(From: MATTHEW #17 - 11:2-30)

XII. 11:2-12:50 CONDEMNATION FOR AN EVIL AND DISOBEDIENT AGE

A. 11:2-24 JOHN THE BAPTIST CONTRASTED WITH HIS GENERATION

1. 11:2-6 JESUS REMOVES JOHN THE BAPTIST'S DOUBT BY DEMONSTRATION

a. 11:2-3 JOHN SEEKS PROOF OF JESUS' MESSIAHSHIP

Ho de IoAnes aKOUsas en todes-mo-teRIo[1201]ta ERga tou ChrisTOU,

Now when :John heard in the prison the works of the Christ,

PEMpsas diA ton ma-theTON auTOU, EIpen auTO,

he sent by his disciples, 3 and said to him,

Su ei ho erCHOme-nos, eHEte-ron pros-doKOmen [4328]?

Are you the coming one, or look we for another?

b. 11:4-5 JESUS DEMONSTRATES HIS MESSIAHSHIP BY SIGNS

kai a-po-kriTHEIS ho IeSOUS EIpen auTOIS,

And :Jesus answered andsaid to them,

Po-reuTHENtes a-pagGEIla-te [518] IoAnei ha aKOUe-te kai BLEpe-te:

Go and report to John what things you hear and see:

tuphLOI [5185] a-naBLEpou-sin [308], kai choLOI [5560]pe-re-paTOUsin,

5theblind look up, and thelame walk,

lePROI [3015] ka-thaRIzon-tai [2511], kai koPHOI [2974]aKOUou-sin [191],

lepers are cleansed, and thedeaf hear,

kai neKROI [3498] eGEIron-tai [1453] kai ptoCHOI [4434]eu-ag-geLIzon-tai [2097].

and thedead are raised and thepoor are given theGospel.

c. 11:6 And blessed is he, whoever shall not stumble in me.

kai maKAriOS [3107]es-tin, hos an meskan-da-lisTHE[4624]en eMOI.

2. 11:7-19 JESUS COMMENDS JOHN - YET WE ARE MORE PRIVILEGED

a. 11:7 WAS JOHN A FRAIL MINISTER?

TOUton de po-reu-oMEnon ERxa-to ho IeSOUS LEgein tois OCHlois

And as these went away :Jesus began to say to the crowds

peRI IoAnou, Ti eXELtha-te eis ten Ere-mon theAsas-thai? KAla-mon huPO aNEmou sa-leuOme-non?

concerning John, What did you go out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by thewind?

b. 11:8a But what did you go out to see? a man clothed is soft raiment?

alLA ti eXEtha-te iDEIN? ANthro-pon en ma-laKOIS [3120] em-phi-esMEnon [294]?

c. 11:8b Lo, they who wear soft raiment are in the houses of :kings.

iDOU, hoi ta ma-laKA phoROUNtes [5409] en tois OIkois ton ba-siLEon.

d. 11:9a But why did you go out? to see a prophet?

alLA ti eXELtha-te? proPHEten [1492] iDEIN?

e. 11:9b Yes, I say unto you, even beyond a prophet.

nai, LEgohuMIN, kai pe-riSOte-ron [4055]proPHEtou.

f. 11:10 JOHN: THE PROPHESIED MESSENGER FOR MESSIAH!

HOU-TOS es-tin, peRI hou GEgrap-tai, I-DOU, eGO a-poSTELlo ton AGgeLON mou pro proSOpou SOu,

This is he, of whom it is written,Lo, I send my :messenger before your face,

hos ka-ta-skeuAsei [2680] ten hoDON [3598] sou EMprosTHEN sou.

Who shall prepare your :way before you.

g. 11:11 LEAST OF NEW COVENANT - GREATER THAN GREATEST OF OLD!

aMEN LEgo huMIN, ouk eGEger-tai [1453] en gen-neTOIS gu-naiKON

Amen I say unto you, Among themborn of women

MEIzon IoAnou tou bap-tiSTOU [910]:

no greater has arisen than John the Baptist:

ho de miKROte-ros [3398] en te ba-siLEIa ton ou-raNON MEIzon auTOU esTIN.

yet the lesser in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he.

h. 11:12 JOHN OPENED GATES FOR A PRESSING THROUGH INTO KINGDOM

aPO de ton he-meRON IoAnou tou bap-tiSTOU HEos ARti

And from the days of John the Baptist until now

he ba-siLEIa ton ou-raNON biAze-tai [971], kai bi-aSTAI [973] harPAzou-sin [725] auTEN.

the kingdom of the heavens suffers violence, and men of violence take it by force.

i. 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

PANtes gar hoi proPHEtai kai ho NOmos HEos IoAnou e-proPHEteu-san [4395].

j. 11:14 And if you are willing to receive him, HE is the Elijah about to come.

kai ei THEle-te DExas-thai [1209], auTOIS es-tin E-LEIas ho MELlon ERches-thai.

k. 11:15 Who has ears, let him hear. ho Echon Ota, a-kouEto.

l. 11:16a But unto what shall I liken this :generation?

TIni de ho-moiOso[3666]ten ge-neAN TAUten?

m. 11:16b-17 THE ANALOGY JESUS GIVES FOR HIS GENERATION

hoMOIa esTIN paiDIois ka-theMEnois en tais a-goRAIS, ha pros-phoNOUNta tois heTErois 17 LEgou-sin,

It is like children sitting in the markets, who calling unto their fellows 17 say,

EuLEsa-men [832]huMIN, kai ouk orCHEsas-the; e-threNEsa-men [2354], kai ouk eKOpsas-the [2875].

We piped to you, and you did not dance; We wailed, and you did not mourn.

n. 11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon.

ELthen gar IoAnes MEte esTHIon MEte PInon, kai LEgou-sin, DaiMOni-on [1140]Echei.

o. 11:19a THEIR JUDGMENT ON CHRIST

ELthen ho huiOS tou anTHROpou esTHIon kai PInon, kai LEgou-sin, I-DOU,

The Son of :man came eating and drinking, and they say, Lo,

ANthro-pos PHAgos [5314], kai oi-noPOtes [3630], teloNON [5057] PHIlos [5384] kai ha-mar-toLON!

gluttonous man, and winebibber, friend of publicans and sinners!

p. 11:19b And :wisdom was justified by her :works.

kai e-di-kaiOthe[1344]hesoPHIa [3678]aPO ton ERgon auTES.

3. 11:20-24 WOE: THE DANGER OF REJECTING JESUS' WORKS

a. 11:20 JESUS' JUDGMENT FOR NOT REPENTING AT HIS SIGNS

TOte ERxa-to o-neiDIzein [3679] tas POleis en hais eGEnon-to hai PLEIstai

Then began he to upbraid the cities in which most of his powers

duNAmeis [1411] auTOU, HOti ou me-teNOe-san.

were done, because they repented not.

b. 11:21 THE CITIES OF ISRAEL RESIST CHRIST MORE THAN THE HEATHEN

OuAI soi, Cho-raZEIN! ouAI soi, Beth-saiDAN!

Woe to you, Chorazein! woe to you Bethsaida!

HOti ei en TUro kai SiDOni eGEnon-to hai duNAmeis hai geNOme-nai en huMIN,

for if the powers :done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,

PAlai an en SAKko [4526] kai spoDO [4700] me-teNOe-san [3340].

they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

c. 11:22 However I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on judgment day than for you.

plen LEgo huMIN, TUro kai SiDOni a-nekTOte-ron [414] EStai en heMEra KRIse-os e huMIN.

d. 11:23 HADES: THE PORTION FOR NOT REPENTING AT JESUS' SIGNS

kai su, Ka-phar-naOUM, me HEos ou-raNOU hu-psoTHEse [5312]? HEos HAdou ka-taBEse [2601]:

And you, Capernaum, shall be exalted unto heaven? you shall go down unto Hades:

HOti ei en SoDOmois e-geNEthe-san [1096] hai duNAmeis hai geNOme-nai en soi,

because if the powers :done in you had been done in Sodom,

Emei-nen an MEchri tes SEme-ron.

it would have remained until :today.

e. 11:24 JUDGMENT SHALL BE LIGHTER FOR THOSE REJECTING LESSER LIGHT!

plen LEgo huMIN, HOti ge SoDOmon a-nekTOte-ron [414]

However I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable

EStai en heMEra KRIse-os, e soi.

for Sodom land on judgment day, than for you.

B. 11:25-30 BLESSED INVITATION TO THE CHILD-LIKE

a. 11:25-26 JESUS COMMENDS GOD FOR REVEALING TRUTH TO THE HUMBLE

En eKEIno to kaiRO a-po-kriTHEIS ho IeSOUS EIpen, Exo-mo-loGOU-MAI [1843] soi, PAter,

At that :season :Jesus answered andsaid, I thank you, Father,

KUri-e tou ou-raNOU kai tes ges, HOti Ekru-psas [2928]

Lord of :heaven and :earth, that you did hide

TAUta aPO soPHON [4680] kai su-neTON [4908], kai a-peKAlu-psas [601] auTA nePIois [3516]:

these thingsfrom thewise and understanding, and did reveal them unto babes:

nai, ho paTER, HOti HOUtos eu-doKIa [2107] eGEne-to EMprosTHEN sou.

26yes, :Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.

b. 11:27 IT MUST BE GIVEN OF GOD - TO KNOW THE FATHER AND THE SON

PANta moi pa-reDOthe [3860] huPO tou paTROS mou:

All thingshave been delivered to me by my :Father:

kai ouDEIS e-pi-giNOskei [1921] ton huiON, ei me ho paTER;

and no one knows the Son, save the Father;

ouDE ton paTEra tis e-pi-giNOskei, ei me ho huiOS, kai ho eAN BOUle-tai ho huiOS a-po-kaLUpsai [601].

neither does any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomever the Son wills to reveal him.

c. 11:28 Come unto me, all youthat labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

DEUte PROS me, PANtes hoi ko-piONtes [2872]kai pe-phor-tisMEnoi [5412], ka' 'GOa-naPAUsohuMAS.

d. 11:29 THE WAY OF REST - TO SHARE JESUS' YOKE

Ara-te ton zuGON [2218] mou eph' huMAS, kai MAthe-te [3129] ap' eMOU;

Take my :yoke upon you, and learn of me;

HOti praUS [4236] ei-mi kai ta-peiNOS [5011] te karDIa: kai heuREse-te aNApau-sin tais psuCHAIS huMON.

for I am meek and lowly in :heart: and you shall find rest to your :souls.

e. 11:30 Formy :yoke is easy, and my :burden light.

ho gar zuGOS [2218]mou chresTOS [5543], kai to phorTIon [5413]mou e-laPHRON [1645]es-tin.

NOTE: The questions and doubts of John the Baptist, when answered by Jesus, illustrate the truth spoken of Him, that the smoking flax He does not quench! Jesus is merciful to us in our weaknesses - when overall we have loved Him, and sought to walk in God's ways - which John the Baptist did!

So Jesus for John's messengers performs many miracles, and sends them back to report to John that His signs authenticate His Messiahship! John need notlook for another, and neither do we. But like one saint of the past, we too can give our utmostfor His highest; and have personal, passionatedevoion at all times for Jesus!

As we meditate on Christ; His works; His compassion: His God-likeness - for He indeedwas God! Then - we can always find it in our hearts to be unto Him at all times like Oswald Chambers, and all otherfully committed saints!

But Jesus alsomakes it clear, that there is a great dividing line when the Kingdom of God comes in - through His finished work on Calvary, and the coming of the Holy Spirit following His Resurrection and Ascension. Mark it - the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy - in the Holy Spirit. Rees Howells understood the cost for this - complete deathto ourselves! Men like Rees Howells and Oswald Chambers felt there were fewwho fully entered God's Kingdom by being identified fully with Jesus in His death - and through our confirmation in baptism! Baptism signifies our inward acceptance of our full identification with Jesus in His death.

So is death easy? Is entering the Kingdom of God easy? Notaccording to Jesus in Matthew 11:12. Not even animals die easily in the natural - and you and I do not accept spiritual death easily so as to be identified with Jesus.

We had an old gray mare on our farm who had great problems with our blasting of rocks and tree roots. She at the age of 27 returned to the barn and died there, and the marks on the ground revealed that her death in the natural was noteasy. And your death and mine to enter God's Kingdom is a death - and is noteasy! God's Kingdom suffers violence, and we who want it must take it by violence. It is notfor the passive. “O, if God wants me to be saved, He will bring me in!”No!“Because narrowthe gate, and straitenedthe way that leads unto the life, and few are theythat find it” (Matthew 7:14, the words of Jesus)!

So are there many professing Christians who live in a fool's paradise? Yes! Easy Believismis a curse, and completely unscripturel and anti-God! If words like this offend, they ought to! Jesus never minced words! They crucified Him for speaking the truth and exposing the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders of His day! May God raise up today - leaders like Jesus, Paul, John the Baptist and Elijah - to tell the truth - let the chips fall where they may.

Yet - look at the gracious words of Jesus in 11:25-30. Have you ever seen a yoke of oxen at work? I have. During World War II in Noval Scotia, as I traveled up theAnnapolis Valley to Halifax from Digby. Jesus says - “Come alongside me and share My yoke. I will pull with you. We will pull together. With Me as your Partner, you will find that you can make it!” A graciousinvitation indeed! J.A.W.