question of whether we are open our closed to Jesus as a revelation from the Father.
The narrative suggests that most people were closed. On one hand, we have the crowds who sought signs and wonders, and seemed to have a variety of conflicting expectations. On the other hand, the Scribes and Pharisees who witnessed Jesus’ ministry were blinded by resentment, self-interest, and self-righteousness. They were offended by his violation of their rules of “separateness” and his call to repentance. They are shown here trying to destroy Jesus’ credibility and eventually sought to destroy Jesus himself. Despite all the negativity and rejection in the passage, the words of the redeemer explain what openness to Jesus involves. One demonstrates true wisdom when one is open to the wisdom Jesus offers.[7]
Matthew 11:25-27 (Luke 10:21-22) is a wisdom saying concerning good news revealed to the simple. Jesus expresses thanksgiving and adoration. [8] The saying echoes Dan 2:19-23, much like John 5:20, 14:7. The language, style, and structure of the saying is Aramaic. It gives expression to the antithesis between the early Jewish-Christian communities and the legal piety of the scribes.[9] The Revealer speaks of revelation, which can be controlled neither by those who receive it nor by those whom it passes by. The Revealer is the content of what is at first simply called revelation, the knowledge of the Father through the Son, calling others to himself. Rest is a gift of wisdom. The saying is like the self-commendation wisdom in Proverbs.[10] The saying shows the relation of disciples to Jesus in that they are children favored with a revelation about him and his Father. They have been eyewitnesses of the Son's unique revelation. Prayer becomes the occasion of divine revelation, in this case, concerning the filial relationship of the Father and Jesus that is now disclosed to the followers of Jesus. the disciples are provided this incontrovertible witness to the presence of the rule of God in the redemptive work of Jesus and in the missionary work they undertake in the name of Jesus.
In verse 25-6, Matthew identifies that at that time, Jesus said, I thank thee, Father (πάτερ, the correct Greek vocative form[11]), showing his awareness of his mission and his consciousness of being in a singular way the recipient and mediator of knowledge of God, who reveals what Jesus possesses and teaches,[12] showing his awareness of his mission and his consciousness of being in a singular way the recipient and mediator of knowledge of God, who reveals what Jesus possesses and teaches,[13] Lord of heaven and earth, giving the reason for the thanksgiving, reflecting knowledge of the Tephilla prayed at the afternoon hour of prayer: “Blessed are thou, O Lord, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, the most high God, master of heaven and earth, our shield and the shield of our fathers. Blessed art thou, O Lord, the shield of Abraham.[14] That paraphrasing Ps 8:2, thou hast hidden these things from the intelligent, the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes, the untutored faith that sees the signs Jesus performs as anticipations of the rule of God; Typical of the wit of Jesus is his castigation of the scholars, yet Jesus acknowledges his failure to reach the scholarly class. Yea, Father (ὁ πατήρ, the nominative with the article as a vocative used as cry uttered in the spirit was widespread in the early communities[15]), for such was thy gracious will. The significance of these variations on “father” as address to God is that they point to an underlying Aramaic of ‘abba which, in the time of Jesu, was used in colloquial language at the same time as an address, for the emphatic state (the Father) and for the form with the first-person suffix (My, our Father). It expresses the heart of the relationship Jesus had to God, speaking to God as a child to its father, that is, with confidence and security, and yet reverently and obediently. It expresses the mystery of the mission of Jesus, conscious of being authorized to communicate the revelation of God, because God had made known who God is in coming to Jesus as Father.[16] In verse 27,All things have been delivered to me by my Father (28:18)[17]; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son (which may mean only a father and a son truly know each other) and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Jesus is explaining the communication of revelation through the comparison of father and son. Jesus lived in the enjoyment of this relationship with his heavenly Father. He invited his followers to enjoy this relationship as children of their heavenly Father.[18] The Father has initiated Jesus into the process of revelation. The saying becomes a central statement about the mission of Jesus. His Father has granted him the revelation of who the Father is as completely as only a father can disclose himself to his son, which in those days included teaching the son the family business. Therefore, only Jesus can pass on to others genuine knowledge of the Father. The moment of initiation into this relationship with the Father may have been his baptism by John the Baptist.[19] Jesus speaks the truth regarding the relationship between the Father and the Son in its divine mystery and revelation. The saying denotes the special dignity of Jesus. We cannot think of the Father apart from the Son.[20] Jesus of Nazareth has already received the power other texts assign to the exalted Lord. Because the royal rule of the Father is present in and through Jesus, because the eternal Son has taken human form in him, the power of the Father has also been imparted to him.[21] God is infinitely above all that is human and creaturely. One may know God only through the Son. To know the incomprehensible God we must hold fast to the Son.[22] Even the pre-Easter Jesus can claim that the Father gives him all things.[23] Only here is the concept of revelation set forth as a formal principle of the knowledge of faith.[24] Ignatius expresses the thought of the self-revelation of God by the Son becomes a concept related to the Incarnation.[25] Irenaeus could also say that the Son reveals the Father by his manifestation to us.[26] Justin argued that the preexistent Son revealed the Father, the Son becoming visible to us.[27] The same basic thought occurs in Athanasius, where he says the Logos appeared in the flesh in order that we might attain the knowledge of the invisible God.[28] However, in contrast, the Son is the mediator of revelation, but not the revelation of the Father. The function of the Son corresponds to that of the angel in the receiving of revelation by the apocalyptic seer. In essence, Christ gives a revelation he has received from the Father.[29] Any knowledge people have has its origin in the movement between Father and Son. God was always a partner with humanity. The Father was the partner of the Son, and the Son of the Father. The closed circle of the knowing of the Son by the Father and the Father by the Son is penetrated only from within as the Son causes people to participate in this knowledge by revelation from the Son.[30] There is privileged knowledge shared by Father and Son, and there is privileged communication between Son and follower. Knowledge is not simply intellectual but is a personal bond. Note the exclusiveness with which only one, the Son, is chosen by God to know him. The danger is that no one will recognize him. Knowledge of the Son is incomplete, never total. The exclusive‑sounding language of the verse is not to restrict access to God. Rather, this verse describes the basis for Jesus' authority. As God's chosen one, Jesus has exclusive knowledge of God's will for the coming kingdom. Likewise, only God fully realizes Jesus' future eschatological role. Because Matthew's discussion here is on Jesus' role as the Messiah, the reader will need to understand the verse in those terms. The intimate connection between Jesus and God described here relates to how it impacts Jesus' function as Messiah. This text shows the confidence of Jesus has its basis in the intimate relationship between Son and the Father.
Matthew 11:28-30 (unique to Matthew) is a saying with the theme of the yoke and burden. It expresses the prophetic self-consciousness of Jesus.[31] Having offered thanksgiving to the Father, Jesus offers an invitation to be in relationship with him. It gives expression to the antithesis between the early Jewish-Christian communities and the legal piety of the scribes.[32] The saying echoes the invitation of Jesus ben Sirach (180-175 BC, Ecclesiasticus or Book of Sirach 51:23-27) when he urges the uneducated. Come to me, rather than rigid adherence to the Law, all who labor and are heavy laden, describing those to whom the invitation to form the new people of God is given, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, the mission of Jesus taking place on earth in these ways, and not a life at court, but therefore can fulfill the promise of Jeremiah 6:16:[33] and you will find rest for your souls (ψυχαῖς). Jesus refers to the self of human beings lives before God will one day give an account, upholding the unity of soul and body in suggesting that in physical acts in obedience humanity will find the rest only God can give.[34] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." The teacher makes his appeal and promises a reward for obeying his commands. Those who care and strive are shown in a profitable light.[35] Jesus has become personified Wisdom, urging his listeners to come within the circle of relationship with him.[36] He denounces teachers of the Law in Matt 23:1-4 and Luke 12:45-46, saying they have loaded people with burdens hard to bear (see also Acts 15:10). The easy yoke and light burden could also connote the promise of forgiveness for those bowed under the weight of their sin, who turn to Jesus in repentance and faith. The “rest for your souls” mentioned in verse 29 is not a cessation from labor, but the assurance and confidence that may result from relationship with Christ and the knowledge that we belong to him. He is the one who gives rest. [37] Jesus becomes the Sabbath rest advocated in the fourth commandment. Coming to him fulfills the obligation of that commandment. Because he is “gentle and humble in heart,” never haughty or demanding, Jesus assures this restless, childlike generation that the “yoke” of this relationship will be “easy” and “light.” People do not come to some abstract legal system or doctrine, but “to me,” to divine wisdom in person. The affinity of Jesus is with those unassuming in their relationship with God.
Application
There is a story that Hebrew families tell their children to help them understand the fourth commandment.[38]"The Sweetest Sound" is the story of King Ruben. King Ruben was always asking questions. "Where is the hottest place on earth?" "Where is the place that the snow falls deepest?"
One day he asked his advisors, "What is the sweetest melody of all?" His wise men rubbed their chins and searched their books of wisdom, but they could not find the answer. "Why not have a contest to find the sweetest melody?" they suggested. So the king called all the musicians of his kingdom to come to the palace. Early in the morning, they gathered under the king's window with flutes, harps, violins, horns, bells, drums, banjos, bugles, chimes, cymbals, gongs, triangles, lutes, lyres and trumpets. Their tuning and scraping and testing awoke the king. Smiling, King Ruben jumped up, believing that today he would discover the sweetest melody in all the world. Throughout the morning, the king sat on his balcony and listened. By noon, he had listened to all the sounds imaginable that could be made by plucking, tinkling, blowing and banging. By afternoon, the king had heard all the melodies which could be made by whistling, jingling, shaking, sawing, buzzing and pounding. Then the advisors asked their king, "To your ears, which melody is the sweetest?" King Ruben had listened, but he could not tell which sound was the sweetest. One of his advisors suggested that he should have all the instruments play together, at the same time. "A wonderful idea," said the king. All of the instruments rang, bonged, blared, pealed, strummed and whistled together. King Ruben wrinkled his face and listened with all his might. The noise was so great he could not think. Just at that moment, a woman dressed in her Sabbath best pushed to the front of the crowd. It was now late on Friday afternoon. "O King, I have the answer to your question," she said. The king was surprised because she did not even have an instrument. "Why didn't you come earlier?" the king asked. The woman replied, "I had to wait until just before the setting of the sun." Sure enough, the sun was setting in the west. The musicians were still puffing, blowing, chiming and strumming. But again, there was so much noise the king could hardly think. He raised his hand. "Stop!" he said. And all the musicians put down their instruments. Taking two candles and placing them on the balcony railing, the woman lit them. Just as the sun was setting, the flames of the candles glowed. She lifted her voice and prayed, "Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God, King of the universe, who sanctified us by thy commandments and commanded us to kindle the Sabbath lights." Then she took her hands away from her face. "He that has ears to hear, let him hear," she said. The king raised his head; the advisors took their hands away from their ears. The people in the crowd stood still. The king was whispering, "What? What is that?" He could not hear a sound. "What you hear is the sound of rest. And isn't the peace that the Sabbath brings the sweetest melody of all?"
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[7] Carol M. Noren, Identity Crisis, Pulpit Resource, 2005.
[8]
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[10] Wilckens, TDNT, VII, 516-7.
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[25] Magn. 8.2.
[26] Adv. Haer. 4.6.3 and 4.6.5.
[27] Dial. 127.3-128.2.
[28] SCG 54; PG, 25, 192.
[29]
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[33] F. Hauck/S. Schulz, TDNT, VI, 649.
[34] Schweizer, TDNT, IX, 639-40
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[38] ‑‑John A. Stroman, Thunder From the Mountain (Nashville: The Upper Room, 1990), 53‑55.
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