Matthew 11:13-19

Rachel Workman: 13 For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.[e] 15 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

16 “To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,

17 ‘We played wedding songs,
    and you didn’t dance,
so we played funeral songs,
    and you didn’t mourn.’

18 For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man,[f] on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”

I see the words before and then I see the words if you are willing. You were excited before it actually happened. Once it happened you were no longer excited because it wasn't what YOU thought it would be. If you are willing to accept what I say, accepting and hearing are two different things. Am I willing to hear what Jesus is saying? Am I willing to accept that something is not what I think it should be but what Jesus says it is? That's a little harder.

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John Burnett:  ¹³ For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who ^[a]was to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, ^[b]let him hear.

¹⁶ “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, ¹⁷ and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not ^[c]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, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a ^[d]drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ^[e]sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”  The people called John evil and demon possessed, they called Jesus a drunkard and friend of sinners (how prophetic).   People today are no different.  When I go to my favorite forum and join a conversation concerning anything religious, I am called all sorts of names.  Because I belong to Christ and have been imputed his righteousness I too will be vindicated.  I pray for those who verbally persecute me because I know their fate.

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Allen Michaels:  ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵ Whoever has ears, let them hear. John was not a resurrected Elijah, but he took on Elijah’s prophetic role—boldly confronting sin and pointing people to God (Malachi 3:1). Elijah’s profile can be found in 1 Kings 3:1.

¹⁶ “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

¹⁷ “‘We played the pipe 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, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

Verses 16-19 tell us that Jesus condemned the attitude of his generation. No matter what he said or did, they took the opposite view. They were cynical and skeptical because he challenged their comfortable, secure, and self-centered lives. Too often we justify our inconsistencies because listening to God may require us to change the way we live.

Matthew 11:7-12

Rachel Workman: 7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? 8 Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. 9 Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. 10 John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    and he will prepare your way before you.’[c]

11 “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! 12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing,[d] and violent people are attacking it. I love verse 11, no greater man lived than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom is greater than he is. Verse 12 seems a little confusing but I take it to mean Jesus is going to forcefully advance heaven against the evil that rules this earth. His presence will be known on this earth. Violent people or evil will always resist the advancement of Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross for us. That's going to happen until this earth is no more.

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John Burnett:  ⁷ As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ^8 [a]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ ^[b]palaces! ^9 [c]But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it ^[d]is written,

‘Behold, I send My messenger ^[e]ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’

¹¹ Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is ^[f]least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven ^[g]suffers violence, and violent men ^[h]take it by force.  Verse 11 is the highest praise Jesus ever gave to anyone as no one is worthy, no not one.  Verse 12 will require me to do more study than I have time for right now.

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Allen Michaels:  ⁷ As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. No man ever fulfilled his God-given purpose better than John. Yet in God’s coming kingdom all members will have a greater spiritual heritage than John because they will have seen and known Christ and his finished work on the cross. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. There are three common views about the meaning of this verse. (1) Jesus may have been referring to a vast movement toward God, the momentum that began with John’s preaching. (2) He may have been reflecting the Jewish activities’ expectation that God’s kingdom would come through a violent overthrow of Rome. (3) Or he may have meant that entering God’s kingdom takes courage, unwavering faith, determination, and endurance because of the growing opposition leveled at Jesus’ followers.

Matthew 11:1-6

Rachel Workman: 1 When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.

2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting,[a] or should we keep looking for someone else?”

4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— 5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’”

I can only imagine John's thoughts. Here he was in prison for doing what God has created him to do. John was anticipating the Messiah, and Jesus knew by his answer that John would know he was indeed the Messiah he was looking for.

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John Burnett: 11 When Jesus had finished ^[a]giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and ^[b]preach in their cities.

² Now when John, ^[c]while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples ³ and said to Him, “Are You the ^[d]Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” ⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the ^[e]gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he ^[f]who does not ^[g]take offense at Me.”  John the Baptist had already been preaching about the Messiah and after hearing of these miracles, he wanted to make sure he was right about Jesus Christ being the Messiah.  He had it right.

Matthew 10:34-37

Rachel Workman: ³⁸ If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. ³⁹ If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Very hard words aren't they. How do we give up our life? At times it feels like we're trapped living in this world. With God saying uh no you don't! Don't you dare take part in this world around you. I guess in a sense we are trapped, trapped by sin and sinful natures. Take up your cross and follow me can be pretty simple really. Stop doing things that hurt others and choose to love them instead. There is peace in living a life that Christ would want us to live. That's not say that we can achieve these things every second of every day because we are human but we can strive to. 

⁴⁰ “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. ⁴¹ If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God,^[m] you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. ⁴² And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” Notice the audience to which he speaks to here. These promises are not extended to those who reject Christ but to those who are Christ followers.

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Allen Michaels:  ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. To take up our cross and follow Jesus means to be willing to PUBLICLY identify with him, to experience almost certain opposition, and to be committed to face even suffering and death for his sake. When I say suffering I’m not referring to illness or loss of a job type suffering. I’m talking suffering as being beheaded, burned alive in a small cage, being crucified, or watching our children killed in front of us if we don’t renounce Christ in the name of islam. If we do not experience this in our lifetime, our children certainly will. This is when we will prove our belief, faith and loyalty to Christ. We will suffer almost as much as Christ suffered on the cross. And we will be scared. If Christ sweated blood the night before he died, imagine our fear level when we are facing death. This is when we must know that God is right there with us. He suffers when we suffer, but he will leave or forsake us. No matter the pain we are experiencing he is still there with us. Why? Because his only begotten Son died for us, assuring us that God will always be by our side. We need to remember this every time we deny God, by passing up an opportunity to serve him, regardless of whom it offends or the ridicule we will receive. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Clinging to this life (leisure, power, popularity, and financial security) may cause us to forfeit the best from Christ in this world and the next. The more we love this life’s rewards, the more we will discover how empty they really are. Until we really loosen our grasp on earthly rewards, will we really be able to truly follow Christ and enjoy life. In doing so, we will inherit eternal life and begin at once to experience the benefits of following Christ.

Being committed to Christ will most likely separate us from friends and loved ones. I was once told by family members that I need to “tone it down on Facebook.” I just let it slide as it was CHRISTmas Eve, and they were both drunk, especially the one that had been eating cake with the plastic Jesus. (We always sing happy birthday to Jesus on CHRISTmas Eve as that’s what we want to instill into the kids, not gimme, gimme, gimme.”) And the lesbian, well she was just drunk and argumentative. I blocked them from my Facebook page. In hindsight, I probably should have kept them as friends so they would still have the option to read my posts. Anyhow, in saying this (verses 34-39); Jesus was not encouraging disobedience to parents or conflict at home. Rather, he was showing that his presence demands a decision. Because some will follow Christ and some won’t, conflict will inevitably arise. As we take up our cross and follow him, out different values, morals, goals, and purposes will set us apart from others. Don’t neglect your family, but remember that your commitment to God is even more important than they are. God should always be our first priority. 

⁴⁰ “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” How much we love God can be measured by how well we treat others. This is a daily struggle for me. Jesus’ example of giving a cup of cold water to a thirsty child is a good model of unselfish service. A child usually can’t or won’t return a favor. God notices every good deed we do or don’t do as if he were the one receiving it. Is there something unselfish we can do for someone else today? God notices us so there’s no reason to intentionally be seen doing it. Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) did a song, years back, called “Old City Bar.” There are a couple of lines that have stuck with me to this very day. It follows right along with Matthew 25:40, "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'

If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this
Christmas thing last

By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger

And to know who needs help
You need only just ask

(Old City Bar, TSO)

“Just ask”…It’s just that simple.

Matthew 10:38-42

Rachel Workman: 34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36     Your enemies will be right in your own household!’[l]

37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.

And here it is. Why is there so much suffering? Why is there so much heartache? I don't have all the answers but here it says Jesus didn't come for peace he came to separate those who are his from those who are not. We will never have peace. One day but not in this lifetime.

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John Burnett:  ³⁴ “Do not think that I came to ^[a]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; ³⁶ and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.  These are some hard verses to hear because we value our relationships with family as much or more than our relationship with Jesus.  The result of His bringing the sword will be peace but before His eternal kingdom is set up, the largest can of whoop beat down will be opened up on the anti-christ and his army in the battle of Armageddon.

³⁷ “He 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.   Hard words here but this how worthy he is of our love.  He is the only one worthy of all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.

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Allen Michaels:  

³⁴ “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Jesus did not come to bring the kind of peace that “sugar-coats” over deep differences just for the sake of superficial harmony. Just because we are Christian does not mean that we will not have conflict and disagreement between other Christians and the secular world. Today, there is so much dissension just between the denominations. I’m sure that Christ is not going to be pleased with us just because we call ourselves Christians. A lot of us better prepare ourselves to hear, as Jesus said in Matthew 7:23, “Depart from me you workers of inequity, for I have never known you” (Paraphrased). Fortunately there will be a day when all conflict will be resolved. It’s just a matter of if we’ll get to enjoy it or not. ³⁵ For I have come to turn

“‘a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

³⁶     a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Love of family IS a law of God, but even this love can be self-serving and used as an excuse not to devote ourselves 100% to serve God or do his work. ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. To take up our cross and follow Jesus means to be willing to PUBLICLY identify with him, to experience almost certain opposition, and to be committed to face even suffering and death for his sake. When I say suffering I’m not referring to illness or loss of a job type suffering. I’m talking suffering as being beheaded, burned alive in a small cage, being crucified, or watching our children killed in front of us if we don’t renounce Christ in the name of islam. If we do not experience this in our lifetime, our children certainly will. This is when we will prove our belief, faith and loyalty to Christ. We will suffer almost as much as Christ suffered on the cross. And we will be scared. If Christ sweated blood the night before he died, imagine our fear level when we are facing death. This is when we must know that God is right there with us. He suffers when we suffer, but he will leave or forsake us. No matter the pain we are experiencing he is still there with us. Why? Because his only begotten Son died for us, assuring us that God will always be by our side. We need to remember this every time we deny God, by passing up an opportunity to serve him, regardless of whom it offends or the ridicule we will receive. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Clinging to this life (leisure, power, popularity, and financial security) may cause us to forfeit the best from Christ in this world and the next. The more we love this life’s rewards, the more we will discover how empty they really are. Until we really loosen our grasp on earthly rewards, will we really be able to truly follow Christ and enjoy life. In doing so, we will inherit eternal life and begin at once to experience the benefits of following Christ.

Being committed to Christ will most likely separate us from friends and loved ones. I was once told by family members that I need to “tone it down on Facebook.” I just let it slide as it was CHRISTmas Eve, and they were both drunk, especially the one that had been eating cake with the plastic Jesus. (We always sing happy birthday to Jesus on CHRISTmas Eve as that’s what we want to instill into the kids, not gimme, gimme, gimme.”) And the lesbian, well she was just drunk and argumentative. I blocked them from my Facebook page. In hindsight, I probably should have kept them as friends so they would still have the option to read my posts. Anyhow, in saying this (verses 34-39); Jesus was not encouraging disobedience to parents or conflict at home. Rather, he was showing that his presence demands a decision. Because some will follow Christ and some won’t, conflict will inevitably arise. As we take up our cross and follow him, out different values, morals, goals, and purposes will set us apart from others. Don’t neglect your family, but remember that your commitment to God is even more important than they are. God should always be our first priority.