Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to find someone who speaks poorly of Jesus. Even when people hate the church, they tend to separate Jesus from the church, saying things like, “I love Jesus; I just don’t have anything for the church.” When there are doctrines that the Scripture teaches that people want to oppose, even then Jesus is typically pardoned. Their aggression may focus on Paul, who they think is too chauvinistic, sexist, or the like. They may rail against different figures in the history of the church, who they think distorted scriptural truths. But Jesus will often be spoken of well from them.
Now, to be fair, it is all too often true that Jesus is spoken of so well by people because they’ve simply formed a version of him that is in their own image. I mean, if you make Jesus approve of homosexual behavior, your refusal to gather with the church, or your greed, then you hardly have reason to be upset with Jesus. If you make Jesus into a figure who is consistently applauding your decisions, even when the Bible explicitly condemns those very decisions, you of course have no reason to disapprove of your teaching.
But this isn’t a temptation simply for people “out there,” though. We ourselves can fall prey to the temptation to mold Jesus into our image, creating him to say, think, and do only things we think one should say, think, and do. I’ve had to come to terms with this many times in my own life as I found myself at different times struggling to let go of false perceptions as I accept who Jesus is, what he says, and what his Word makes clear.
This morning we come to a text that may make us uncomfortable. Jesus says things in these verses that we may wish (or at one time in our lives may have wished) he didn’t say. This text mirrors in some ways Jesus’ teaching in John 6 where the disciples say to Jesus, “This is a hard saying.” So, what I want to ask us to do as we consider this text together this morning is to put down our guards, let go of some of our presuppositions, and fix our eyes on what Jesus actually says—as hard as it is to hear at some points. And I believe that if we do, not only will we have a more biblical (and, therefore, more accurate) view of Jesus, but we will understand our Lord in a way that some of us may have missed our entirely life and desperately need. I’ll go ahead and acknowledge for myself that this reminder of who Jesus is has already gone a long way toward aiding me in loving the Lord more with my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
So then, let’s see what it is that Jesus teaches in this text. First, he teaches us that:
You’ll remember where we left off when we last looked at Matthew together. Jesus was saying that those who were hearing him were simply impossible to please. Though John and Jesus did deeds that fit perfectly within God’s prescription for a wise life, they were quite different. John was quite ascetic (denying himself all kinds of things), and Jesus came eating and drinking. But it didn’t matter to these whose hearts were set on rebellion. Neither satisfied them. They said John had a demon and called Jesus a drunkard and glutton.
Right after that note, then, Matthew says that Jesus began to denounce some specific cities as a whole for their unwillingness to repent. And there are two things we need to note up front. First, the cities he’s denouncing are the cities where “most of his mighty works had been done” (v. 20). This doesn’t mean these were the only cities he’d done mighty works, but these three cities—Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum—had been witness to most of his miracles. And, second, he was denouncing them “because they did not repent” (v. 20). That is, these people may well have marveled at Jesus’ miracles, started to follow him, and even believed that he could do great things. None of those are mentioned as the problem. The problem is that they should have recognized that they were sinners, in rebellion against God, in great need of mercy, and repented. But they didn’t.
Therefore, Jesus begins these words of judgment against them, saying, “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. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgments for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 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. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you” (vv. 21-24).
Now, note what Jesus is saying. Tyre and Sidon were known in the Old Testament as being opposed to the Lord in his people. In Isaiah 13-24, where the Lord pronounces judgment on all the nations surrounding Israel, leading up to the judgment on the whole earth, the last specific cities mentioned in chapter 23 are Tyre and Sidon. And Sodom, of course, is renown for its evil and the consequent divine judgment that fell on it. And Jesus is saying that had these three cities witnessed the miracles that Chorazin, Bethsaid, and Capernaum had been witnessing Jesus doing, they would have repented and avoided judgment. Consequently, Jesus says, “It will be more bearable on the day of judgment” for these cities than for those who were currently living in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These cities had been given much revelation, and they should have repented in light of such revelation, and because they didn’t, the judgment that they face on the last day will be terrible. That’s what Jesus is saying.
Now, Jesus is not saying that Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom will escape judgment on the last day. We know that they didn’t face judgment in this life, as each was the object of judgment at the hand of the Lord in history. But nor will they escape judgment on the last day. By saying that judgment will be “more bearable” for Tyre and Sidon or “more tolerable” for Sodom, Jesus is not saying that these individuals who inhabited these cities will avoid judgment. They most certainly will face eternal judgment. However, the judgment faced by Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum will be even worse.
The reason I want to make clear that we understand what Jesus is saying and isn’t saying is because we might think that because Jesus knows that Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom would have repented if only they’d witnessed more miracles, that this would be enough to escape final judgment. But Jesus says no such thing. He does acknowledge that they would have repented if they’d seen the miracles done in his earthly ministry. And he does acknowledge that they’d consequently have been spared judgment. However, these miracles weren’t done there, they didn’t repent in light of the revelation they were given (even if only the revelation of the created order that they say daily and through which God manifests himself – Rom. 1:18-23), and, therefore, they will be held responsible for their sin and lack of repentance and will face judgment. Every one of us is responsible to the Lord to repent, bow the knee to Jesus Christ in faith, and follow him. And if we don’t, we will be treated like the responsible beings that we are and will face judgment.
The next point Jesus makes we might not think would follow after the first point, but it is this:
Now, when I say this what I mean is that God exercises absolute control in determining who will be saved. This is what the Bible means where it speaks of God electing individuals or choosing individuals before the foundation of the world for salvation. God exercises absolute sovereignty, absolute control, in salvation.
I want to show you that this is the teaching of this text in a few ways, but first let me set the scene. Jesus has just come to his own countrymen, performed mighty miracles among them, and is being largely rejected by them as people refuse to repent of their sins. How would you respond to that? Imagine you were a missionary, faithfully preaching the gospel to a people day-in and day-out, and they were not responding in repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How would you respond to that? I’m tempted to think that I would launch into a lament against the Lord. Perhaps I would say something like, “I’m trying to do everything you want me to do, and this is what I’m getting: rejection!”
Jesus, unlike me, need not say he’s trying to do everything right. He is doing everything right. But (again, unlike like I would (sadly) be tempted to do) Jesus actually lifts his eyes toward heaven and praises his Father. Matthew writes in verses 25-26, “At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.’”
Jesus understands that these people who have hardened their hearts against him, thinking they are too wise and understanding to bow the knee to him are people whose eyes haven’t been opened. His sovereign Father (i.e. “Lord of heaven and earth”) has seen fit to keep these wise and understanding people (according the world’s wisdom and understanding) from seeing the truth. This is right in line with Paul’s declaration in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 that God has chosen to “destroy the wisdom of the wise” and thwart “the discernment of the discerning.”
But on the other hand, the Father is please to reveal himself and his truth to others, opening their eyes. These others are labeled “little children,” indicating individuals who haven’t been given over to the wisdom and understanding of this world, who aren’t self-sufficient, and who will recognize their need for Christ.
And the reason God conceals himself from some and reveals himself to others is simply because it’s his “gracious will” (v. 26). What determines the Lord revealing or concealing is not us but simply what is God’s gracious will. This too aligns with Ephesians 1:11, where Paul says that believers “have been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
Finally, lest we think that Jesus (God the Son) may be at odds with God the Father, where he would want the Father to reveal himself to many but the Father is reluctant (or something of the sort), Jesus says, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (v. 27).
That is, Jesus knows the Father’s will is to conceal his truth from some and reveal it to others. And the Father has given all things into the hands of Christ, who controls to whom the Father is revealed. The way the Father is revealed to anyone is through the Son because no one knows the Father but the Son. Therefore, whomever the Son chooses to reveal himself will have his/her eyes opened, come to the Lord, and be saved.
Let’s sum this up:
1) The Father conceals his truth from some and reveals it to others (v. 25).
2) The Father chooses to work this way because it’s his gracious will (v. 26).
3) The Father has committed all things into the hands of the Son so that the Son controls who knows the Father since the only ones who know the Father are the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (v. 27).
4) Therefore, it is only those to whom the Son chooses to reveal the Father who actually come to know the Father and have eternal life.
5) And because the Son only does the Father’s will, the Son’s choosing to whom the Father is revealed lines up perfectly with the will of his Father.
Therefore, whether we say that it is God the Father who reveals himself to us (remember Jesus’ words to Peter, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father who is in heaven”) or God the Son who reveals himself and the Father to us, we are right to say that our God exercises absolute sovereignty in salvation. A man will simply never know God and be saved if God doesn’t choose to reveal himself to that man. And case we want to press against this, remember that Jesus has just noted that he and the Father chose not to do miracles among a people who would have repented had miracles been done there. Again, God exercises absolute sovereignty in salvation.
This is why Jesus will say to his disciples in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” Yes, in one sense they absolutely did choose him. You and I make significant, meaningful, responsible choices. When I was nine-years-old, I first repented of my sins and chose to trust in Jesus Christ for my salvation. But what Jesus wants them to see is that their choosing of him was only because he first chose them and revealed himself to them so that they might know the Father and have eternal life.
The salvation of any man is at the absolute sovereign control and prerogative of our God. And that should humble us and cause us not to boast in ourselves but in the Lord alone, praising him for his rich grace toward us. It should encourage us in security with the Lord, knowing that we belong to him because even before the foundation of the world, he foreknew us, setting his affection on us to be his people. It should motivate us in evangelism, knowing that no matter how poorly we feel we do at actually communicating the gospel, in any moment as we speak to others of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and our need to repent and trust in him, our Lord may well reveal himself to them and cause them to see him clearly, love him, repent, and come to him. And like the Son in these verses, this truth of God’s absolute sovereignty should cause us to praise him, as the Lord of heaven and earth.
So, just by way of reminder, so far we’ve seen that those who do not repent and come to the Lord in faith are responsible for their sin and will be judged, and we’ve seen that God exercises absolute sovereignty in our salvation. We only come to him in faith if he first reveals himself to us. And if you think that this second point is an odd one to follow that first point, wait till you see the third and final point, namely,
Now, in the history of the church there have been some who took that doctrine of God’s sovereignty in salvation and thought that perhaps they shouldn’t make a free offer of the gospel to all men without exception. That is wrong and unbiblical thinking. But Jesus doesn’t have the same struggles of reconciling sovereignty and responsibility. After strongly noting God’s sovereignty in salvation, he says in verses 28-30, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Jesus’ invitation to all sinners is come! He invites all sinners, all who labor and are heavy laden. All those who know that their good works can never be enough to justify them before God and are burdened under the weight of their sin, Jesus says, “Come.” All those who keep diving into sin and recognize that they can do nothing to free themselves from the burden of condemnation it brings, Jesus says, “Come.” To the child who knows simply his disobedience to his parents, hates it, but can’t shake it or the burden of guilt that it brings, Jesus says, “Come.” Jesus invites all sinners to come to him and find rest. And when he says “come” to him, he means believe in him. We know this because in John 6:35 Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Coming to Jesus and placing ones faith in Jesus are simply parallel terms.
And if you come to him, you’ll find rest. You’ll find forgiveness of sins, removal of condemnation and guilt, approval and acceptance because of Christ’s work for you. Your soul will no longer have to bear with living your life with your sin ever before you and your condemnation like a burden on your back.
But coming to Jesus also requires discipleship. It requires submitting to Jesus, following Jesus, learning from Jesus, and obeying Jesus. But even this is rest for our souls. Jesus says that we can take the his yoke upon us which is easy and the burden of obeying him on our backs, for it is light. And the reason we’ll find his yoke easy and his burden light and will find rest in our souls even as we learn to obey is because he’s gentle and lowly.
Now, to some of us, we may not have thought of our Lord as gentle and lowly, but if not, we need corrected. When I began the sermon, saying that we may need our conceptions of our Lord to change, I did indeed have in mind that some may not recognize him to be as sovereign as he is, and we need to come in line with that. But I also (and perhaps even more so) had this image in mind of Jesus as gentle and lowly. Some of us have molded an image of Jesus in our head that is anything but gentle and lowly.
We try to obey him, but at every place we are unsure what to do and cry out for wisdom, we picture him answering us with reproach or disgust at our inability to know what is right. We sin and repent, but we picture him as saying, “Well see if you can really straighten up, and then I’ll forgive.” We live our whole lives toward the Lord as if he is harshly bent against us, always weary of us, always disgusted with our shortcomings, even as we long to obey. But Jesus says he is gentle and lowly and his yoke is easy and burden is light.
Ryan Fullerton, whose preaching I sat under for two years in Louisville, once told a story of when he went to work as a plumber’s apprentice under a godly man. As Ryan was learning on the job there was one day when a lady’s water had quite flowing properly, and Ryan was sent out to go to her house on a Sunday afternoon and fix her water. He went up to her apartment which was on something like the third-story of the building, shut the water main to off, and went to work on her issue. Soon, however, water started spraying out strongly. He clearly hadn’t shut the water off successfully. He went back to the main, but couldn’t get it to shut off, and the water was running out powerfully. He yelled for her to get towels, but they did little, as the water soon was running over the towels, out of the kitchen, and into the living room. He tried to call his boss, but couldn’t get an answer. Soon people on the floor below started complaining about water coming through the ceiling. He went outside to call his boss again, failed to reach him again, and then noticed water pouring out of the windows of the apartment. Finally, he called the fire department who had to shut down the water for the entire city block in Louisville just to stop the problem he’d caused.
Then, his boss called back, came, and started the process of fixing everything. But what he never did was tear into Ryan. Ryan never felt one day after that like he had to walk on eggshells in light of how poorly he’d performed in his desire to learn how to do plumbing and do it well. This man was gentle and lowly. So it is with the Lord. Some of us may be growing ever so slowly, but the Lord is not waiting to pounce on you. He is gentle and lowly. He is slow to anger, and quickly lavishes his grace upon us every time we repent.
How would you not want to work for a man like the one Ryan Fullerton described? Or, even more, how would you not want to learn from, follow, and obey the Lord Jesus Christ who says he is gentle and lowly. If you’re a bruised reed, he will not break you. If you a smoldering wick, he’ll not put you out. Yes, he demands obedience, but he deals with us gently.
So, I want to say to you this morning, come to him in repentance and faith. Why would you not? And if you do come to him, give him thanks for his grace in revealing himself to you, opening your eyes and heart so that you see how glorious he is and desire to repent of your sins and come to him. And if you refuse, simply know that he treats us as responsible beings who make responsible choices. And if you don’t repent, you will bear his judgment. But the good news is that you don’t have to face his judgment if you come to him now. So, I plead with you once more, come. Let us even now show our willingness to continue to follow Christ in faith today as we come to the table. Amen.