d. Fear and Loyalty, 10:26–42
In these circumstances of extreme hostility Jesus looks for his followers to be steadfast. They are to endure (“stand firm,” NIV), which points to a continuing attitude. It is important to make a commitment to follow Christ, but more than that is required. Jesus looks for continuance in the Christian way, a constancy in discipleship even when it is known that the most severe consequences may well ensue. To the end46 means not only to the end of some period of time, but to the end of the trials, the persecutions. It is not good enough for the follower of Jesus to renounce his allegiance somewhere along the line. Real discipleship means perseverance right through whatever trials the world throws in our way. It is this one, the perseverer, who will be saved (see on 1:21). Salvation may be used in any one of a number of ways (we have seen it used of those saved from illness or the like), but here the word must be given its fullest meaning. Those who endure through the persecutions will in the end find themselves in the presence of their Lord forever. There is some emphasis on this one; Jesus is not talking about a universal salvation, but about a salvation in which this person, just described, will find blessedness.
23. The thought of the persecution continues, with the instruction not to persist unnecessarily in a situation of persecution. When might be translated “whenever.”47 It implies that the persecution is certain; it is the time that is uncertain. It may also signify that the action is repeated—there will be more than one persecution. When a disciple finds one place implacably hostile it is not his function to continue to offer himself for maltreatment and death;48 needlessly to court martyrdom is not the Christian way. Jesus tells him to seek safety in flight, to flee to the next49 town. The verse is clear up to this point. But the remainder presents us with a very difficult problem.
The statement is important, for it is introduced with Truly I tell you, an expression Jesus uses when he is making solemn and significant statements (see on 5:18). But it is not clear exactly what we should understand by “finishing the towns of Israel” and by the coming of the Son of man. Finish50 in this context would seem to mean finish going through the cities and towns of Israel on the preaching trip that the Twelve were about to begin. But it is not easy to see what the coming51 of the Son of man could mean in this connection. The “coming” normally brings us into the sphere of eschatology and refers to the second coming, the return of the triumphant Lord at the end of the age. While it is not impossible to hold that Jesus referred on occasion to this “coming,” that does not seem to be what is in mind here. One possibility is that we should remember that the term “the Son of man” appears to be derived from the vision in which “one like a son of man” “came to the Ancient of Days” (Dan. 7:13). In other words, the coming may be Jesus’ coming to the Father rather than to his return to earth at the end of the age. The coming to the Father would then refer to the conclusion of his mission here on earth with the passion and resurrection. There will still be work to do in the towns of Israel when that consummation is reached. Tasker thinks that the reference is to Jesus’ coming “in triumph immediately after His resurrection” when he commissioned his disciples to make disciples of all nations (so Mounce).
Others have suggested that Jesus is encouraging the Twelve to move smartly when they go on their mission, for he will be coming along after them and will in due course catch up with them. There are not wanting scholars who think that Jesus is speaking of the Second Advent and that he thought it would come about very shortly. The extreme form of this view is that of A. Schweitzer, who held that Jesus thought that the consummation would take place in his own lifetime.52 But Matthew was writing quite some time after the words were spoken, and he knew that the Lord had not returned; he cannot have meant that he would. More recent scholars sometimes take the view that Jesus expected the end of all things within a generation or so of the time of speaking and that it is this climax of which he speaks here (e.g., Fenton; Hill, “within perhaps 40–50 years”; and others). Ridderbos thinks of a merging of the sufferings of the disciples preaching to the Jews with the sufferings of the end time: “the sufferings of the Jews in Israel were merely a prelude to and a shadow of the agonies that will have to be endured at the end of the age.” Yet another view is that Jesus may be held to “come” in various ways and that a very significant “coming” was that in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed. That judgment meant the end of Jewry organized around the temple cultus and formed a terrible judgment on people like those of whom Jesus has been speaking in the previous verses as opposing Christian preachers, punishing them in synagogues and handing them over to Gentiles. Such a view is accepted by Lenski, Carson, and others.
The variety of views shows that a decision on the meaning of the words is not easy. Perhaps there is most to be said for the view that they refer in an unusual way to the climax of Jesus’ mission, his coming back from the dead after his rejection by the people (“a reference to the exaltation of the Messiah in passion-resurrection,” AB). There is triumph in that coming and there is a further commission to the disciples to take the message over all the earth. On this understanding Jesus would be saying that the disciples are to carry on with the task to which he sent them, and further that they certainly would not have completed it before his work on earth reached its climax.
24. Jesus returns to the thought that it is inevitable that his followers will suffer rejection. He points out that this is the common lot of a disciple (for the term see on 5:1; 8:21). Mostly the word is used in this Gospel for the follower of Jesus, but here the term is quite general. Any disciple is not above his teacher. In time, of course, he may surpass his teacher and become considerably greater (though this is not a possibility for the followers of the incarnate Lord). But while he is a disciple he is no more than a learner: the very concept of discipleship means that he cannot be greater than his teacher. The point here is that he cannot expect to be treated better than his master; if the teacher suffers persecution, the disciple can expect nothing less. A second negative carries on the thought. A slave is not to be thought of as above his master; the very concept of slavery means that the slave occupies an inferior position. He may be a more worthy man, but as a slave he is subordinate. Jesus is saying that in the very structures of society there are some immutables. His followers should learn from this. They cannot expect to be given better treatment than that which their Master received.53
25. Enough54 indicates that the disciple must be content with his place. Jesus has just made the point that the disciple is not greater than his teacher, and it follows that he must regard it as sufficient if he can be as his teacher is; he can look for no more. So with the slave and his master. The slave can share in the glory of the household of which he is a humble member, but no more. While he is a slave he cannot expect to be superior to his owner. That is not the way society works. All this is the way Jesus brings out the inevitability of troubles for his followers. They cannot expect to be regarded more highly than their Master or to secure better treatment. Jesus refers to the fact55 that his enemies have called him Beelzebul (again in 12:24, 27; the form Beelzeboul also occurs, and the Vulgate has Beelzebub), which raises further problems. But whatever the precise form of the name, it certainly indicates rejection. The god of Ekron was called “Baal-zebub” (2 Kings 1:2, 3, 6, 16; the name does not occur in the LXX text), a term that means “lord of flies” and that apparently was a Hebrew pun on the name of a Philistine god. The Jews may have further corrupted this into “Baal-zebul,” “lord of dung,” which would be a way of further insulting the heathen deity. This name, however, occurs in the Ras Shamra tablets as the name of a Canaanite deity, and it appears to mean “lord of the dwelling” or “lord of the high place” in Canaanite. Taking all this into consideration, it seems likely that the Hebrews took the name of a heathen deity that they could interpret contemptuously as “lord of flies” or “lord of dung” and that they applied to evil beings. In time it came to signify a very important demon, probably the being we call Satan.56 To apply this name to Jesus was to give him as deadly an insult as they could.
Jesus is saying, then, that his enemies have not only rejected him and his teaching, but have identified him with the leader of the forces of evil. This perverse approach cannot but have its consequences for his followers. He speaks of himself as the head of the house, an unusual expression for himself. But its meaning in an ordinary family is clear enough, and the word could be used in parables to refer to God (13:27; 20:1, etc.). It is intelligible as a description of Jesus’ position in the little band of his followers. And if the enemies have no more respect for the head than to link him with the forces of evil, his followers can surely expect nothing better. Jesus carries on with the metaphor of the household by calling them members of his household.57 They are identified with him as those in a household who looked up to the head. Indeed, Jesus says how much more will they be reviled. There might be some small respect for the head, but the followers would be isolated and persecuted even more. They are easier to pick on than their leader and will prove irresistible targets. They must expect to be regarded as evil people and persecuted accordingly.
d. Fear and Loyalty, 10:26–42
26“Therefore do not be afraid of them; for there is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, and hidden that will not be made known. 27What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; be afraid rather of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31Therefore do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32Everyone then who shall acknowledge me before men, I also will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven. 33But whoever shall disown me before men, I also will disown him before my Father who is in heaven.
34“Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I came to divide a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. 37He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
40“He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. 41He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a good man in the name of a good man will receive a good man’s reward. 42And whoever in the name of a disciple gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink, truly I tell you, he will certainly not lose his reward.”
In a further section that apparently gathers teaching given on a number of occasions (the parallels in Mark and Luke are scattered over a wide area) Matthew brings out something of the cost of discipleship and the importance of wholehearted allegiance to Christ. There is a threefold command not to be afraid (vv. 26, 28, 31), which emphasizes that Jesus’ followers are to be without fear. They need not be afraid, for (1) every hidden thing will in due course be made public—the disciples will be vindicated (vv. 26–27); (2) their foes can kill the body but no more; they cannot kill the soul (v. 28); (3) the heavenly Father cares for the humblest of his creation (vv. 29–31). To this Jesus adds, (4) he will acknowledge all who acknowledge him (vv. 32–33).
26. Therefore introduces a reason. Jesus has made it clear that he himself is not respected by the Jewish authorities. From this it follows that, the disciple not being greater than his Master, those authorities will have no respect for his followers. But he is not dismayed at what evil men are doing and will do to him, and his followers should not fear either. He does not mean that the authorities are men of straw and may safely be neglected. He is well aware that they have power and that they will use it against him and also against his followers. He means rather that his true followers belong with him. He will in due course be vindicated, and so will they. Nothing would be done to his followers that had not been done to the Master, but his triumph is sure, and so is theirs. For adds a reason; none of the things people do in secret will remain secret. The plots of the Jewish hierarchy against Jesus (and of all their enemies against the disciples) are in secret, and thus the evil may be made to appear to be the good. But this is temporary. In the end everything will become public. Publicity is an advantage to the good, but it makes things harder for the evil, whose ways must be concealed if they are to be successful. Let the disciples, then, not be afraid but preach openly the things Jesus has committed to them.
27. Concealment is to be no part of the life of the disciples. What Jesus says to them in secret (in the darkness) they are to speak in the light (“in broad daylight,” REB); it is not to be concealed; they are to give it full publicity. There are two thoughts here. One is that the followers of Jesus get their message from him; it is not something they have laboriously evolved for themselves. The other is that, having received Jesus’ message, they are to give it the widest publicity. The same thought is conveyed in another way with the contrast between what they hear whispered58 (and which is therefore secret) and their proclamation on the housetops. The tops of homes were, of course, greatly used in the Palestine of those days, and a housetop made a fine platform for anyone who wanted to bring his message before a large number of people.59 The expression is a way of saying that the words in question are to be given maximum publicity. It is possible to convey information to a few people secretly, but Jesus’ teaching is to be much more widespread than that. He has public proclamation in mind.
28. Again we have an injunction not to be afraid; openness and fearlessness run through this passage. This time the disciples are told not to fear60 people who can kill61 the body but can do no more. Body may be used of the bodies of people or of animals, alive or dead; in this place it stands for the whole of mortal life, which is put in contrast to the soul, that which is more than mortal.62 The persecutors will be able effectively to bring an end to bodily life, but they lack the power63 to kill the soul. People with this significant limitation are not to be feared. But it is a different matter when attention is turned to God (curiously Bruce thinks “the tempter” is in mind, but the tempter’s power avails only to the extent that God permits; McNeile points out that in the parallel passage [Luke 12:5], Jesus speaks of “authority” to cast into hell, an authority that only God has). The Bible never says that believers are to be afraid of Satan. If we are going to be afraid, let it not be of the minor danger that is all that evil people or even Satan himself can bring us, but of the major danger involved in God’s holy wrath against evil.64 Where they are not able he is able; his power far surpasses that of anyone or anything else in all creation. And Jesus illustrates that power by saying that God can destroy both soul and body in hell (cf. Isa. 10:18). It is perhaps surprising that he should speak of the destruction of the body65 in hell (for hell see on 5:22): the body dies here on earth. But the expression refers to the whole person, and the whole person is body and soul; Jesus is not so much speaking of the particular area in which the body suffers dissolution as of the power of God, a power not limited to this earth (as the power of the persecutors is), but extending to the world to come. The reference to hell shows that we are not to understand destroy of annihilation. Jesus is speaking of the destruction of all that makes for a rich and meaningful life, not of the cessation of life’s existence.
29. The power of God is to be discerned not only in the way he disposes of soul and body and works out his purposes in hell as elsewhere. We see it in his care for even the most insignificant of his works of creation. Jesus draws attention to the sparrows66 that were sold in the marketplace for food.67 They were very small birds and could command only a very small price: two a penny!68 Clearly they ranked low in the scheme of things and must be regarded as of little importance. But God takes notice of every individual little sparrow. Not one of them falls to earth (Chrysostom has “fall into a snare,” but this has no support in the MSS)69 without70 the involvement of your Father. It is not certain precisely what these last words mean, as is evident from the translations. NIV has “apart from the will of your Father” (so RSV); NEB, “without your Father’s leave” (GNB, “consent”); JB, “without your Father knowing.” Any of these might be the right way of understanding the passage. But whatever our understanding of the point in detail, it is plain that Jesus is affirming that the little sparrows matter to God. People regard them as of trifling worth, but they are part of God’s creation and have real value for him. God is not so busy running the universe that he has no time for little birds. Perhaps we should notice that the prophet Amos can ask, “Will a bird fall on the ground without a fowler?” (Amos 3:5, LXX). But the loving care of the heavenly Father forms a strong contrast to the fowler’s aim simply to destroy.
30. If God is interested in the smallest of his created beings, he is also interested in the smallest details of the people he has made in his own image. Your comes first in the sentence and puts some emphasis on people in contrast to birds, a contrast that is strengthened with But. It scarcely seems to matter how many hairs we have on our heads71 (and we certainly do not have that information ourselves; Bengel points out that we take no notice of hairs “pulled out by the comb”). The word order is “of you … even the hairs the head, all (of them),” which draws attention to “all” and thus emphasizes that the Father has complete knowledge of the most insignificant information about each one of his children. The verb counted72 is in the perfect tense, which may signify that the number stays on record; it points to God’s continuing interest.
31. Therefore introduces the consequence of these evidences of God’s care. Since God cares for the humblest members of his creation and since he has knowledge of the most unimportant piece of information about his people, those people need not fear.73 In this Gospel Jesus often tells people not to be afraid; fear is no part of being a disciple. On this occasion he gives the reason that they matter very much to the heavenly Father; their worth74 is much more than that of many sparrows (JB has “hundreds of sparrows”). Since the Father cares for the sparrows, much more will he care for them.
32–33. Positively and negatively Jesus brings out the importance of wholehearted allegiance to him. Everyone … who75 indicates a totality: there are no exceptions. Acknowledge76 signifies an open declaration of allegiance (cf. GNB, “declares publicly that he belongs to me”; Hill, “affirm solidarity” with). Jesus looks for such a declaration from those who profess to follow him: there is no point in having followers who do not follow. It is one thing to become convinced that Jesus is an outstanding teacher, even that he is the Messiah, and quite another to profess oneself to be his follower in the face of hostile opposition from people in influential places. But to those who acknowledge him publicly in this way Jesus gives the assurance that he will likewise acknowledge them. His I is emphatic: they will be acknowledged by none less than he. And this acknowledgment will take place before my Father who is in heaven. This obviously refers to God, and it is significant that Jesus refers to him as Father. But when he says my Father, he is taking up a special place; he does not stand in the same relationship to God as do others (he never links himself with people in saying “Our Father”). There is an implied claim for himself,77 and then his addition who is in heaven makes clear the greatness of the Father of whom he speaks. The acknowledgment his followers will receive will avail in the highest of all courts.
The obverse of this is that there are those who will disown Jesus before men here on earth; they will reject Jesus and side with his worldly opponents. The remainder of the saying follows the pattern of the previous one, bringing out the truth that those who disown Jesus here on earth are stuck with the consequences of their choice. They will necessarily find themselves disowned before the heavenly Father. Jesus is pointing out that there are permanent consequences of rejecting him. Those who do this suffer not some slight and temporary inconvenience, but the eternal consequences of rejection by God himself.78
34. Up to this point in this Gospel there has been a good deal of comforting teaching (as well as that which challenges) and many kindly actions of Jesus in healing those oppressed in various ways. The previous words would have made it clear that all is not sweetness and light for those who serve him, and this is now made very clear. I came is an incidental revelation of something of Christ’s person—it is not an expression that would normally be used of anyone else’s coming into the world. He had an existence prior to his earthly birth, and his coming to earth was for a purpose. It is startling to find him saying that his followers must not think that he came to bring79 peace to the earth, an expression that is given emphasis by its repetition. Actually the word peace is used very little in this Gospel (only in v. 13 and here), but the general tenor of Jesus’ teaching and actions is such as to lead us to expect him to be a bringer of peace. And there is, of course, a most important sense in which he came to bring peace. But the peace he came to bring is not simply the absence of strife; it is a peace that means the overcoming of sin and the bringing in of the salvation of God. And that means war with evil and accordingly hostility against those who support the ways of wrong. So it is that Jesus says that, far from peace,80 he comes to bring a sword,81 that is, conflict. The sword is not, of course, meant literally, but it is an obvious symbol of conflict. It is a stern reminder of the fact that to follow one whom his followers delight to call the “Prince of peace” (Isa. 9:6) sometimes means disunity and conflict. “A sword divides; so does the truth which Jesus came to bring. It is more important than family unity” (Argyle). But, of course, his coming presents a challenge to which people respond differently. And emotionally, for some who oppose Jesus do so passionately, as do those who become his followers. And where strong and opposed feelings are held, conflict is inevitable.82
35. For does not give a reason for the preceding so much as an explanation, “for, you see.” Once again we have I came with its implication of a previous existence elsewhere. The kind of conflict Jesus has in mind is brought out with references to the family. His coming may well divide83 families (cf. Mic. 7:6). A man is used generally, “any man at all.” His father points us to the fundamental family loyalty. Since the father was the head of his household, the loyalty owed to him was above most loyalties, perhaps above all. To bring division between father and son was to offend against one of the most deep-seated convictions in the minds of Jesus’ hearers. And just as the son is set over against the father, so a daughter is set over against her mother. The mother was the important person in the female section of the household, where she exercised a headship corresponding to that of the father over the whole household. Division among the women was another serious split. And it does not stop there. The daughter-in-law became a member of a new household upon her marriage, and it would be expected that she would enter fully into her role as a member of her husband’s family and that she would look to her mother-in-law for guidance and affection. To have division here would leave the bride very much alone.84 Jesus makes it clear that nobody could reckon that the possibility of division would pass her or him by. The fundamental unit, the family, would be divided, and this might affect anyone.
36. This is summed up in the general proposition that one’s enemies85 will be those in one’s own household,86 the last place where we would expect hostility. Jesus is emphasizing that from the human point of view following the right way can be a lonely business. Divisions and oppositions may well arise where they are least expected, for it is impossible to predict how people will react to the gospel. And where they oppose it they may oppose it bitterly and extend that bitter opposition to all who have accepted it. “Enemies” is not too strong a word.
37. It is affection that binds households together; thus Jesus moves on to consider the place of love. He assumes that there will be love between parents and children, but claims for himself a higher87 place in his disciples’ affection than that which they accord to their nearest and dearest on earth, and that in a society that held it a dreadful thing to put anyone higher than one’s parents. Loves88 is a significant word; it points to the warmest affection. Jesus does not bid his followers love their parents or their children (nor, on the other hand, does he forbid warm affection in the family). He simply assumes that family members will love one another. But he is concerned that they must not value their attachment to the members of their families so highly that he is pushed into the background.89 This has important implications for an understanding of the person of Jesus. No mere man has the right to claim a love higher than that for parents or children; it is only because he is who he is that Jesus can look for such love. The words imply that he is more than a merely human teacher and leader. Of the one who lacks this love for him he says that he is not worthy of me (GNB, “is not fit to be my disciple”). We must not forget that Jesus knew what it was to experience misunderstanding in the family, for his own thought him mad (Mark 3:21). Jesus is not asking from his followers something he did not know for himself.
38. The demand for loyalty is further brought out by relating it to taking up a cross (cf. 16:24).90 For us this is a remote metaphor, but Jesus’ hearers were people who had seen men take up their cross (anyone condemned to be crucified was required to carry the cross beam to the place of execution). They knew that when this happened and the man went off with a little knot of Roman soldiers, he was on a one-way journey. He would not be back. Thus, for them, taking up the cross stood for the utmost in renunciation of the claims of self. The person who took up a cross had died to a whole way of life; Jesus demands from everyone who follows him nothing less than a death to self. For follow91 see on 4:20; here it clearly means “follow as a disciple” (after me is a glimpse of the way a follower would literally walk behind his teacher).
39. Now comes the tremendous paradox that brings out the truth that the person who concentrates on getting the best, by that very fact loses it.92 He who finds is more exactly “he who will have found,”93 and life (see on v. 28) may be used of the whole of one’s earthly existence or of life considered in terms of eternity. This poses something of a problem: Is Jesus speaking of life here and now or of life in eternity? But perhaps we can put the antithesis too strongly; both may be in mind. “Since the soul is the center of both the earthly and the supernatural life, a man can find himself facing the question in which character he wishes to preserve it for himself” (BAGD, 1.d). To find life in the sense of the things one delights in here and now and without regard to other considerations is to lose it in the deeper sense, both now and in eternity. The verb rendered lose94 can have the sense “destroy”; it points to the total loss of the only life that is worth living in the empty pursuit of that which has no permanence; it cannot last beyond the fleeting hour. The other side of the coin is that the person who counts life well lost in the service of Christ will find life in the fullest sense. That person will live a fuller life here and now and can face eternity without trepidation. For my sake is important. Jesus is not suggesting that anyone should weigh up the merits and demerits of life here and now and life in the hereafter and decide for the latter on the grounds that he will get more out of it that way. That is still selfish living and means the loss of real life. The life that matters is the life for the sake of Christ, the life that takes the same road of self-denial as Jesus did and that is concerned not with the benefit that one will be able to secure either here or hereafter, but with the service of God and of one’s fellows. It has been suggested that life here means very much what we mean by “self”; to concentrate one’s best energies on oneself is to destroy oneself, whereas to lose oneself in the service of Christ is to find oneself.
40. From the depths of the devotion required in his disciples and the importance of taking up one’s cross and losing one’s life for Jesus’ sake, the Master now turns to what will happen when people respond to his challenge. He has spoken of the uncertain reception his followers will receive when they go out with the message of the kingdom. They should be under no illusions as to the difficulty of their task and the certainty that there will be people who will oppose them bitterly. But that is not the whole story, and now he speaks of those who will receive his disciples, where the verb indicates “receive as a guest, welcome.” You refers in the first instance to the Twelve, whom Jesus was sending on a mission, but the word surely refers also to all those others who will later go forth in Jesus’ name. To receive any such one will result in great blessing, for by that very fact they receive the Master. And not only the Master, but they receive him who sent me, that is, the heavenly Father. Notice again the thought of mission: Jesus had been sent. The thought is that of the outworking of one great divine purpose in which the Father, Jesus who had been sent by the Father, and the disciples who were being sent by Jesus all had their part. They were so closely connected that any honor paid to the disciples had to be regarded as something that overflowed to Jesus and to the Father.
41. This leads on to a more general statement about a variety of servants of God and a variety of kinds of service. Again we have the thought of receiving a person in the sense of giving a welcome, and this time it is the reception of a prophet.95 The prophets were great figures in Old Testament days, and their writings were regarded with reverence and respect and seen as holy Scripture. At an early period in the history of the Christian church there were charismatic figures who also bore the title “prophet,” but we have no knowledge of any group of people who bore this title during Jesus’ lifetime. We should probably bear in mind that the basic idea in “prophet” is that of a person who speaks directly from God. Others may comment on what God has said, but the prophet can say, “Thus saith the Lord—” (GNB translates “God’s messenger”). Such a prophet can arise at any time.96 Prophets in olden times were often rejected by their hearers, and Jesus recognizes that that was still possible. But it was not inevitable; thus Jesus speaks of a hearer who receives a prophet, that is, welcomes the man and his message. In the name of a prophet seems to mean accepting a prophet for what he is “as a prophet” (NEB), “because he is a prophet” (REB, NIV, JB).97 Such a man will receive a prophet’s reward, the gift with which God rewards the prophet for his faithful service. That gift we now find will be given not only to the prophet, but to the one who accepts the prophet and aligns himself with him.98
A similar comment is made about receiving a good99 man (prophet and good man are joined again in 13:17; 23:29). The goodness of this man will be indicated not so much by his ethical uprightness as by his conformity to the law of God. He is the man who accepts the sovereignty of God and accordingly walks in the ways of God.100 To welcome such a man is to agree with his basic position. It is to recognize the importance of goodness and to be ready to bring about goodness oneself. Such a receptor of a good man will be treated as a good man; he will receive the reward (or the wage) befitting the good man. Being a true servant of God means among other things being able to perceive the work of God in others and to respond to it.
42. From the recognition of what God has done in prophets and good men generally, Jesus turns to the kind of conduct appropriate in his followers when they encounter those who can claim neither status—God’s little ones. He speaks of giving a drink in the name of a disciple, that is, in recognition of the fact that these little ones are Christ’s (cf. RSV, “because he is a disciple”; REB is similar). Notice that Jesus is speaking of the smallest conceivable gift to the most insignificant of people. The gift is that of no more than101 a cup of cold water; no smaller gift can easily be conceived. Even the smallest gift, given with the right motive, does not go unnoticed. And the gift is made to one of these little ones; to one only, and that one from the class of little ones.102 Jesus is not speaking of a small service rendered to a great person, but of a small service rendered to a small person. The word little may mean no more than small in size, and some have taken it here to mean “little children.” Jesus certainly took a deep interest in children, but in this context it seems clear that he is speaking of insignificant persons who are his followers whether they are children or not. The little ones are a class who stand alongside prophets and good men. As O. Michel puts it, “He is referring to people who are present, without disparagement, and without having children in view.”103 The term means those who are insignificant, but it may also refer to those who are without earthly power but who are yet accepted by God (cf. the references to Gideon, Judg. 6:15, and Saul, 1 Sam. 15:17). For those who respond to the smallest needs of the humblest of disciples there will be a reward, just as in the case of those who respond to a prophet or a good man. This part of the saying is introduced with truly, which invests the words that follow with peculiar solemnity (see on 5:18). This is reinforced by the emphatic double negative,104 which leaves no doubt about the proposition that follows.
Matthew 11
F. Responses to Jesus’ Activity, 11:1–12:50
Matthew rounds off his account of this second great discourse in words not unlike those of 7:28–29, and proceeds to tell his readers about some of the reactions to what Jesus said and did. Mostly these reactions are unfavorable, and even John the Baptist gives evidence of misunderstanding the Lord to whom he had earlier borne witness. Matthew goes on to tell of unrepentant cities and of opponents like the Pharisees. Throughout these chapters we discern some willful misunderstanding of Jesus and a rising tide of opposition to him. But we should not miss the way Matthew brings out through it all significant teaching about the person of Jesus. In this chapter the question raised by John the Baptist leads to important teaching about Jesus as the Christ, the denunciation of the impenitent cities shows him to be the Judge, and the chapter ends with the beautiful picture of the Savior of the heavy laden.
1. John the Baptist, 11:1–19
1And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he went away from there to teach and preach in their towns. 2Now when John heard in the prison about the works of the Messiah, he sent through his disciples 3and said to him, “Are you the Coming One, or do we wait for another?” 4And Jesus answered them, saying, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5blind men receive sight and lame men walk, lepers are cleansed and deaf people hear, and dead people are raised and poor people have good news preached to them; 6and blessed is anyone who is not tripped up on account of me.”
7And as these men went away, Jesus began to say to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by a wind? 8But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look, those who wear the soft clothes are in the houses of the kings. 9But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10For this is he about whom it stands written, ‘Look, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
11“Truly I tell you, there has not arisen among those born of women a greater than John the Baptist; but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men are seizing it. 13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; 14and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15Let him who has ears hear.
16“To what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces who call to the other children, 17saying, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not lament.’ 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a gluttonous man and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ And yet wisdom is proved right from her actions.”
This section of the Gospel has no parallel in Mark and, while there is a Lucan equivalent, Luke has a different arrangement and some significant verbal differences. Most scholars find it difficult to understand why the two narratives differ in the way they do, and many deny that there can have been a common source.
1. This verse rounds off the teaching Jesus has been giving, just as 7:28–29 (where see notes) rounds off the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was constantly teaching, and Matthew notes that the completion of his work in one place was followed by his moving on to continue it in other localities. For And it came to pass see the note on 7:28. It is a Matthean characteristic, as is this transition from a discourse section to something of a different kind. Matthew notes that Jesus finished giving instructions,1 and once again he specifies his twelve disciples as the recipients. It is characteristic that Jesus’ activities are teaching and preaching. This last term has the idea of proclamation (see on 3:1) and is used of proclaiming the gospel (Mark 16:15) and a number of times of proclaiming the good news of the kingdom (cf. Luke 8:1). Here it is the absolute use: Jesus made proclamation, but Matthew gives no indication of the content of the proclamation. To teach is a much more general term and covers instruction of various kinds. This took place in their towns, where their is not defined. But Matthew seems often to use this term to denote the Jews in general, specifically those opposed to Jesus.
2. Matthew turns his attention to John the Baptist.2 He has already given an account of the ministry of that stern man of the wilderness and has noted his concentration on judgment. He has also made it clear that John had recognized Jesus’ greatness and found it hard to understand why he should receive a baptism intended for sinners (from the beginning John had had difficulty in understanding a ministry so different from his own). Matthew has also told us that John was put in prison (4:12; Josephus tells us that this was in the fortress of Machaerus, Ant. 18.119, situated east of the Dead Sea), and later he has spoken of the question about fasting raised by the Baptist’s followers (9:14). Now we are back to the man himself. The name John is sufficient; there is no need to explain that it is the Baptist of whom Matthew writes. John, he tells us, was still in prison, and there he heard about what Jesus was doing. Unusually at this early stage, Matthew speaks of Jesus as the Messiah, perhaps, as Carson thinks, “in order to remind his readers who it was that John the Baptist was doubting.” Works is a neutral term and can mean ordinary deeds or miracles or both. There is no indication here of either class, and perhaps Matthew intends that we understand both. John sent a message through his disciples (an unusual construction, but quite intelligible). Luke says that he sent two disciples (Luke 7:18), and some MSS have “two” here.
3. John’s question raises a problem, for Matthew tells us that when Jesus came to be baptized John had been reluctant, saying that he needed to be baptized by Jesus, not the other way about. He had recognized the greatness of Jesus. Why then should he now be asking, “Are you3 the Coming One?” It is perhaps relevant that Matthew has not reported in the earlier encounter that he had used this precise expression of Jesus. The expression was not a recognized messianic title4 (though cf. Ps. 118:26; Isa. 59:20). But as John uses it, it seems to have much that force. Since John had given such recognition to Jesus in earlier days, it is a puzzle that he should now be questioning his credentials.
A number of solutions to the problem have been suggested. (1) Some suggest that John himself was in no doubt, but asked the question so that Jesus would reassure his followers. This view was common in the early church and among the Reformers; Ryle accepts it. But it is surely too artificial. (2) Others think that John was just coming to believe in Jesus. He had not recognized him as the Messiah, the reasoning runs, but now in prison he had time to reflect and he was coming to see something of the greatness of Jesus (Fenton accepts such a view). So he began to wonder whether he should give up his own movement and follow Jesus. But this is sheer speculation. There is evidence that John had told people to follow Jesus (3:2, 13–14; John 1:29–34, 35–37; Acts 18:25; 19:4), and there is no evidence that he had wavered in this. (3) Another view is that prison had had a depressing effect on John. Confinement in Herod’s jurisdiction meant a good deal of suffering, and there was no certainty of ultimate release. The suggestion is that all this was too much for John. But nothing that we know about the Baptist suggests that he would have buckled under pressure. Our sources give no indication that he ever did. (4) Some argue that it was not so much John’s faith that failed as his patience. John had looked for Jesus to bring in the kingdom of God, but instead of doing this the Master was doing nothing more than move among the people of Galilee, teaching and healing. He was making no attempt to overthrow the rulers of the country and bring in the rule of God. So John, it is suggested, was trying to prod Jesus into decisive action. This must remain a possibility, but it certainly comes short of having been demonstrated. (5) Perhaps John was simply puzzled. He had prophesied such great things about Jesus, and specifically he had spoken of judgment (cf. 3:11–12). But there was no sign of the judgment he expected (it would have been very human for John to have looked for judgment on those who had brought his ministry to a close and made him suffer so many things in jail). Jesus was simply moving among ordinary men and women, teaching them about the things of God and healing their sick. Was this really what the Great One would do?5 What sort of Messiah was it who refrained from religious practices like fasting (which John’s disciples followed, 9:14), consorted with irreligious characters (9:9–13), and left his forerunner to languish in prison?
On the whole this last appears to be the most probable solution. John is asking whether it is this sort of thing that God’s Messiah would do, “or do we wait for6 another?”7 Was Jesus, like John, a kind of forerunner? Would a greater come and bring judgment on sinners?
4. Jesus does not directly answer John’s question, but he invites the messengers to tell John what was happening. He should draw his own conclusions when he knew what Jesus was saying and doing. What is plural: Jesus is drawing attention to a multitude of things, and the addition you hear and see makes it comprehensive. It includes both what Jesus taught and what he did, and indeed the expression could be wider, for it could include people’s reactions. How they responded might well tell John important things about Jesus.
5. Jesus begins with blind men receive sight.8 Now no miracle of the giving of sight to the blind is recorded throughout the whole of the Old Testament, nor is there any record of such a miracle performed by Jesus’ followers (apart from the falling of scales from the eyes of Saul of Tarsus, removing temporary blindness, Acts 9:17–18, but that is scarcely the same thing). But it is the most frequent healing miracle of any kind among the works of Jesus; he stood out as a healer of the blind. The giving of sight is, of course, mentioned a number of times in Old Testament messianic prophecies, and we can surely say that such healings point to Jesus’ messiahship. Receive sight, like the other verbs in this sentence, is in the present tense and indicates a continuing process: Jesus is speaking of his habitual activities, not of an occasional (and atypical) happening.
To the healing of blindness is added, lame men walk, a conjunction we find also when the blind and the lame came to Jesus in the temple (21:14; sufferers of these groups are joined with others coming to him in 15:30–31). As with blindness, Matthew speaks of the lame more than do others (5 times). To this Jesus adds, lepers are cleansed; leprosy was not simply a disease to be cured, but a defilement from which the sufferer must be cleansed (see on 8:2; NIV misses this point with “are cured”). It is mentioned in the New Testament only in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew has it 4 times, Mark 2, Luke 3). Deaf 9 people hear, to which is added the raising of the dead. The word may denote the spiritually dead (Heb. 6:1), but here it clearly denotes the death of the body. Matthew relates no miracles of giving life to dead people (though he tells us that Jesus told his disciples to do this, 10:8), but Luke speaks of the raising of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11–17; he puts this immediately before his parallel section on John the Baptist). And John, of course, tells of the raising of Lazarus (John 11). The Baptist was to know that even death was subject to Jesus.
The final item on the list is poor10 people, who have good news preached to them. The poor were important to Jesus, and they feature prominently in the Gospels. They were downtrodden and counted for little in the eyes of the general community. But to Jesus they mattered, and he draws John’s attention to this reversal of generally accepted values. It was something new that to such people good news was preached. It is possible that we should translate this “the gospel is preached,” for the verb is that used characteristically for the preaching of the gospel.11 But since the Christian gospel in its fulness could not be preached before the atoning death of Jesus that was at its heart, we should probably not understand the verb here in this way. A number of translations capitalize with “Good News,” which draws attention to the fact that Jesus’ preaching had a special quality about it and that the news he brought was of particular comfort to poor people. John would have known that Jesus was doing these things; indeed, that was part of his problem. But Jesus is using words that will evoke recollections of messianic prophecy: the blind, the deaf, and the lame (also the dumb) are the subject of prophecy (Isa. 35:5–6), as are the poor (Isa. 61:1). Clearly Jesus is drawing attention to wonderful deeds the Messiah would do and adding others (cleansing the lepers, raising the dead). We should also bear in mind that in the relevant scriptural passages there is the thought of judgment as well as that of blessing (Isa. 35:4; 61:2). Judgment was not immediate, but it was not forgotten. If John were to consider these things carefully, he would have the answer to his question.
6. Jesus rounds off his words to John with a benediction on anyone who trusts him. For blessed see the note on 5:3; it points to happiness, but not happiness in a general, secular way. It means the joy that comes from the presence and approval of God. And that joy will come on the person who sees Jesus for what he is and not as “a stumbling-block” (NEB). The verb I have translated tripped up is a difficult one.12 It is a passive with a meaning like “is not stumbled, is not tripped up on account of me”;13 Jesus is thus speaking about the person who trusts him (has “no doubts about me,” GNB) and does not take offense at who he is and what he does. His was nothing like the conventional understanding of the Messiah, and because of this people wedded to traditional ways might well be highly offended by him. Not that way lies the path of blessing. John is being exhorted to trust Jesus and not be tripped up by preconceived ideas of what the Messiah should be like.
7. With this message from Jesus John’s men went on their way. But the fact that John had sent this embassy, coupled with the way Jesus replied, might well have given some hearers the impression that John was in the wrong and that Jesus was in some way in opposition to his forerunner. This was far from being the case, however, and without any delay for errors to spread (it was as John’s messengers were on their way that Jesus took action) Jesus proceeds to bring out something of John’s greatness. He began to speak (which may mean that there was more to be said, but at least he was making a beginning), and he did so by asking a series of questions.14 Notice that Jesus asks “what?” not “who?” It is what John stood for rather than what he was to which he directs attention (though, of course, the questions center on the kind of man John was).15 To go out into the wilderness16 demanded some effort and required some reason. What was it? Jesus suggests that the object of their contemplation may have been a reed shaken by a wind. The reed might be used as a kind of flute, or it might be a pen (see MM), or a fairly stiff reed might be thought of as something like a rod (27:29, 30, 48). But here the reed is a slight thing that may be moved about by wind. A reed blown here and there by a puff of wind is the most inconstant and unstable of things. This was obviously an impossible description of John, for the Baptist was not characterized by fickleness. He took a firm line in his preaching, and his manner of life backed up his words.
8. Jesus makes a second suggestion, which he introduces with the strong adversative;17 this dismisses the preceding and leads into something new. The question of the previous verse is repeated with a change of verb.18 Jesus turns attention to clothing and asks whether they went to the wilderness to see someone in soft clothes. We were told earlier that John was dressed in camel’s hair with a leather belt (3:4); anything less like soft clothing is not easy to imagine. The translators tend to paraphrase here: “silks and satins” (NEB), “fancy clothes” (GNB), “fine clothes” (JB), but these are all interpretations: the word means “soft” (it is sometimes used in the sense “effeminate”). Look is Matthew’s word for drawing attention to some saying; here he cites Jesus’ words about the place where soft clothes are to be found, namely in the houses of the kings. There is a tendency for the translators to read “palaces,” but Jesus’ word is that for ordinary houses. Admittedly the houses of kings would be magnificent, but Jesus is not drawing attention to that.
9. Another use of the strong adversative brings us to the suggestion that people may have gone out to see a prophet, and to this Jesus appends a strong affirmation, “Yes, I say to you.” Strong motivation was required to cause people to go out into the wilderness, and the thought that they would see a prophet provided that strong motivation. A prophet was the spokesman of God; among the Jews there could be no higher pedestal on which to place a man. And while there had been many prophets in olden days, the people of that day had never seen one, nor had their ancestors for hundreds of years. So they would flock to see a prophet. Jesus agrees with this estimate of John, but goes on to say that it was not high enough. John was a prophet indeed, but he was more than a prophet, where the word used indicates “abundantly more.”19 It would have been hard for Israel to think of any man as more than a prophet, and when the word means abundantly more (not just a little bit more) it is clear that John is being given the highest praise.
10. Jesus explains. John’s greatness arises because he is not only a prophet but himself the fulfilment of prophecy, the prophecy of Malachi 3:1 (cf. also Exod. 23:20), which Jesus proceeds to quote.20 This marks John out as the forerunner to the Messiah and thus as greater than those who did no more than prophesy of him. Jesus uses the formula it stands written, a formula commonly used in quoting Scripture, which is probably the reason for translations like “of whom Scripture says” (NEB). There is some emphasis on the subject, I;21 it is none less than God himself who sends the messenger.22 In the original prophecy Yahweh speaks of sending his messenger to prepare the way before him, but in the way Jesus quotes the passage it refers to his own coming; the messenger is sent before your face and he is to prepare your way before you (note his use of your [twice] and you). Yahweh is addressing his Messiah. We should not miss the application to Jesus of a passage originally speaking of Yahweh: Jesus is the manifestation of Yahweh.23 Before your face means, of course, “before you.” The function of the messenger would be to prepare24 your way before you, and the passage signified the preparing of the way for the Lord’s Messiah. Way is often used of a road; when great dignitaries paid official visits at that period, it was usual to pay careful attention to the roads over which they would travel to make sure that all was as it should be. Here the word is used metaphorically; Jesus is speaking of getting people ready for God’s Messiah, not of laying down a pavement. Jesus is saying that John had the dignity of preceding the Messiah in order to get ready for his coming. He does not spell this out and says nothing of his own position. But he makes it clear that in the providence of God John the Baptist had a most important role, a role exceeded only by that of the Messiah himself.25
11. For Truly I tell you see the note on 5:18; the expression draws attention to the following words as important. Here they will be somewhat unexpected, for they are part of Jesus’ verdict on John at a time when John has appeared to be less than wholehearted in his following of the Master. Jesus speaks of those born26 of women, which, of course, means anyone of the human race. It is not usual to speak of people with the formal term arisen, but the verb on occasion is used in the sense “appear, of prophets” (BAGD, 2.e); it points to John’s greatness. Jesus tells his hearers that in all the human race there has never been anyone greater than John, a verdict that may well have surprised many of his hearers. Despised he may have been by many in contemporary Judaism, but the Baptist was great where it counted, great as God reckons greatness. We have just seen that he was more than a prophet (v. 9) and the forerunner of the Messiah (v. 10); of nobody else in all the history of the race could these things be said. But if it is surprising that John was the greatest man who ever lived, it is even more surprising that the least27 in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Jesus is not denigrating John but bringing out the wonder of being in the kingdom. Great though he was, John the Baptist belonged to the old order. He proclaimed the need for repentance in view of the coming of Messiah, but his function was preliminary to the Christian era; he was not in that era and therefore was in some sense of lesser stature than those who are in it.28 John is classed among those who preceded the kingdom. Jesus is speaking of unimportant people who are in the kingdom of heaven (for this term see on 3:2), and it is a measure of the greatness of the privilege of being in the kingdom he proclaimed that its humblest member surpasses the greatest of the race. This cannot mean in character or achievement; it refers to privileged position.29 We learn later that the humility of the little child gives a clue to real greatness (18:4).
12. Jesus looks back to the days of John the Baptist. Normally such an expression would refer to a man’s whole lifetime, but this cannot be the meaning here, for John was still alive. It refers to the time in the wilderness when he did his effective preaching and established his reputation, the time when he accomplished his life’s work. That period had inaugurated an era in which the kingdom of heaven suffers violence.30 This does not mean that John inaugurated the kingdom; that was the work of Jesus, and the words point to what was happening in the ministry of Jesus. It is a very difficult expression and has been understood in any one of three general ways: (1) The kingdom is being violently treated (taking the word as a passive), that is, its messengers and preachers and adherents are rejected with violence, which may refer to activities like those of Herod and of Jewish opponents of the gospel. (2) The kingdom suffers violence in the sense that some who look for it (the violent men; people like the Zealots?) are trying to bring it about by violent means; perhaps also they view it as no more than a political kingdom. (3) The kingdom is entered with burning zeal. This may be in the sense, “goes forward with triumphant force” (taking the verb as middle), or the verb may have the meaning “invite urgently, of the ‘genteel constraint imposed on a reluctant guest’ ” (BAGD, 2.d). Cf. NIV, “has been forcefully advancing” (Carson accepts this sense).31
Violent men32 are those who are carrying out the violence the kingdom suffers. The noun’s normal meaning supports the idea that the sense in the earlier part of the sentence is that of evil people harming the kingdom. If this is the way to take it, Jesus is referring to people who do not understand what God is doing in and through the coming of the kingdom. People like those in power in the world of Judaism act violently in seizing33 what they conceive to be the kingdom and in seeking the best for themselves as they reject what God offers in his Christ. Alternatively we may understand the word to mean putting forth one’s best effort in the kingdom, snatching people away from evil so that they may have membership in the kingdom. This, however, goes against the normal meaning of violent men. We should surely understand this of violent opposition to the kingdom; this means that in the earlier part of the verse “suffers violence” (“has been under violent attack,” AB) is more probable than “advances strongly.” Matthew includes these words of Jesus in a context that speaks of the difficulties of John the Baptist and goes on to refer to people who found themselves unable to agree with Jesus or John. It is much more likely in such a context that Matthew understood the words of the opposition of the evil rather than the progress of the good.34 We should also bear in mind that in this chapter the Evangelist emphasizes meekness and lowliness rather than aggression; Jesus does not teach that people enter the kingdom by reason of their vigor and aggressiveness.
13. Jesus stresses the preliminary character of the Old Testament period. Not some but all the prophets did their work until John, and with them is joined the law, the crowning gift of all God’s good gifts to his people. This means that the whole of the Old Testament revelation is viewed as preliminary to the coming of Jesus. It is interesting that the Law is said to prophesy35 as well as the prophets; both had their origin in God and both conveyed the word of God to people. Both indeed conveyed the authentic word of God, but Jesus is saying that both were of limited duration. They both did their work until the coming of John, the herald of the incarnate Son of God in whom came the definitive revelation. Until has the force of “up to John but not beyond him.” This does not mean that now that John has come the law and the prophets may be discarded. The whole Christian revelation insists on the continuing significance of both law and prophets. But until the ministry of John the law and the prophets were the sum of the divine revelation; nothing could be set alongside them. Jesus is saying that with his coming a new age has dawned. The law and the prophets are no longer the revelation that is the key to everything else. The revelation made in Christ is the key to the revelation in the law and the prophets. The translations draw attention to the difficulties of the verse. Thus JB reads, “it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were leading”; but this makes John the object of the prophecies, and this is not what Matthew is teaching here or elsewhere. Jesus is the object of prophecy. GNB reads, “Until the time of John all the prophets and the Law of Moses spoke about the Kingdom,” but this introduces a thought not in the Greek.
14. If you are willing draws attention to the importance of attitude (Matthew has the verb “to will” 42 times, which is more than in any other book in the New Testament); Jesus’ hearers might not have the will to accept the reality of John’s position.36 They may well have preferred (as we all naturally do) to retain their old securities; it always takes an effort of will to accept something radically new, such as the place of Jesus in the divine economy.37 Jesus goes on to identify John with Elijah who is to come, thus seeing in John the fulfilment of the prophecy of Malachi that Elijah will come “before the great and terrible day of the LORD” (Mal. 4:5; see also Matt. 17:10–13). There is something of a problem in that John denied that he was Elijah (John 1:21), which may mean that, although he fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah’s return, he was not the literal, physical Elijah whom many Jews were expecting. Or it may mean that he did not know that he was the fulfilment of the prophecy. None of us are what we think we are, but what God knows we are. Jesus is saying that John came in the spirit and power of Elijah (cf. Luke 1:17), and his function was to prepare for the coming of the Lord (whether he was aware of this or not).38 Who is to come39 takes up John’s verb (v. 3). Later Jesus will repeat the statement that John is Elijah (17:12).
15. Matthew repeats these words in 13:9, 43, and there are similar expressions in Mark and Luke. The command recurs in each of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3. In the Synoptic Gospels the words are always on the lips of Jesus, and in Revelation on those of the ascended Lord. The thought in all these passages is that the physical act of hearing is not sufficient. It is more important to take in what is heard, to comprehend it, and to assimilate it.
16. Jesus turns to the people of his day and uses the contrasting emphases in the ministries of John and himself to show the unreasonableness of their refusal to take either preacher seriously. He begins by asking to what he should liken this generation,40 that is, the people living at that time (the word also can be used of people with certain characteristics [cf. 12:39; 16:4] and thus include others). There were, of course, exceptions, but he is referring to the generality of his contemporaries. He answers his own question by saying that these people are like41 children he has observed at play. Children is strictly a diminutive, meaning “little children,”42 but in fact the word is used of children of any age (it may even be used of grown men, John 21:5). The marketplace was the center of community life (Acts 17:17), a place where people sought work (20:3) and where goods were bought and sold. We notice from this passage that it was also a place where children played. It is not without its interest that Jesus had watched children playing (other religious leaders seem generally to have taken little interest in these young people). So he recalls little folk sitting in the public place and calling to their fellows.
17. Jesus uses an illustration from children’s games, apparently with children playing at weddings and at funerals, and with one group complaining that another will never cooperate. “We played the flute for you,” they said, where their musical expertise was clearly meant to encourage a merry dance and was not something like a concert piece, played for aesthetic appreciation. But the trouble was that their friends did not cooperate: “you did not dance.”43 It was the same when they were glum instead of merry. “We wailed,”44 they said, “and you did not lament.”45 Glad or sad, their fellows declined to join in with them.
18. For (see on 1:20) introduces the application. John the Baptist came, which means more than arrival (cf. v. 11); it points to the whole ministry on which he entered. John’s manner of life was ascetic: he was not noted for either eating or drinking. This does not, of course, indicate that he went without either food or beverages, but it does signify that John was frugal in his dietary habits. He was a serious-minded man, and food played no great part in his manner of life (cf. 3:4). But people did not profit from John’s contempt for culinary delicacies. Instead of seeing the serious purpose behind all that he did they preferred to notice that he was different and put the difference down to demon possession: “He has a demon” (see on 7:22). The term could be used in a good sense, of a deity (see Acts 17:18), though this is rare in the New Testament; mostly it is used of an evil being who could enter a person and prevent him from fulfilling his proper role in life. So John’s asceticism, which delivered him from the love of food that characterized all too many, was ridiculed as the meanderings of a maniac.
19. Jesus speaks of himself as the Son of man as he usually does (see on 8:20), and goes on to point out that he was no ascetic like John. When he says that he came eating and drinking, we should not imagine that he was claiming to be a gourmet. He is not saying that food and drink were at the center of his life; he is saying that, far from being an ascetic, he ate and drank normally, as other people did. In dietary habits he was a normal member of society. But this did not bring him praise from those who accused the Baptist of being a demoniac. Not a bit of it. “Look,” they said (drawing attention to one who was to be an object of scorn), “a gluttonous man and a wine-drinker.”46 Since he was not an ascetic, they accused him of eating and drinking to excess. With dietary excesses these people linked bad company; his social habits, they say, were deplorable. Their word order puts tax collectors first, “of tax collectors a friend and of sinners!” As we have seen (on 5:46), tax collectors were social outcasts. They were rejected because of their extortionate habits, and this was reinforced by the fact that they were regarded as ceremonially unclean. The nature of their business brought them into such contact with Gentiles that it was thought that they could not avoid becoming unclean. So people, especially religious people, kept as far away from them as possible. Not Jesus. He ate with them, which meant that if they were ceremonially unclean Jesus inevitably contracted defilement. With this Jesus joins sinners, a general term, not so much for those who were outrageously evil, but for people who did not bother to observe the details of the ceremonial rules that were the delight of the religious people of the day (“non-observant Jews,” AB).47 His opponents evidently reasoned, “You can know a man by the company he keeps!” Thus the people rejected John because he was an ascetic and Jesus because he was not. There was no logic, no reasonableness in their position.48 They would neither repent with John nor rejoice with Jesus. Filson speaks of a “comfortable evasion of God’s urgent claim,” and that sums it up. They did not want to reckon with God’s claim, and they manufactured reasons for passing it by.49
Jesus appends a saying about wisdom. This personification may go back to the Old Testament (cf. Job 28; Prov. 1:8), or it may signify the wisdom Jesus passed on to his disciples. In Luke’s version this wisdom is vindicated by her children—the lives of those who accept Christ’s teaching show that it was excellent. When Matthew says much the same about actions, he makes essentially the same point. The wisdom Jesus taught was not meant as a topic for debate in religious or philosophical schools—it was something to be lived out and it is proved right50 in the works his followers do (“results,” NEB, GNB). This is a “by their fruits you will know them” situation; wisdom does not need people to commend her, for the deeds of those who accept her vindicate her. It is possible to take the children as John the Baptist and Jesus (very different as they were, both were actuated by the divine wisdom). But the context seems to imply a distinction between those who accepted Jesus’ wise teaching and those who did not.
2. Unrepentant Cities, 11:20–24
20Then he began to reproach the towns in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, long ago they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. 22Nevertheless I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you. 23And as for you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? Unto Hades you will be brought down; for if the mighty works that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24Nevertheless I tell you that on the Day of Judgment it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom than for you.”
Matthew shares with Luke a passage in which Jesus speaks of the eternal consequences for some of the cities that rejected him, specifically Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Miracles had been done in those cities, miracles enough to accredit him who performed them, but the people had not responded.51 Even cities notorious for doing evil will be better off on Judgment Day than the cities that failed to respond to Jesus. Usually Matthew abbreviates, but here his account is longer than that of Luke.
20. Matthew introduces this section with his favorite Then (see on 2:7). As in verse 7, Jesus began to speak, this time to reproach52 the towns in which he had worked. Mighty works53 are miracles (see on 7:22, where the word refers to miracles done by false teachers). It is clear that Jesus had performed a number of miracles, mostly works of healing, and he expected those who saw them to recognize them for what they were, signs that God was at work in their midst. Jesus was not looking for amazement and admiration, but for repentance. That was the first note he struck in his preaching (4:17), and it remained a constant. People will never advance spiritually unless they take the first step of turning away from the evil they have done. The people in the towns of which Jesus is speaking had seen the miracles indeed, but they had not reflected on what those miracles meant for those who saw them. The miracles testified to the presence of the divine in their midst; therefore the people who saw them should have asked themselves how they stood before God. But they did not. They continued on their sinful way without even the beginning of repentance. It was their failure to repent that formed the charge against them, and it runs right through this paragraph. Repentance is important and, it would seem, characteristically Christian in the sense that it was a call for a change of direction of the whole life. For the Greeks the word pointed to a change of mind, which referred to a single idea and might as easily be a change for the worse as for the better. Jesus is calling for a revolution in the whole of life. He is calling for people to change their whole direction away from sin and toward God. We should be clear that it is the orientation of the whole life that is in mind and not simply a being sorry for this or that sinful act. See further the note on 3:2.
21. “Woe to you” is not a grim call for vengeance, but an expression of regret (many translations render it as JB, “Alas”; GNB has “How terrible it will be”); it combines warning and compassion. Jesus is sad about the fate the city has brought down upon itself. Chorazin is mentioned in the New Testament only in this passage and the parallel in Luke 10:13. The name does not occur in the Old Testament, and it appears to be cited once only in the Talmud (Menaḥ. 85a). There seems to be agreement that it is to be identified with the ruins now called Khirbet Keraseh, about two miles away from Capernaum; if so, it was a town of some importance.54 It is a reminder of how little we know about the life of Jesus that we have only this one reference to what was evidently an extensive ministry during the course of which a number of miracles were performed (the previous verse states that “most of his mighty works” had been done in these cities). Jesus follows with a similar expression of regret for Bethsaida. This was a town (or “village,” Mark 8:26) on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 6:45), just east of the Jordan (some claim that there was another Bethsaida to the west, but this has not been demonstrated). Philip, Andrew, and Peter came from this town (John 1:44), though Peter now had a house in Capernaum (8:14). The fact that three apostles came from this town shows that it was highly possible for people from Bethsaida to repent. Mark tells us that Jesus gave sight to a blind man there (Mark 8:22–26), and Luke locates the feeding of the five thousand with reference to this place (Luke 9:10–17). But it is clear from this passage that Jesus did many things in Bethsaida that have not been recorded.55 The reason for the Woe is now given as the mighty works done in these places. Clearly this means that he had done much more in these places than our records indicate, and equally clearly that he did not regard the miracles simply as wonders to be gaped at. They were works of power, manifestations of the presence of God, and accordingly invitations to people to reflect on how they stood with God and to repent of the evil they had done.
Jesus brings out the enormity of the sin of the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida by calling to mind Tyre and Sidon, important coastal cities to the north of Israel (Tyre was actually on an island adjacent to the coast). They had been great and powerful cities for centuries, and their proximity to Israel had meant a good deal of contact. Since they were heathen cities their customs offended the Israelites, and the cities thus were well known for their shortcomings. They had been vigorously denounced by the prophets for their wickedness (e.g., Isa. 23; Ezek. 26; Amos 1:9–10). It is against this background that Jesus says that even these cities would have repented if there had been done in them the mighty works that Chorazin and Bethsaida had seen (cf. Jon. 3:6–8). Long ago points to the longsuffering of God: the resistance to the works Jesus did had been going on for quite some time, such a time indeed that Tyre and Sidon would have been moved by it. Repented, as we have seen, means a change in direction of the whole life. Confronted by Jesus, the Tyrians and the Sidonians would long since have responded by grieving over their sins. The use of sackcloth56 and ashes was a traditional sign of grief over one’s misdeeds. It was an action that conveyed publicly the truth that the wearer was profoundly sorry for what had been done.
22. Tyre and Sidon had not had those mighty works done in them, and they had not repented. But the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida are informed that, despite this, the lot of those sinners will be preferable to theirs. I tell you signifies that the following words are important. Nevertheless57 indicates that despite the fact that they had not repented there was something going for them. God recognized that they were not as incorrigible as these Israelites. The Day of Judgment is the day of final judgment when everyone, non-Israelites as well as the people of God, will be called upon to account for the way they have lived their lives. It was a day when most Israelites were sure that they would be much better off than any heathen. Jesus calls on them to think again. For the Tyrians and the Sidonians it will be more bearable58 than for you. He does not say that they will not be punished for their sins. He says that on Judgment Day those who have had greater opportunities (e.g., the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida) will be judged more severely than those who have had less.59 We should not miss the point that Jesus knows how the people of Tyre and Sidon would have reacted had they had the privilege that the cities of Galilee had had. This perhaps has relevance to the problem of those unreached by the gospel.
23. The address is switched to Capernaum, the town that figures most prominently in the Gospel narratives. Jesus was there often, and indeed it can be called “his own city” (9:1). Its location is not completely certain (see on 4:13). Instead of pronouncing a “woe” on this city Jesus asks a question (which looks for a negative answer),60 “will you be exalted to heaven?” Evidently the people of Capernaum thought highly of themselves and looked to heaven (see on 3:2) as their ultimate destination. But this did not correspond to the facts, and specifically with the ultimate fate that lay before them. Jesus tells them that it is Hades61 rather than heaven to which they must look forward; unto Hades comes first in its clause, which gives it emphasis. Hades, the underworld, here stands for the lowest possible place, just as heaven is the highest possible. It is the place of the departed spirits, but refers to those in torment rather than to those in bliss. Their failure to repent meant that there was no other ultimate fate open to the Capernaumites than Hades (cf. Isa. 14:13–15). For introduces the reason, and the conditional implies that the condition has not been fulfilled.62 Sodom was proverbial for wickedness (10:15; Mark 6:11 t.r.; Luke 10:12; Rom. 9:29; 2 Pet. 2:6; Jude v.7), but Jesus says that it was not as firmly set in paths of evil as was Capernaum. It would not have been impervious to the meaning of the mighty works that Jesus did. Capernaum was, and in that lay its condemnation.
24. As in verse 22, Nevertheless I tell you leads into a saying that was both unexpected and important. And again we have a reference to the Day of Judgment and to what is bearable. Even evil Sodom would do better on the great day than these people in Capernaum who had been confronted with the high point in God’s revelation and who had scorned it or been indifferent to it.
3. Jesus’ Invitation, 11:25–30
25At that time Jesus answered, saying, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you hid these things from wise and clever people and revealed them to babies. 26Yes, Father, for so it was well pleasing before you.” 27“All things were handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, neither does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal him. 28Come to me, all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will refresh you. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is a light one.”
Matthew goes on to tell his readers of a little prayer Jesus offered, followed by some words to his disciples. The section is in three parts. In the first Jesus expresses his thankfulness that the way he teaches is not something that is open only to the learned and intelligent; even little children may apprehend it. In the second he reflects on the relation between the Father and the Son,63 and then in the third he invites the world’s downtrodden ones to find rest and peace in him. There are parallels to the first two in Luke 10:21–22, but the invitation is found in this Gospel only. The whole is in a style akin to that in John’s Gospel, which leads some critics to believe that Matthew did not write it. It would be better to conclude that this Synoptic passage shows that Jesus did sometimes teach in the style of our Fourth Gospel.
25. At that time64 locates what follows in the same general period as the preceding, but does not tie it down with precision. It is curious that Matthew says that Jesus answered, for there is no question expressed or implied. But Matthew is fond of the verb (he has it 55 times), and it sometimes is equivalent to “said” (Hebraistically), as here.65 The prayer begins with praise to God.66 As he usually does, Jesus addresses God as “Father” (see on 5:16); we should bear in mind that in this Gospel this term occurs 64 times (a total exceeded in the New Testament only in the Gospel of John, with 137). Sometimes this means a human father, but much more often it refers to God; he may be seen as the Father of people, but here he is the Father of Jesus Christ. Jesus goes on to add the title “Lord of heaven and earth” (an uncommon expression, but it is found in Tob. 7:18). Jesus taught his followers to regard God as their Father, not as some remote tyrant, but that does not mean that he thought meanly of him or thought he could safely be neglected. He knew him as the Lord of all that is, in this world and in any other, so that everyone must pay to him the homage due to the Lord of all. On this occasion Jesus’ thanks were not on account of the Father’s greatness but on account of the way he had made his revelation known. You hid does not mean that God completely concealed the things in question from the world’s wise ones, but rather that it is in his plan that the way to knowing them is not the way of human excellence or wisdom (cf. 1 Cor. 1:18–19; 2:6–8). As far as human excellence in itself is concerned, these things are hidden, and that by the divine plan. Jesus does not define these things, but the expression “must refer, in one way or another, to the secret of the presence of the Kingdom which was the burden of Jesus’ preaching.”67 Some interpret it as speaking of eschatological happenings, and others of the knowledge the Son received from the Father and which he passes on to his followers. Or there may be a reference to the mighty works Jesus did and which the Jews in general were unable to understand as signs of kingdom. But all such views surely point to “the presence of the Kingdom,” and we will do well to take this as our starting point.
This knowledge, Jesus says, the Father has hid from the world’s great and wise ones and revealed to the lowliest, those who can be called babies. This does not mean that all the wise are lost and all the babies are saved; it means that the knowledge of God does not depend on human wisdom and education. Wise and clever people will sum up the best of human achievers; not by the exercise of their gifts will the presence of the kingdom be detected. It has always been easy for the world’s wise ones to trust in their wisdom. They realize how their wisdom makes them superior to the foolish and accordingly come to rely on that wisdom. Their self-sufficiency means that they do not easily come to trust God for salvation. This does not mean that none of the world’s wise and clever people will come to know it. In every age there have been wise and clever people who have rejoiced in the revelation Jesus has made known. But the point is that they came to know it by their simple trust in Jesus, not by their intellectual skills and their knowledge of abstruse research methods. And that simple trust is open to the humblest of us all, to the babies among us.
26. Yes reaffirms what has just been said, while Father repeats the characteristic of God that gives confidence. He is loving enough to make his revelation available to the humblest of his people. And Jesus locates this in the divine will: “so it was well pleasing before you.”68 We are not to think that some people of little ability chanced to hit on the truth while more able and profound people missed the mark, and that God then accepted what happened. Jesus is saying that the Father planned things this way. He never intended that the knowledge of the kingdom and the like should be such that only the profoundly intellectual could find it. It was his good will that the lowly could find the way, and that if the clever found it, it would be in the same way as the lowly did.
27. Jesus’ prayer was a short one, and he now addresses the disciples. All things is very general and may conceivably mean the totality of existence or all power and dominion (cf. 28:18; Dan. 7:14), but in the context the emphasis is rather on all knowledge.69 It is also probably relevant that the power is said to be given to Jesus after the resurrection (28:18). Some commentators also point out that the verb handed over70 is used often of the handing on of tradition; if this is in mind, there will be a contrast between the tradition handed on by the scribes and the knowledge conveyed to the Son by the Father. That knowledge is meant is indicated also by the fact that Jesus immediately goes on to the knowledge he has of the Father and the knowledge of the Father that he reveals. Jesus is claiming real knowledge of God (in contrast to what the teachers of the law claimed to have) and the ability to reveal the Father to other people. Jesus says that all things were handed on to him by my Father (not “the Father”); he is claiming a relationship to the heavenly Father closer than that held by anyone else.
This is further brought out with the assertion that it is only the Father who knows71 the Son. There were many in the first century who held that the essential being of God is quite unknown; he dwells in unapproachable mystery. It is a quite different thought that the essential being of the Son is not known. Jesus is not now speaking of the relationship of sonship that all the people of God may claim: it is not “a” Son of whom he speaks, but the Son. The Jews, the people of God, had consistently rejected him, so it was plain enough that they did not know the Son; but it is also the case that the disciples who had responded to his call did not have as yet anything like an adequate understanding of his person. It was true of them, too, that they did not really know him, so that it was only the Father who had real knowledge of him.72 It is interesting that when Peter came to know Jesus as he really is, as the Christ, Jesus said that flesh and blood had not revealed this to him, “but my Father” (16:17). In the Lucan parallel we have “who the Son is” (Luke 10:22), and that is the meaning: they did not know who he really was. But the Father did, and it was this that mattered to Jesus, not the hostility of Jewish leaders. The essential being of the Son was not obvious to human observation. Who could see in the carpenter from Nazareth the only Son of God?
To this is added the further thought that no one knows the Father except the Son. The Jews, of course, from their study of the revelation in the Old Testament, had some knowledge of God, but their knowledge was imperfect. Jesus is saying that his knowledge of the Father surpasses that in any revelation made hitherto: he knows the Father as he really is. He has a knowledge of the Father not shared by any of his contemporaries. To this he adds, “and the one to whom73 the Son wills to reveal him.” This does not mean that those who receive the revelation know the Father in the same intimate way as the Son does. Knowledge that springs from community of nature is not the same as that which comes from revelation. It means rather that it is in him that they come to know God. Those who are willing to receive the revelation in Jesus will have a knowledge of God not open to anyone else. Notice that the revelation is connected with the will of the Son.74 The revelation of the Father does not come by chance; it comes only to those to whom the Son chooses to make the revelation. The saying ascribes to Jesus the critical place in the revelation of the Father.
28. In a section peculiar to Matthew, arising out of this will to reveal, comes the gracious invitation.75 Come76 to me carries on with the thought that it is Jesus only who has access to the Father and to the resources of the Father. It is because he is the only one who knows the Father and because only those to whom he reveals the Father will have knowledge of him that it is so important to give heed to his invitation. The invitation is extended to all the troubled. All means that the invitation is universal—none of the troubled are omitted. Traditionally the first invited have been “ye that labor,” and there is a good deal to be said for that translation.77 But Jesus is not here speaking about work but about need. It seems that we should understand the term to mean the weary. The present tense points to a continuing state. With them are joined the heavily burdened,78 where there is no qualification added to indicate the nature of the burden. Jesus is calling anyone who is wearied with life’s burdens. To all such he says, “I will refresh79 you.” The verb seems not to imply the rest that is the complete cessation from labor, which is made clear when Jesus goes on to speak of his “yoke,” of learning, and of his “burden.” The rest in mind is the rest that enables the worker to go back to the task with renewed vigor. We should not miss the point that Jesus says that he will give rest, not that the Father will do this; this is underlined by the use of the emphatic pronoun I.
29. The thought is developed in a different way. Jesus speaks of people as his servants and his students. Take is a verb with the meaning “take up,” “lift up,” and yoke, of course, is a metaphor from carrying or ploughing; it was also a mark of servitude to a conqueror (Jer. 27:2–7; 28:10). Jesus is inviting people to follow him, to serve him, and to learn from him. In the New Testament yoke is always used metaphorically and signifies bondage or submission to authority of some kind. “The yoke of the law” and kindred expressions are common among the Jews (e.g., “He that takes upon himself the yoke of the Law, from him shall be taken away the yoke of the kingdom and the yoke of worldly care,” ’Abot 3:5; cf. Sir. 51:23–27 and the passages listed in SBk, I, pp. 608–10). The rabbis spoke lovingly about “the yoke of the law,” and there can be no doubt that for them it was a singular blessing. But their delight in the law was not necessarily shared by the common people, to whom it may well have appeared much more burdensome than the rabbis thought. “The arbitrary demands of Pharisaic legalism and the uncertainties of ever-proliferating case law” (AB, p. 146) point to a situation where what was a delight to the legal experts was intolerable to ordinary people.80 Jesus speaks of scribes and Pharisees as putting heavy burdens on people’s backs (23:4), and it is this sort of thing that is in mind. The New Testament believers did not agree with the rabbinic assessment.81 They took seriously what the yoke of the law meant, and, for example, Paul spoke of bringing Christians under the law as laying “on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers were able to bear” (Acts 15:10), and again of not being “entangled in a yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1; cf. 1 Tim. 6:1). In contrast with this yoke Jesus is holding out to his followers the thought of a yoke that was easy, not bondage. It was not that he demanded less from his followers, for the Sermon on the Mount shows that he looked for more. But it was of a different kind and in a different spirit so that it was kindly, not a burden.
Jesus further says, “learn from me.”82 Throughout this Gospel there is an emphasis on learning, on being a disciple, and the like, and the verb here is cognate with “disciple”; it means “learn through instruction.” To be a follower of Jesus is to be a disciple and therefore a learner. It is not enough to indicate that one would like to be a follower of Jesus; to commit oneself to him means to commit oneself to a learning process. This is not meant to scare people or make them think that the way Jesus teaches is much harder than that of the rabbis. Jesus affirms that he is gentle83 and humble84 in heart. This taking of a lowly place is noteworthy. Leaders and teachers have always tended to take a superior place, but Jesus has no need of such gimmicks. He left his place in heaven and on earth took the form of a slave (Phil. 2:7). In heart locates these qualities at the center of his being. It was not that he pretended to be humble and made a show of being lowly: he really was lowly, and that at the very center of all that he was. Because of what he is in his innermost being, meek and lowly, those who come to him find rest.85 This does not mean that they are excused henceforth from hard work. On the contrary, to be a follower of Jesus is to enter a way of life that necessarily involves hard work. But there is nothing of the hopelessness about it that characterizes life for far too many of the world’s afflicted. The calling must be fulfilled, but there is rest for your souls (see Jer. 6:16, and for souls on 10:28). That is to say, those who bear Christ’s yoke know rest at the center of their being. They do not worry and fuss about what they are doing, for their commitment to their Savior means that they recognize his sovereignty over all and the fact that he will never call them to something that is beyond their strength. Paradoxically those who take Christ’s yoke on them have rest, rest now and eternal rest in the hereafter.
30. Jesus adds a sentence that shows that the service to which he calls is no difficult and burdensome affair. His yoke, he says, is easy, where his adjective86 signifies what is good and pleasant. He does not call people to a burdensome and worrying existence. Another way of putting it is to say that his burden is a light one. The word for burden is a diminutive,87 which helps bring out the thought that his service is pleasant. So with light (cf. its use of a light affliction, 2 Cor. 4:17). It adds up to an invitation to service indeed; Jesus is not calling people to lives of careless ease. But it is service for which they will be glad. It will be a delight, not a painful drudgery.88
Matthew 12