Matthew 11:1-24 – What to do, What not to do, and Some Dusty Shoes, Part 2

When reading most any story, fiction or non-fiction, I ask two questions: “What can I learn from the story?” and “What can I learn from the author?” These two questions have very different points of focus. The first question places me inside the story’s narrative; the second question places me next to the writer. The first question trains my eye to learn from the characters; the second, so I might learn from the author.

When it comes to the Bible, readers often ignore the second question and focus merely on the stories, narratives, quotes, poetry, parables, and miracles. There is nothing wrong with focusing on the first question, but ignoring the second question keeps our eyes low and we risk missing out on a larger picture of God’s message. Understanding authorial intent, both human and divine, for each book of the Bible, and the Bible as a whole, should be part of our daily study of scripture. And, with the help of the Spirit, such a focus will help bring depth to our relationship with the Father and keep our eyes focused on the real message of the Bible and God’s message for our lives.

And when it comes to the Gospels, ignoring the second sort of question can be downright dangerous because each of the four Gospels is different from the other. Certainly, there are many stories appearing in multiple Gospels that are worded in nearly identical ways, but there are other stories differing greatly from Gospel to Gospel, not only in the addition of words or commentary but sometimes the stories are arranged in different orders. And then there are the stories and narratives that only show up in one Gospel. These numerous differences can be disconcerting and even cause some to question their own religious belief. But we should not ignore these differences, rather these differences should push us to the second sort of question and cause us to ask why God would inspire authors to record different details in their Gospel and what there is to learn in each Gospel that can’t be learned in the others because of these details.

Narrowing the focus a bit more, asking a question of the second type with regard to why Matthew wrote his Gospel yields two commonly accepted answers: Matthew wrote to show 1) that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, and 2) that Jesus, the son of David and the son of Abraham, came to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. Supporting these answers doesn’t require much more than a quick read of Matthew’s Gospel to see the frequent occurrence of phrases like, “this was done to fulfill prophecy” and “the kingdom of heaven.” But let’s not stop there. If you have been reading these posts, you may already know I think there is a third reason why Matthew wrote his Gospel, and specifically, why Matthew structured his Gospel the way he did.

Of the four Gospel writers, it is Matthew who seems to be least concerned with reproducing an actual chronology of Jesus’s life. Where the other three Gospels frequently coincide with regard to the order of events, Matthew is the odd man out; his Gospel seems to have the most modified order of events. I realize some people are uncomfortable with claiming that any of the Gospel writers selected and organized events from Jesus’s life in ways that don’t exactly match the actual timeline of Jesus’s life, but the fact is that nearly every biography ever written, ancient and modern, makes decisions regarding what to include, what not to include, and how to organize the material. In other words, complaining that Matthew’s timeline doesn’t align with Mark’s, Luke’s, or John’s is, in actuality, not a complaint about Matthew, but a complaint about a commonly accepted writing technique. Instead of complaining that Matthew’s timeline, we should be asking the question as to Matthew’s intent for an adjusted timeline.

An adjusted timeline is not necessary to show that Jesus fulfilled Jewish prophecy, nor is it required to show that Jesus, the son of David and the son of Abraham, came to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. But, if Matthew wanted the content of his Gospel to help his readers, and his Lord’s disciples better understand how to intimately, genuinely, and accurately pray each section of the Lord’s prayer, then he might have needed to organize the events of his Gospel in a way that doesn’t match the chronology of Jesus’s life. This conclusion, I believe, has been adequately supported and defended by the writings in these blog posts. But it is important to overtly re-state this premise in the middle of this present section of Matthew’s Gospel (Matt. 10:1-13:52) as it seems as though Matthew deliberately organized his writing so that Jesus’s instructions to his disciples (Matt. 10:1-10:42), would be paired with appropriate examples of how his instructions worked out in the lives of Jesus and his disciples (Matt. 11:1-13:52). In other words, these next four posts, each labeled “Part 2” will discuss real-world episodes in the life of Jesus and his disciples that mirror specific portions of Jesus’s previous instructions to his disciples, as discussed in posts I’ve already written that are labeled “Part 1.”

And now, with that somewhat lengthy but necessary introduction, let’s take a look at the first events from the lives of Jesus and his disciples that Matthew provided as examples helping to illustrate Jesus’s previous instructions. Matthew writes,

Matthew 11:1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Matthew 11:1

Jesus previously instructed his disciples to “Go nowhere among the Gentiles…but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5-6). Now, with the disciples out fulfilling that command, Jesus went out to the cities of the Israelites teaching and preaching the message of the kingdom. But this work will always bring attention, and sometimes from the most unlikely of people. Matthew writes,

2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Matthew 11:2-6

John the Baptist sent his disciples to find out if Jesus was actually the coming Messiah. John, if you recall, preached the coming of the kingdom and then baptized Jesus even though he knew Jesus did not need to repent. But, even though John knew who Jesus was, as John sat in prison it seems he began to wonder if maybe he was wrong. John once said, “ I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me…will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt. 3:11). But as he sits in Herod’s prison, I wonder if John began to question what he thought it meant to be baptized with “fire.” He saw what Jesus was doing and it probably didn’t match the expectations he had. So, he sent his disciples for a definitive answer, but Jesus, instead of giving a “yes” or “no” to John’s question, responded by telling him how the gospel affected the blind, the lame, the deaf, the dead, and the poor. The kingdom Jesus brought did not match the kingdom John seemingly expected.

But, if you remember, this is the sort of kingdom Jesus told the disciples to expect when they went out to preach. He told them to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons” (Matt. 10:8). Jesus’s previous instructions (Matt. 10:5-7) are played out in the real-world works of Jesus (Matt. 11:4-6). But Matthew didn’t just provide this interaction with John’s disciples as a way of showing the reality of Jesus’s instructions to his disciples, Matthew shows how the work and words of the kingdom precipitate questions, even from those who thought they knew God’s plans. After John’s disciple’s left Jesus, Jesus turned to the crowds and addressed another point he made to the disciples in his previous instructions. Jesus said,

7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’

Matthew 11:7-10

Jesus reminded the people they didn’t go to the wilderness to see John because he was a well-dressed, wealthy celebrity; they went to see John because he was a prophet. And these words about John seem to be Matthew’s way of harkening back to Jesus’s former instructions to the disciples when he told them to go without gold, silver, or copper, to give without paying, and that the laborer deserves the food he will receive (Matt. 10:8-10). John seems to provide the perfect example of what it looks like to be concerned with the message, not the money. No mention is ever made of how John lived and supported himself other than that he lived in the wilderness eating honey and locusts. John’s concern lay with the kingdom and proclaiming the king, not with the accumulation of worldly wealth. John lived with the faith that God would provide for his worldly needs, something that does not go without notice from Jesus. He declared,

11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 11:11-15

This claim that John was the greatest ever born of a woman might seem like excessive praise, but I’m pretty sure Jesus left himself off that list. But even with this well-deserved praise, Jesus says that the least in the kingdom of heaven was greater than John. Jesus was not caught in the grasp of a contradiction, rather he was emphasizing the point that John, like every other prophet before him, prophesied about a kingdom that he would never see.

John, Like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Elijah, and Daniel didn’t live to see the day when Jesus would walk the dusty roads of Israel in a post-resurrection world. The grace and mercy promised in the coming kingdom and provided on the cross and through the resurrection was never seen by John or the prophets. But the disciples saw it, and we see it. We are not more important than the prophets, but we live in a world where the infinite riches available through Jesus’s work on the cross are not just a future hope but a present reality. The least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John because of such an inheritance. But, Jesus warns, not everyone will accept the message of the coming of the king. It is for this reason, that Jesus continued and said,

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,
17  “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Matthew 11:16-19

Neither John nor Jesus nor the message of the kingdom were what people expected. The Jews were looking for a king to conquer kingdoms, instead, they got a savior who conquered sin and death. They hoped for a royally dressed monarch seated on the back of a white horse, instead, they got a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. They had hoped for generations to receive that which the prophets had foretold, but when it finally came they were unable to accept God’s gift from heaven. And this is exactly what Jesus told the disciples when he said to shake the dust from their shoes and move on from houses and towns that would not accept the message of the kingdom (Matt. 10:12-15).

But there is something else besides the immanent rejection of the kingdom that we can learn from this. I think if we were able to ask Abraham what the kingdom of heaven would look like, he wouldn’t have a clue. He certainly wouldn’t know that God’s son, Jesus, would be born in Bethlehem many, many years later and die on a cross for our sins. And even though in the years following Abraham God would reveal many more details fleshing out the Abrahamic covenant, many were still taken by surprise when Jesus brought a far different gospel than anyone expected.

I suspect there were some people who had studied the scriptures, submitted themselves to the wonder of God’s infinite creativity, and weren’t surprised, but those few were rare. Most fabricated ideas in their minds as to what they thought the scriptures really meant and then forced those ideas into easily comprehensible concepts and precepts. But God’s ways are above our ways, and his thoughts are above our thoughts (Isa. 55:8-9). We must be content with the rain falling from heaven — the word of God bringing forth its fruit in its season — and not force God’s ways into our traditions and personal expectations. In short, we must trust God, not our opinions of who we think God is.

The Jews in Jesus’s time thought they knew everything about the coming Messiah, but Jesus didn’t meet their expectations, so they dismissed him. I wonder if it’s possible that we might fall into the same trap? I wonder if we listen to our own scribes and Pharisees every day instead of keeping our eyes on the Bible? I wonder if we are more familiar with podcasts, Instagrams, tweets, and contemporary authors than we are with the actual Word of God? I wonder if we drink tepid and still water from a small cup instead of taking the time to go to the source of flowing, pure, clear, cold water every day? The Jews at the time of Jesus certainly preferred their little tepid cups of still water over the streams of living water flowing down from heaven. Do we?

It is that sort of person about which Jesus then said,

20 Then he began to denounce the cities where 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 done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Matthew 11:20-24

Remember that Jesus already told his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town” (Matt. 10:15). Now, Jesus responds to real cities who actually rejected the words and works of John the prophet, and ultimately rejected Jesus as well.

People had come from far and wide to hear John speak, just as they would for Jesus and the disciples, but that didn’t mean they accepted the kingdom. Miracles, acts of power, and the presence of the very son of God himself were not enough to convince the Jews of that generation. Sure, some came to believe, but not as many as we might expect from a people heavily steeped in God’s word in the Old Testament. You would think a people actively looking for God’s presence on earth would rejoice when he stepped foot in their town, but they didn’t. He didn’t meet their expectations and was summarily dismissed. But that didn’t mean the disciples weren’t to still go to them and preach and teach the kingdom of heaven. Their responsibility — their job, as given them by Jesus — was to go, preach, and glean such harvest as came ready. But, if the field was not ready, they were to move on and leave the judgment to God. It was that simple, and it is that simple.

If I read this passage from the perspective of one of the people in the story, I might want to ask myself which person I am. Am I a disciple heading out to preach a message that might be rejected by many, or am I one of those people who have my understanding of God so ingrained in my mind that when presented with God himself, I wouldn’t recognize or accept him?

If I read this passage from Matthew’s point of view as an author, I might wonder if I have the fortitude to do what Jesus was asking. I’ve heard Jesus’s instructions to his disciples, and I’ve seen that people rejected John’s work, Jesus’s work, and the disciple’s work; now, am I willing to be rejected like they were? Am I willing to endure the same persecution? Am I able to dust off my shoes and move on to the next town, the next field ripe for harvest?

But this isn’t an either-or proposition, we need to read the Bible both ways; we need to ask both sorts of questions. Matthew amplifies Jesus’s instructions to his disciples (Matt. 10:5-15) when he combines them with real-world encounters between Jesus and the crowds who followed him (Matt. 11:1-24). We must learn from Jesus’s instructions and from the life of Jesus and his disciples, and then we must pray. We must pray for the Father’s kingdom and the Father’s will to come on earth as it is in heaven, and we must be willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus on earth bringing the message of the kingdom to those lost and dying in the present world. And we must be willing to accept that this lost and dying world may reject everything we have to say; they may even reject us. But we must be found faithful in what our Father, through his Son, has asked us to do.

• Click HERE to go to the page containing all the posts for this study on The Lord’s Prayer and Matthew’s Gospel