"Yokes on You" July 25 Readings: Matthew 11:20-12:50

Today's Reading - Matthew 11:20-12:50

Background

Matthew's treatment of the early Galilean ministry of Jesus wraps up in today's readings. He has called, challenged, and empowered his disciples. He has done miracles that would amaze even the jaded people of the 21st Century. And, as we see in chapter 12, his battle with the religionists continues to escalate.

Chapter 12 begins with two stories that provoked the Pharisees. First, Jesus' disciples picked grain on the Sabbath - a handful or two for food. Jesus did the unthinkable, he claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath. He then healed a man on the Sabbath, offending the Pharisees again. Jesus then appealed to Isaiah for scriptural authority of his ministry. That's when the teaching on the unpardonable sin comes in. Jesus then made two statements about the Pharisees. First, he said a tree is known by its fruit, then he discussed the "sign of Jonah" - both teachings were rebukes to the Pharisees and other religionists.

There is a special note at the bottom on the unpardonable sin if you'd like to read more about it.

Devotional - Yoke's on You

Let's face it; life today can be hard. Remember when you were a kid and you couldn't wait to grow up? But the reality of life as an adult in this world is not what we imagined it to be. There is work to do and bills to pay. It never seems like we can get on top of things, get everything done, or get all our ducks in a row. Raising children is not just expensive but a daunting challenge. The new is filled with wars and crime, with the bizarre and the perverted, with stories that make our heads shake and our knees tremble.

This is not an easy world to live in.

And in many minds, Jesus makes things harder. He demands that we deny ourselves and live for him. He calls on us to say no to our own sinful natures and submit to him. Submit - there is a world no one likes to hear, right? When we serve Christ, we have to go to church, give our money, and give our valuable time to church work.

Many people, if they are honest, will admit that they see the demands of Christ as an added hardship, a burden to their lives.

But Jesus is not a harsh taskmaster. His Lordship is a blessing, not a burden. Look at Matthew 11:28-30.

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus calls us to come to him with our burdens, our weariness. In Christ, we will not find stress or harassment, but peace of mind and a heart of rest. Oh yes, we must take up his yoke - that is a picture of giving control of our lives to Christ. We cannot have the blessings of Christ while living in disobedience or living for ourselves. Yes, we must take the yoke of Christ, but his yoke is not heavy. He is no tyrant; cruel and mean. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. 

When we come to Christ with our burdens, our stresses, and our hardships, when we submit to him and take his yoke upon us, we find a peace and rest that we have never known, that we can find nowhere else. 

Lord, I take your yoke upon me. Too often I walk in rebellion and self-centeredness, but today I give myself to you. I give you my stress, my hurt and my burdens, with the confidence that in doing so, I will find your rest. Thank you, Lord, for the peace and rest that only you can give. 

Think and Pray

Do you see the demands of Christ as a burden and hardship? What is it about Christ's calls and demands that are difficult?

Remember that Jesus' commands work to your blessing - in the long run.

NOTE: The Unpardonable Sin

Have you committed the unpardonable sin? That would be awful, wouldn't it - to want forgiveness but to find your sin is beyond God's willingness to forgive. Unpardonable. Unforgivable. Bone-chilling words. So, what is the unpardonable sin? The context may show us.

What is it? Have you committed it? Can you commit it? There are several points to be made.

• First, this is a teaching Jesus gave in a specific context, his battle with the religionists of Israel. 
• It is not a teaching that is repeated or enforced elsewhere. In none of the epistles do we encounter a warning against the sin. If the unpardonable sin was an ongoing concern, it seems that there would be repeated warnings against it. 
• The teaching was provoked by religionists who attributed the work of Jesus to demons. It was this act that drew the strong words of Jesus. 
• There is no indication that this was a universal teaching. 
• The comforting truth is verse 31, that every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven. 

So, what is the unpardonable sin? The truth is, I believe, found in the context.

• There are many suggestions, often based more on theological concerns than exegetical. For instance, the idea that the unpardonable sin is dying without Jesus. Well, of course, that is true, but that is not what Jesus was saying here. 
• I believe this was a specific teaching referencing a specific situation. If you saw the works and heard the teachings of Jesus, and attributed them to a demon, that was a "blasphemy" that indicated a heart so hard it would not be brought to repentance. 
• Other suggestions exist, but the takeaway from this is that the "unpardonable sin" is one so narrow that it need not create fear in us today.

You need not fear that somehow you have committed a sin beyond God's forgiveness. Go to God