Matthew 11:25-30 - Two Big Secrets about Christianity - July 19, 2020

While these are some of the best-known, most-quoted, and most often printed on wall-decor words in the Bible, taken out of context, this talk about yokes and burdens and rest doesn’t make much sense. To fully grasp Jesus’ words here, we must ask “Why did Jesus say these words at that (specific) time?” Well, remember that last week Jesus had just sent the twelve apostles out on their very first solo missionary journeys (John 10). But while they were gone, Jesus’ own ministry seemed to be falling apart. First, John the Baptist had been imprisoned, and while in prison seemed to be doubtful that Jesus was who he claimed to be (Matthew 11:2-6). Second, Israel as a whole was utterly apathetic and indifferent to both John’s rather serious wilderness ministry and Jesus’ ministry which he conducted openly, eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:19). They were so obstinate that Jesus says, rather sarcastically, to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces who call to others, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not mourn (Matthew 11:16-17) – his point being that no matter the minister’s style, the people’s hearts remained unmoved by the Law and the Gospel. And, as if that weren’t enough, Jesus pronounced his famous “woe’s” on Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum – the towns in which he had performed most of his miracles (Matthew 11:20) because of their stubborn impenitence. By all appearances, Jesus’ ministry was a miserable failure. And so, it is at this apparent low point in his ministry that Jesus chooses to reveal two big secrets about Christianity.

One of the major themes in Matthew’s Gospel is the arrival of the Kingdom of God / Heaven on earth. Already in the first chapter Matthew says that in Jesus “God [is] with us” (Matthew 1:23). And the obvious questions are: if God is really here on earth in Jesus – then why does his ministry seem to be such a failure? Has something gone wrong? Has God lost control? What’s going on? In the first several verses of our text, Jesus pulls back the curtain to show us what’s going on behind the scenes.

I won’t reread those verses, but I believe the key lies in a word Jesus uses twice: it’s the Greek word apocalypse – which means revealed or disclosed. Jesus says that it was pleasing to his Father to hide the secret of salvation from clever and learned people and to instead reveal it to little children and that he alone can reveal the Father to whomever he wants to. What does this mean? I suppose, when you think about it, this isn’t as much a mystery or secret as it is a sad reality. The clever and learned who rejected Jesus were those who thought that they didn’t need him because they were fully capable of saving themselves. They were people who refused to repent, refused to confess their sins and therefore refused to trust Jesus and throw themselves on his grace. They were like the “clever” two-year-old who is fully convinced that they can carry two dozen eggs from the car, up the stairs, through a living room littered with toys, safely to the kitchen. They don’t recognize their weakness and their need, not just for a little help, but for total salvation from certain disaster. Their rejection of help results in help being “hidden” from them. On the other hand, when Jesus sat and ate and spoke with open, acknowledged sinners, the tax collectors and prostitutes, their eyes were wide open to their need. They were fully aware of their sinfulness and unworthiness, and desperate for a solution outside of themselves. To these people, these little children, the Father was pleased to reveal his gift of salvation. And the secret is: this wasn’t plan “B”, this was his plan all along!

But even that answer just leads to another, deeper question, doesn’t it? The question that has tortured countless Christians for centuries. You know the question, right? Why? Why are some people saved and not others? If all people are lost and dead in sin (Romans 2:10), if all people desperately need the salvation only Jesus can offer, if Jesus died for all (1 John 2:2) – why is it hidden from so many and revealed to so few? Here is Jesus’ answer: Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wants to reveal him. Satisfied? Does that solve all of your questions about why some accept the Gospel and others reject it? Why many truly intelligent people despise Christianity and, still today, confessed and penitent sinners believe it?

It may not seem like Jesus answers those questions here, but he does. Jesus says that everything has been entrusted to [him] by [his] Father. Everything – life and death, health and wealth, the past, the present and the future, the control of governments and empires and viruses and elections and protests – it’s all in Jesus’ hands. More importantly, the authority to grant the gifts of faith, forgiveness and salvation – is his. And only those to whom Jesus chooses to reveal the truth of salvation will in fact receive it. Now, our clever and learned minds tend to find two problems with that. First, it doesn’t leave any room for our pride. No one can say “I found Jesus, I chose Jesus, I made a decision for Jesus” – at least not if you believe his words here. According to him, the only reason you believe the Gospel is because he chose to reveal it to you. Second, our clever and learned minds want to automatically fill in the other half of the equation: “Well, if Jesus chooses some to believe and be saved; then, logically, he must intentionally not choose others, and therefore he is directly responsible for their unbelief and damnation.” That may sound logical. It may sound intelligent. But it’s definitely not Biblical. That’s not what the Bible says here or anywhere else (see Ezekiel 33:11; 1 Timothy 2:4). The Biblical, albeit logic-defying, answer to the question of why are some saved and not others is that when a sinner receives and believes the Gospel, all the credit goes to God; and when others don’t believe and are damned, the fault is theirs.

The point being that coming to – and remaining in – saving faith is not a matter of human discovery, choice, or decision – but a matter of God’s grace. If you don’t like the answer to the question of why some are saved and not others – then just consider this: what do we all, by nature and by behavior actually deserve? When the Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), then no one can justly call Jesus “unfair” for choosing some to be saved. That’s grace! Salvation belongs to him, it’s his right to choose to whom he will reveal the Gospel. To claim otherwise is blasphemy. (It is to deny the dual assertions of Scripture that yes, God does indeed want all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) – and, if a person is damned, it is completely, totally, absolutely their own fault (Acts 7:51; John 3:17-18).)

This is the first big secret of Christianity, a secret that, sadly, remains hidden from many today. Saving faith is not a matter of discovery or decision or logic or effort but a matter of divine grace and revelation. Why are you here this morning to confess your faith and receive the saving gifts of God in Word and Sacrament? Because Jesus chose to reveal the secret of salvation to you. Why are so many others, who have also heard this saving message with their ears, not here? Because they have rejected Jesus and the salvation he offers. Over the next few weeks we will discuss the practical implications of this truth as we study several of Jesus’ parables. But for today, it’s enough for us to believe that Christianity is not discovered but revealed.

Now, that truth may leave some of us a bit shaken. You might be wondering, “How do I know that Jesus has chosen me – that I’m not just an imposter or pretender? What do I have to do to make sure that I’m included among the little children to whom salvation is revealed?” It’s a common question, and the answer is the secret that Jesus reveals in the last three verses of our text: come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. You can know with certainty that Jesus will welcome you because his invitation goes out to all!

This is a secret, not because of God, but because of human nature. We are born with the innate idea that if we are going to be saved, we’re going to have to do it ourselves (theologically speaking, this is called the opinio legis). You see this wicked opinio legis in Eden when Adam and Eve try to hide their shame and nakedness from God by hiding and covering themselves with fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). You see it in the people of Israel when they trust their sacrifices rather than God’s grace to provide reconciliation and forgiveness (Isaiah 1:11-13). We see it blatantly in the Pharisees and teachers of the law who had placed the unbearable burden of both God’s Law and their own fabricated rules and regulations (Matthew 23:13-39). We see it very clearly in our culture today where there is apparently only one right way to live, speak and even think. We still see it today in many Christian churches which lead people to base the certainty of their salvation on whether they are living up to God’s expectations; whether they are praying enough, giving enough, believing enough, progressing enough in becoming better, holier people. I see it when I ask people why they haven’t return to worship, why they haven’t requested private communion, why they feel no need to hear the Gospel and receive the Sacrament – and they answer “Don’t worry pastor, I still pray, I still read my Bible on occasion, I’m still sending in my offerings, I still try my best to be a good person.” You realize what all of that is, right? It’s all about works and obedience. Yes, you can earn heaven for yourself if you pray and study and give and love…perfectly. But, the dirty little secret is that that is an unbearable burden, a yoke that no human being can bear. If you’ve spent any amount of time believing that, trying to do that, then you understand why Jesus describes people like that as weary and burdened.

The second, big secret about Christianity is that it’s not about work but rest. Jesus is not the county health department. He doesn’t say “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you more guidelines, instructions, and mandates.” He doesn’t say “Come to me and I will teach how to improve your marriage, make more money, or become a better version of yourself.” He says Come to me…and I will give you rest. Now admittedly, putting on a yoke doesn’t sound like rest, but it is! Jesus says, literally: take my yoke upon you and learn from me, that I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. How do we find the rest Jesus promises? By learning about him – which is the definition of a disciple. By definition, a disciple is not a “doer”, but a “learner.” When we learn about Jesus – we learn that he is gentle and humble. So gentle and humble that he came down from heaven to live under the burden of the Law in our place (Galatians 4:4-5). So gentle that he, the Lord of the Law, kept every commandment every day of his life so that we wouldn’t have to in order to be saved (Romans 5:19). So humble that after he had perfectly carried the yoke of the Law to his Father’s approval, he then shouldered the weight of our sin and guilt and carried it to the cross (Romans 4:25). So humble that he suffered the wrath of God and the fire of hell to free us from the threat of condemnation (Romans 8:1). So gentle, that he promises never to turn away any poor, miserable sinner that comes to him for forgiveness and rest – no matter who we are or what we’ve done. Yes, this is the great big, foundational secret of Christianity – that it’s not about your work, but Jesus’; not about what you do for him but what he has done for you. And what he has done for you is carry the burden of obedience to God’s Law and the burden of your sin and guilt through the cross and to the finish line for you. All has been done. It is finished (John 19:30). Jesus calls his yoke light and easy because he’s already done the heavy lifting of earning your salvation. And that’s the big secret of why you’re here: not to work, but to rest in that wonderful truth.

So now you know the two great, big secrets of Christianity. Christianity is not discovered by our effort but revealed by Jesus out of pure grace; and, it’s not about our work, but about Jesus’ perfect and completed work. Take these secrets to heart, and you will have true and eternal rest for your soul. Amen.