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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
11:1
And it came about that when Jesus
had finished giving instructions to
His twelve disciples, He departed
from there to teach and preach in
their cities.
After Jesus had finished
instructing his twelve disciples,
he went on from there to teach
and preach in the towns of
Galilee.
And it came to pass, when Jesus
had made an end of commanding
his twelve disciples, he departed
thence to teach and to preach in
their cities.
C. H. Spurgeon
Whatever he commanded, he himself did.
He was always the example as well as the
legislator of his people. How well it will be for
us who are called upon to teach others, if we
can teach them as much by what we do as
by what we say! “When Jesus had made an
end of commanding his twelve disciples, he
departed thence to teach and to preach in
their cities.”
Oswald Chambers
He comes where He commands us to leave.
If you stayed home when God told you to go
because you were so concerned about your
own people there, then you actually robbed
them of the teaching of Jesus Christ
Himself. When you obeyed and left all the
consequences to God, the Lord went into
your city to teach, but as long as you were
disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch
where you begin to debate with Him and put
what you call your duty into competition with
His commands. If you say, "I know that He
told me to go, but my duty is here," it simply
means that you do not believe that Jesus
means what He says.
He teaches where He instructs us not to
teach.
"Master . . . let us make three tabernacles . .
." (Luke 9:33).
Are we playing the part of an amateur
providence, trying to play God's role in the
lives of others? Are we so noisy in our
instruction of other people that God cannot
get near them? We must learn to keep our
mouths shut and our spirits alert. God wants
to instruct us regarding His Son, and He
wants to turn our times of prayer into mounts
of transfiguration. When we become certain
that God is going to work in a particular way,
He will never work in that way again.
He works where He sends us to wait.
". . . tarry . . . until . . ." Luke 24:49
"Wait on the Lord" and He will work (Psalm
37:34). But don't wait sulking spiritually and
feeling sorry for yourself, just because you
can't see one inch in front of you! Are we
detached enough from our own spiritual fits
of emotion to "wait patiently for Him"? (37:7).
Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing
nothing, but it is learning to do what we are
told.
C. H. Spurgeon
These were Christ’s seals and proofs: he
needed not to seek others. These were the
very works of which prophecy had said they
would be the marks of the Messiah. If then,
these marks were found in him, he left John
and his disciples to draw the inference that
he was, indeed, the One that was to come.
Christ is always best known by his works,
and in his people especially; he is seen in
their lives.
There are two great precepts for the
conquest of the world for Christ: the first is,
preach the gospel; but the second is, live the
gospel, and if we do not live the gospel we
shall not succeed in preaching the gospel. In
fact, those members of our churches who do
not live the gospel undo through all the week
what the preacher of the gospel endeavors
to do on the Lord’s Day. It is a fine thing to
preach with your mouth; but the best thing in
the world is to preach with your feet and with
your hands — in your walk and in your work;
aid if you are enabled to do this, the people
will be able to say very little against the
preaching of the gospel when they see the
result of it in those who accept it. God grant
that we may be all preachers in some way or
another.
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
Herod, see his Profile.
For Trainers Of People
The Research Institute of America lists
these requirements for those who train
others:
 Desire to teach
 Knowledge of the subject
 Ability to communicate
 Patience
 Sense of humor
 Time to do a thorough job.
Competing With The Experts
If preachers insist on competing with
psychiatrists as counselors, with physicians
as healers, with politicians as statesmen and
with philosophers as speculators, then these
specialists have every right to tell them how
to preach.
If a minister's message is not based on
"Thus saith the Lord," then as a sermon it is
good-for-nothing but to be cast out and
trodden under foot of the specialists in the
department with which it deals.
C. H. Spurgeon
Had John’s faith begun to waver? It is
possible that it had. Elijah had his times of
trembling and depression; then, why might
not the second Elijah have the same sort of
experience? Possibly, John wished to
strengthen the faith of his followers, and
therefore he sent two of his leading disciples
to Jesus, that they might make the enquiry
for themselves as to whether he was the
Christ or not.
11:2
Now when John in prison heard of
the works of Christ, he sent word by
his disciples,
When John heard in prison what
Christ was doing, he sent his
disciples
Now when John had heard in the
prison the works of Christ, he sent
two of his disciples,
11:2-3 John had been put in prison by
Herod. Herod had married his own sister-inlaw, and John publicly rebuked Herod’s
flagrant sin (Matthew 14:3-5). For more
about John, see his Profile. For more about
C. H. Spurgeon
Poor John! His spirit was brave enough
amid the wilds when he was by the riverside;
but shut up in prison, it was probably
otherwise with him. Those bold spirits, when
they lose liberty, are apt to be depressed.
Perhaps, too, John sent the disciples as
much for their sakes as for his own. At any
rate, what a question it was to put to our
Lord, “Art thou he that should come, or do
we look for another?” I would call your
attention to the quietness of our Savior’s
mind — the absence of anything like anger.
Lesson From Atom
Every atom in the universe can act on every
other atom, but only through the atom next
to it. If a man would act upon every other
man, he can do it best by acting, one at a
time, upon those beside him.
11:3
and said to Him, "Are You the
Expected One, or shall we look for
someone else?"
to ask him, "Are you the one who
was to come, or should we expect
someone else?"
And said unto him, Art thou he that
should come, or do we look for
another?
What Could Remove Her Sin?
At a great parliament of religions, held at
Chicago many years ago, practically every
known religion was represented, and many
were the learned discourses delivered.
During one session, Dr. Joseph Cook, of
Boston,
suddenly
rose
and
said:
"Gentlemen, I beg to introduce to you a
woman with a great sorrow. Blood stains are
on her hands, and nothing she has tried will
remove them. The blood is that of murder,
and nothing will take away the stain. She
has been driven to desperation in her
distress. Is there anything in your religion
that will remove her sin and give her
peace?" A hush fell upon the gathering as
the speaker turned from one to another for
an answer. Not one of the company replied.
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
Raising his eyes heavenwards, Dr. Cook
then cried out, "I will ask another question.
John, can you tell this woman how to get rid
of her awful sin?" The great preacher
awaited, as if listening for a reply. Suddenly
he cried, "Listen, John speaks: The blood of
Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all
sin" (1 John 1:7)."
Not a soul broke the silence; the
representatives of Eastern religions and
Western cults sat dumb. In the face of
human need, they were without message of
hope. The Gospel of Jesus Christ alone
could meet the need. The sin of the race
demanded the blood of Calvary.
11:4
And Jesus answered and said to
them, "Go and report to John what
you hear and see:
Jesus replied, "Go back and
report to John what you hear and
see:
Jesus answered and said unto
them, Go and shew John again
those things which ye do hear and
see:
11:4-6 As John sat in prison, he began to
have some doubts about whether Jesus
really was the Messiah. If John’s purpose
was to prepare people for the coming
Messiah (Matthew 3:3), and if Jesus really
was that Messiah, then why was John in
prison when he could have been preaching
to the crowds, preparing their hearts?
Jesus answered John’s doubts by pointing
to Jesus’ acts of healing the blind, lame, and
deaf, curing the lepers, raising the dead, and
preaching the good news to the poor. With
so much evidence, Jesus’ identity was
obvious. If you sometimes doubt your
salvation, the forgiveness of your sins, or
God’s work in your life, look at the evidence
in Scripture and the changes in your life.
When you doubt, don’t turn away from
Christ; turn to him.
Apostle John's Example
There is a beautiful and picturesque legend
relating to the Apostle John.
John, we are told, had a tame partridge
which he cherished much; he amused
himself with feeding and tending it.
A certain huntsman, passing by with his bow
and arrows, was astonished to see the great
apostle, so venerable for his age and
sanctity, engaged in such an amusement.
The apostle asked him if he always kept his
bow bent. He answered that in that way it
would be rendered useless.
"If," replied John, "you unbend your bow to
prevent its being useless, so do I unbend my
mind for the same reason."
It may be, reader, that you should follow
John's example, and relax once in a while.
Prairie Overcomer
C. H. Spurgeon
Now if it had been the very least of us who
had been attempting to do such service for
God, and we had been questioned about
what we were doing, should we not have felt
hurt and aggrieved? And, may be, there are
some that would not have deigned an
answer, especially if they were dignified with
the name of an office. But our blessed Lord
does not take a huff at it.
He is not vexed, but he answers with the
utmost gentleness, not by a word of
authority commanding John to believe, but
by an exposition of those blessed seals of
grace which were the best evidence that he
was indeed the Messiah. He pointed to the
very miracles which prophecy declared the
Messiah would perform, and he did this with
that suavity of temper which was ever about
our Divine Master, in which let us copy him.
11:5
C. H. Spurgeon
For the works of Christ are the proofs of his
Messiahship. His teaching and his action
must ever be the seals of his mission.
the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and
the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed and the deaf hear, and the
dead are raised up, and the POOR
HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
TO THEM.
The blind receive sight, the lame
walk, those who have leprosy are
cured, the deaf hear, the dead are
raised, and the good news is
preached to the poor.
The blind receive their sight, and the
lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear, the dead are
raised up, and the poor have the
gospel preached to them.
C. H. Spurgeon
This is the last, but not the least, of the signs
of his Messiahship, that Jesus Christ
preached so that the poor understood him,
and delighted to follow him wherever he
went. Many despised his preaching for this
reason; but the Savior mentioned this
among the signs of his being sent of God:
“The poor have the gospel preached to
them.”
We'll Sing And Shout!
The lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. -Matthew 11:5
I was enjoying a concert by a singing group
when I noticed what was happening in the
front rows of the auditorium. A signlanguage
interpreter
was
gracefully
communicating the words of each song to
about 25 people who were deaf.
When the vocalists sang "Victory in Jesus,"
the man who was both the pianist and
emcee asked the translator if her group
would "sing" the chorus. She agreed, and he
began to play. No voices were heard, but we
sat in awe as her group joyfully expressed
the words with their hands. Their faces
beamed, reflecting the meaning of each
phrase.
I glanced at the five vocalists on the stage.
Their faces were fixed intently on that group
of 25 as they "sang" "O victory in Jesus, my
Savior forever!" It was a thrilling experience.
I couldn't help but think of what it will be like
in heaven. The hearing impaired will be able
to hear and sing. They will be part of the
vast chorus of the redeemed as they join the
angels in proclaiming the praises of the Most
High God and of the Lamb.
A day of rejoicing awaits every believer in
Jesus Christ. We'll all be transformed,
glorified, made whole. When we all get to
heaven, we'll "sing and shout the victory."
In heaven, sorrow will give way to
singing.
I Wish I were Blind
The hymn writer Fanny Crosby gave us
more than 8000 Gospel songs. Although
blinded at the age of 6 weeks, she never
held any bitterness in her heart because of
it. Once a preacher sympathetically
remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the
Master did not give you sight when He
showered so many other gifts upon you."
She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at
birth I had been able to make one petition, it
would have been that I should be born
blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised
clergyman. "Because when I get to Heaven,
the first face that shall ever gladden my sight
will be that of my Savior!"
Producers Of Great Men
They tell us that, in the history of man, there
have been no more than one hundred
thousand really great men. And, of that
number, eighty thousand or more came from
humble, poor homes.
11:6
"And blessed is he who keeps from
stumbling over Me."
Blessed is the man who does not
fall away on account of me."
And blessed is he, whosoever shall
not be offended in me.
From Prison All
Paul's sweetest epistles are from prison
cells; John's Revelation was written in exile;
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress came from the
Bedford jail; Luther's translation of the
German Bible was in Wartburg Castle;
Madam Guyon's sweetest poems and
deepest experiences were from long
imprisonments.
C. H. Spurgeon
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
His position was a very high one; he was the
evening star of the old dispensation, and the
morning star of the new; but the light which
shines after the sun has risen is brighter
than any that the morning star can bring.
He who has the gospel to preach has a
greater thing to do than John the Baptist,
who did but herald the coming of the Savior.
11:7
And as these were going away,
Jesus began to speak to the
multitudes about John, "What did
you go out into the wilderness to
look at? A reed shaken by the wind?
As John's disciples were leaving,
Jesus began to speak to the
crowd about John: "What did you
go out into the desert to see? A
reed swayed by the wind?
And as they departed, Jesus began
to say unto the multitudes
concerning John, What went ye out
into the wilderness to see? A reed
shaken with the wind?
C. H. Spurgeon
Never did our Savior bear a more emphatic
testimony to John than on this occasion; and
it is remarkable that it, Should have followed
upon the heels of John’s doubt and John’s
question. How generously the Master repays
his servant — not in his own coin, but in the
heavenly coin of love. He seems to say,
“Through the infirmity of thy flesh thou hast
been half inclined to question me; but
through the strength of my grace I turn
round and extol thee. Time was when thou
couldst say, ‘He must increase, but I must
decrease,’ and now I turn round and say to
those whom thou hast sent, and to those
who saw thy messengers, that there is none
like to thee.”
Net even Moses himself is greater than John
the Baptist; though he that has entered into
the light and the glory of the kingdom of
grace, since the coming of the Master, is
greater than he.
MULTITUDE

Excitement of the multitude




Fed by Christ.
Feeding of.
Attitudes
Spiritual food
Followed Christ. By the thousands.
Why multitudes followed Christ.
WILDERNESS
Wandering of the Israelites in.
 Typical of the sinner’s state.
 Jesus’ temptation in.
REED





11:8
A water plant.
Used as a measuring device of six
cubits.
Mockingly given to Jesus as a
symbol of royalty.
Jesus smitten with.
Of weakness.
"But what did you go out to see? A
man dressed in soft clothing?
Behold, those who wear soft
clothing are in kings' palaces.
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.
But what went ye out for to see? A
man clothed in soft raiment? behold,
they that wear soft clothing are in
kings' houses.
Pride—In Whatever Dress
At the festival of Olympia, Diogenes, the
cynic philosopher, saw some young men of
Rhodes arrayed most magnificently. He
exclaimed, “This is pride!”
He
afterwards
met
with
some
Lacedaemonians in a mean and sordid
dress; whereupon he said, “And this also is
pride!”
11:9
"But why did you go out? To see a
prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one
who is more than a prophet.
Then what did you go out to see?
Mark
6:45
A prophet? Yes, I tell
you,
and
5
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
more than a prophet.
But what went ye out for to see? A
prophet? yea, I say unto you, and
more than a prophet.
Oswald Chambers
Where sin and sorrow stops, and the song
of the saint starts. Do I really want to get
there? I can right now. The questions that
truly matter in life are remarkably few, and
they are all answered by these words -"Come to Me." Our Lord's words are not,
"Do this, or don't do that," but -- "Come to
me." If I will simply come to Jesus, my real
life will be brought into harmony with my real
desires. I will actually cease from sin, and
will find the song of the Lord beginning in my
life.
Have you ever come to Jesus? Look at the
stubbornness of your heart. You would
rather do anything than this one simple
childlike thing -- "Come to Me." If you really
want to experience ceasing from sin, you
must come to Jesus.
Jesus Christ makes Himself the test to
determine your genuineness. Look how He
used the word come. At the most
unexpected moments in your life there is this
whisper of the Lord -- "Come to Me," and
you are immediately drawn to Him. Personal
contact with Jesus changes everything. Be
"foolish" enough to come and commit
yourself to what He says. The attitude
necessary for you to come to Him is one
where your will has made the determination
to let go of everything and deliberately
commit it all to Him.
". . . and I will give you rest" -- that is, "I will
sustain you, causing you to stand firm." He
is not saying, "I will put you to bed, hold your
hand, and sing you to sleep." But, in
essence, He is saying, "I will get you out of
bed -- out of your listlessness and
exhaustion, and out of your condition of
being half dead while you are still alive. I will
penetrate you with the spirit of life, and you
will be sustained by the perfection of vital
activity." Yet we become so weak and pitiful
and talk about "suffering" the will of the Lord!
Where is the majestic vitality and the power
of the Son of God in that?
PROPHET (Heb. nabi, from a root meaning
"to bubble forth, as from a fountain," hence
"to utter", comp. Psalm 45:1). This Hebrew
word is the first and the most generally used
for a prophet. In the time of Samuel another
word, ro'eh, "seer", began to be used (1
Samuel 9:9). It occurs seven times in
reference to Samuel. Afterwards another
word, hozeh, "seer" (2 Samuel 24:11), was
employed. In 1 Chron. 29:29 all these three
words are used: "Samuel the seer (ro'eh),
Nathan the prophet (nabi'), Gad the seer"
(hozeh). In Joshua 13:22 Balaam is called
(Heb.) a kosem "diviner," a word used only
of a false prophet.
The "prophet" proclaimed the message
given to him, as the "seer" beheld the vision
of God. (See Numbers 12:6, 8.) Thus a
prophet was a spokesman for God; he
spake in God's name and by his authority
(Exodus 7:1). He is the mouth by which God
speaks to men (Jeremiah 1:9; Isaiah 51:16),
and hence what the prophet says is not of
man but of God (2 Peter 1:20-21; comp.
Hebrews 3:7; Acts 4:25; Acts 28:25).
Prophets were the immediate organs of God
for the communication of his mind and will to
men (Deut. 18:18-19).
The whole Word of God may in this general
sense be spoken of as prophetic, inasmuch
as it was written by men who received the
revelation they communicated from God, no
matter what its nature might be. The
foretelling of future events was not a
necessary but only an incidental part of the
prophetic office. The great task assigned to
the prophets whom God raised up among
the people was "to correct moral and
religious abuses, to proclaim the great moral
and religious truths which are connected
with the character of God, and which lie at
the foundation of his government."
Any one being a spokesman for God to man
might thus be called a prophet. Thus Enoch,
Abraham, and the patriarchs, as bearers of
God's message (Genesis 20:7; Exodus 7:1;
Psalm 105:15), as also Moses (Deut. 18:15;
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
Deut. 34:10; Hosea 12:13), are ranked
among the prophets. The seventy elders of
Israel (Numbers 11:16-29), "when the spirit
rested upon them, prophesied;" Asaph and
Jeduthun "prophesied with a harp" (1 Chron.
25:3).
Miriam
and
Deborah
were
prophetesses (Exodus 15:20; Judges 4:4).
The title thus has a general application to all
who have messages from God to men.
But while the prophetic gift was thus
exercised
from
the
beginning,
the
prophetical order as such began with
Samuel. Colleges, "schools of the prophets",
were instituted for the training of prophets,
who were constituted, a distinct order (1
Samuel 19:18-24; 2 Kings 2:3, 15; 2 Kings
4:38), which continued to the close of the
Old Testament. Such "schools" were
established at Ramah, Bethel, Gilgal,
Gibeah, and Jericho.
The "sons" or "disciples" of the prophets
were young men (2 Kings 5:22; 2 Kings 9:1,
4) who lived together at these different
"schools" (2 Kings 4:38-41). These young
men were taught not only the rudiments of
secular knowledge, but they were brought
up to exercise the office of prophet, "to
preach pure morality and the heart-felt
worship of Jehovah, and to act along and
coordinately with the priesthood and
monarchy in guiding the state aright and
checking all attempts at illegality and
tyranny."
In New Testament times the prophetical
office was continued. Our Lord is frequently
spoken of as a prophet (Luke 13:33; Luke
24:19). He was and is the great Prophet of
the Church. There was also in the Church a
distinct order of prophets (1 Cor. 12:28;
Ephes. 2:20; Ephes. 3:5), who made new
revelations from God. They differed from the
"teacher," whose office it was to impart
truths already revealed.
Of the Old Testament prophets there are
sixteen, whose prophecies form part of the
inspired canon. These are divided into four
groups:

The
prophets
of
the
northern
kingdom (Israel), viz., Hosea, Amos,
Joel, Jonah.

The prophets of Judah, viz., Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Zephaniah.

The prophets of Captivity, viz.,
Ezekiel and Daniel.

The prophets of the Restoration,
viz.,
Haggai,
Zechariah,
and
Malachi.
11:10
"This is the one about whom it is
written,
'BEHOLD, I SEND MY
MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR
FACE,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY
BEFORE YOU.'
This is the one about whom it is
written:
" 'I will send my messenger
ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before
you.'
For this is he, of whom it is written,
Behold, I send my messenger
before thy face, which shall prepare
thy way before thee.
MESSENGER One sent with a message.
Messenger is often used in the literal sense
(Genesis 32:3; Genesis 32:6; Numbers
20:14; Numbers 24:12; Deut. 2:26). In an
extended sense, the prophets (2 Chron.
36:15-16; Isaiah 44:26; Haggai 1:13) and
priests
(Malachi
2:7)
are
termed
messengers in their role as bearers of God’s
message for humanity. The Hebrew and
Greek terms for messenger are frequently
rendered “angel,” the heavenly messengers
of God.
Sometimes messengers made advance
travel arrangements for their master (Luke
9:52). In this sense the prophetic messenger
of Malachi 3:1 prepares for the Lord’s
coming. The Gospel writers applied this
preparatory function to John the Baptist
(Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27).
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
11:11
"Truly, I say to you, among those
born of women there has not arisen
anyone greater than John the
Baptist; yet he who is least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater than
he.
I tell you the truth: Among those
born of women there has not
risen anyone greater than John
the Baptist; yet he who is least in
the kingdom of heaven is greater
than he.
Verily I say unto you, Among them
that are born of women there hath
not risen a greater than John the
Baptist: notwithstanding he that is
least in the kingdom of heaven is
greater than he.
11:11 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.
PROFILE: JOHN THE BAPTIST
There’s no getting around it—John the
Baptist was unique. He wore odd clothes
and ate strange food and preached an
unusual message to the Judeans who went
out to the wastelands to see him.
But John did not aim at uniqueness for its
own sake. Instead, he aimed at obedience.
He knew he had a specific role to play in the
world—announcing the coming of the
Savior—and he put all his energies into this
task. Luke tells us that John was in the
desert when God’s word of direction came to
him. John was ready and waiting. The angel
who had announced John’s birth to
Zechariah had made it clear this child was to
be a Nazirite—one set apart for God’s
service. John remained faithful to that
calling.
This wild-looking man had no power or
position in the Jewish political system, but
he spoke with almost irresistible authority.
People were moved by his words because
he spoke the truth, challenging them to turn
from their sins and baptizing them as a
symbol of their repentance. They responded
by the hundreds. But even as people
crowded to him, he pointed beyond himself,
never forgetting that his main role was to
announce the coming of the Savior.
The words of truth that moved many to
repentance goaded others to resistance and
resentment. John even challenged Herod to
admit his sin. Herodias, the woman Herod
had married illegally, decided to get rid of
this desert preacher. Although she was able
to have him killed, she was not able to stop
his message. The One John had announced
was already on the move. John had
accomplished his mission.
God has given each of us a purpose for
living, and we can trust him to guide us.
John did not have the complete Bible as we
know it today, but he focused his life on the
truth he knew from the available Old
Testament Scriptures. Likewise we can
discover in God’s Word the truths he wants
us to know. And as these truths work in us,
others will be drawn to him. God can use
you in a way he can use no one else. Let
him know your willingness to follow him
today.
Strengths and accomplishments:
 The God-appointed messenger to
announce the arrival of Jesus
 A preacher whose theme was
repentance
 A fearless confronter
 Known for his remarkable life-style
 Uncompromising
Lessons from his life:
 God does not guarantee an easy or
safe life to those who serve him
 Doing what God desires is the
greatest possible life investment
 Standing for the truth is more
important than life itself
Vital statistics:
 Where: Judea
 Occupation: Prophet
 Relatives:
Father:
Zechariah.
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11

Mother: Elizabeth. Distant relative:
Jesus
Contemporaries: Herod, Herodias
Key verse:
“I tell you the truth: Among those born of
women there has not risen anyone greater
than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in
the kingdom of heaven is greater than he”
(Matthew 11:11).
John’s story is told in all four Gospels. His
coming was predicted in Isaiah 40:3 and
Malachi 4:5; and he is mentioned in Acts
1:5, 22; Acts 10:37; Acts 11:16; Acts 13:2425; Acts 18:25; Acts 19:3-4.
11:12
"And from the days of John the
Baptist until now the kingdom of
heaven suffers violence, and violent
men take it by force.
From the days of John the Baptist
until now, the kingdom of heaven
has been forcefully advancing,
and forceful men lay hold of it.
And from the days of John the
Baptist until now the kingdom of
heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by force.
11:12 There are three common views about
the meaning of this verse.
Jesus may have been referring to a vast
movement toward God, the momentum that
began with John’s preaching.
He may have been reflecting the Jewish
activists’ expectation that God’s kingdom
would come through a violent overthrow of
Rome.
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.
C. H. Spurgeon
Let him listen to what the heaven-sent
messenger has to say; let him especially
pay attention to his accents when he says,
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world.”
Monkeys’ Complaint On Evolution
Three monkeys sat in a coconut tree
Discussing the things that are said to be,
Said to one another, now listen you two
There’s a certain rumor, but it can’t be true;
That man descended from our noble race;
Why, the very idea; it is a disgrace.
No monkey ever deserted his wife,
Starved her babies and ruined her life.
Nor did you ever know a mother monkey
To leave her babies with others to bunk,
Or pass them on from one to another
‘Till they scarcely knew who was their
mother.
And another think you’ll never see
A monkey build nest around a coconut tree,
And let the coconuts go to waste
Forbidding all other monkeys to have a
taste.
Why if I build a fence around a coconut tree,
Starvation would cause you to steal from
me.
Here’s another thing that a monkey won’t
do:
Go out at night and get on a stew,
Or use, a gun, a club, or a knife
To take another monkey’s life.
Yes, Man descended, the ornery cuss
But Brother he didn’t descend from us.
C. H. Spurgeon
But how many there are that have ears and
do not hear! The external organ is affected,
but the internal ear of the soul is not reached
at all. Blessed are they who, having ears, do
in very truth hear.
11:13
"For all the prophets and the Law
prophesied until John.
For all the Prophets and the Law
prophesied until John.
9
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
For all the prophets and the law
prophesied until John.

Which Commandment To Obey?
There is a story told in Benjamin Franklin's
autobiography of a clergyman who was
ordered to read the proclamation issued by
Charles I, bidding the people to return to
sports on Sundays. To his congregation's
horror and amazement, he did read the royal
edict in church, which many clergy had
refused to do. But he followed it with the
words, "Remember the Sabbath day, to
keep it holy," and added: "Brethren, I have
laid before you the commandment of your
king and the Commandment of your God. I
leave it to you to judge which of the two
ought rather to be observed."
JOHN THE BAPTIST
















Foretold by Malachi.
Malachi 4:5
Meaning of his name.
Luke 1:13
Set apart for special service to God.
Luke 1:15
As fulfillment of many prophecies.
Luke 1:67
Why Pharisees came to see him.
John 1:19
Who Pharisees thought he was.
John 1:21
His humility.
John 1:27
Why Mark’s Gospel begins with his
story.
Mark 1:4
Why he chose to live in desert.
Mark 1:4
The purpose of his preaching.
Mark 1:5
His clothing.
Mark 1:6
His ministry compared to Jesus’.
Mark 1:7-8
What he meant by “repent”.
Matthew 3:1-2
How he prepared the way for Jesus.
Matthew 3:3
Why people came to hear him.
Matthew 3:4
How he was different from the














11:14
religious leaders.
Matthew 3:4
Why God considered him great.
Luke 3:2
Why he attracted so many people.
Matthew 3:5
His message demanded two
responses.
Luke 3:11
His purpose in baptizing.
Matthew 3:11
Significance of his baptizing Jesus.
Matthew 3:13
How Jesus’ arrival tested his
integrity.
Matthew 3:15
Why some disciples left him to
follow Jesus.
John 1:37
His relationship to Jesus.
John 1:31
How his work complimented Jesus’.
John 3:27
His doubts about Jesus.
Matthew 11:4
Why we have greater spiritual
heritage than he.
Luke 7:28
Took on Elijah’s prophetic role.
Matthew 11:14
Publicly confronted Herod’s sin.
Luke 3:19
Killed when Herod bowed to
pressure.
Matthew 14:9
Why Herodias had him killed.
Mark 6:17
"And if you care to accept it, he
himself is Elijah, who was to come.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is the Elijah who was to come.
And if ye will receive it, this is Elias,
which was for to come.
11:14 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). For more about Elijah, see his
Profile.
Necessity of Going Back
10
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
One of the hardest lessons in life to learn is
that of going back to the places where we
have failed in duty. When Elijah fled to the
wilderness and God sought him out and
asked him why he was there, the only
answer God gave to him was, “Go, return.”
In other words, God always sends us back
to the places of our failure in order that we
might gain a moral victory at the point where
we have failed.
Dr. John A. Hutton once pointed out that
there is not a greater moment in a man’s
soul than when he puts aside his pride,
takes back all his presumptuous vows he
made, saying he would never do this or that,
and faces that lonely transaction. You do not
know God until you are acquainted with that
tremendous experience of going back.
11:15
"He who has ears to hear, let him
hear.
He who has ears, let him hear.
He that hath ears to hear, let him
hear.
A Form of Deafness
There is a form of deafness known to
physicians in which the person affected is
able to hear everything except words. In
such a case the ear, as an apparatus for
mere hearing, may be so perfect that the tick
of a watch or the song of a bird is really
appreciated. But owing to a local injury
deeper than the ear, for it is in the brain
itself, all spoken words of his mother tongue
are as unintelligible to the sufferer as those
of a foreign language.
Give him a book and he may read as
understandingly as ever, but every word
addressed to him through his ear reaches
his consciousness only as a sound, not as a
word.
A Digression In Hebrew
When Bishop Aylmer saw his congregation
inattentive, he would recite some verses
from the Hebrew Bible. His audience would
stare with astonishment; then he would tell
them the folly of listening to an unknown
tongue, and neglecting words so easily
comprehended.
11:16
"But to what shall I compare this
generation? It is like children sitting
in the market places, who call out to
the other children,
"To what can I compare this
generation? They are like
children sitting in the
marketplaces and calling out to
others:
But whereunto shall I liken this
generation? It is like unto children
sitting in the markets, and calling
unto their fellows,
11:16-19 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.
C. H. Spurgeon
The children would not agree, Whatever
game was proposed, some of them would
not follow it. At one time they imitated the
pipers, and then the offsets would not
dance. Then they imitated the lamentations
of a funeral, and then the others would not
join in them.
How Long Is One Generation?
A Bible generation is usually considered to
be 35 years. It is one-half of a life span of 70
years. (Psalm 90:10)
Some believe a Bible generation could be
40 years. They say this because all the
adults of the generation that left Egypt
(except Caleb and Joshua) died during the
40-year wandering in the wilderness.
We find a strong definition in Job 42:16 “Job
lived a hundred and forty years...even four
generations.” Divide 140 by 4, and the result
is 35. A Bible generation therefore is 35
years.
C. H. Spurgeon
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
“You would not join in our game; whichever
we chose to do, to imitate a festival or a
funeral, you would not take part with us.”
and God will take care that those who reject
them shall not be without guilt: “wisdom is
justified of her children.”
11:17
The Spirits At Work
On the coast of Malabar, in Canara alone,
are 4041 temples to evil spirits, besides
3,682 to other gods. Here, in the very heart
of the East Indies, men worship demons as
deities. Evil spirits have for centuries been
held in homage by all classes of Hindus
except Brahmans. Even the lowest cast that
of slaves has been believed to have power
to let loose the evil demons upon men, and
exorcists have been employed with noisy
native drums, charms, and incantations, to
drive out the evil spirit. Here is a whole
community living in terror of demons, and
demons, let loose by slaves, to be bound
again only the charms of a conjurer.
and say, 'We played the flute for
you, and you did not dance; we
sang a dirge, and you did not
mourn.'
" 'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.'
And saying, We have piped unto
you, and ye have not danced; we
have mourned unto you, and ye
have not lamented.
Temple Flute Was Ruined
“There was a flute in the Temple,” says the
Talmud, “preserved from the days of Moses;
it was smooth, thin, and formed of a reed. At
the command of the King it was overlaid with
gold, which ruined its sweetness of tone until
the gold was taken away.
“There was also a cymbal and a mortar,
which had become injured in course of time,
and were mended by workmen of Alexandria
summoned by the wise men; but their
usefulness was so completely destroyed by
this process that it was necessary to restore
them to their former condition.”
DIRGE
Modern
lamentation.
11:18
translation
term
for
"For John came neither eating nor
drinking, and they say, 'He has a
demon!'
For John came neither eating nor
drinking, and they say, 'He has a
demon.'
For John came neither eating nor
drinking, and they say, He hath a
devil.
C. H. Spurgeon
There was no pleasing them anyhow; they
were prepared to find fault with any sort of
man, whether he lived an ascetic life, or
mixed with others as a man among men.
“But wisdom is justified of her children.” She
sends the right sort of men to do her work,
We go down to the fetish worshipers of
Africa and we find among these most
degraded tribes almost precisely similar
superstitions. Evil spirits are the terror of the
sable sons of Africa. Any plague or
pestilence among men or cattle, any blight
upon crops, any drought upon streams,
calamity of any form, must be attributed to
this source: Somebody is possessed;
witchcraft is at work.
The medicine man is called in. Some
innocent party is tainted with suspicion; the
casca draught must be taken. If it acts as an
emetic, the party is innocent; if as a
cathartic, he is guilty and must be drowned
or burned; and as the medicine man knows
that whether the poison will act as an emetic
or cathartic depends on the strength of the
draught, human life is absolutely in his
hands and at his mercy. Any man or woman
whom it is desired to put out of the way, may
thus be sacrificed to the jealousy of malice
or hate of any designing foe.
Selected
C. H. Spurgeon
There was no pleasing them. And there is
no pleasing people now, whoever it is that
God sends. One man is much too homely. In
fact, he is vulgar. Another is much too
rhetorical. In fact, his rhetoric runs away with
12
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11

him. One man is doctrinal. Oh! he is
dogmatical. Another man is practical.
He is much too censorious. Another man is
full of experience. He is mystical. Oh! surely
God himself cannot please the evil tempers
of ungodly men. One thing is that he does
not try to do so, nor do his servants, if they
are truly sent of him. That is a matter about
which they have small concern.
11:19
"The Son of Man came eating and
drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a
gluttonous man and a drunkard, a
friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!'
Yet wisdom is vindicated by her
deeds."
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 actions."
The Son of man came eating and
drinking, and they say, Behold a
man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a
friend of publicans and sinners. But
wisdom is justified of her children.
C. H. Spurgeon
Whoever Christ sends, he sends in wisdom,
and there is an adaptation about each of his
servants, even if men do not perceive it. The
day shall come when wisdom shall be
justified of her children.
Pride of:
 Birth
 Wealth
 Respectability
 Appearance
 Independence
 Learning
 Superiority
 Success
 Self-reliance
 Ability
 Self-will
 Intellect
 Allegiance
 Resentment
 Reserve
Sanctity
Seven Sages Of Greece:
 Solon of Athens
(know thyself.)
 Chilo of Sparta
(consider the end)
 Thales of Miletos
(who hateth suretyship is sure)
 Bias of Priene
(most men are bad)
 Cleobulos of Lindos
(avoid extremes)
 Pittacos of Mitylene
(seize time by the forelock)
 Periander of Corinth
(nothing is impossible to industry)
Open It
01.
What causes people to second-guess
themselves?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
02.
Other than Jesus Christ, who, in your
opinion, was the greatest person who
ever lived? Why?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
03.
Of everything you know about Christ,
what surprises you most?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Explore It
04.
What did Jesus do while His disciples
were out on their mission trip? (11:1)
___________________________________
13
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
05.
What message or question did John
the Baptist send to Christ from prison?
(11:2-3)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
06.
What instructions did Jesus give to
John’s messenger? (11:4)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
07.
What kind of proof did Jesus offer to
establish His claim to be the Messiah?
(11:5)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
What things did Jesus say John the
Baptist was not? (11:7)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
10.
What high compliment did Jesus pay
John? (11:11)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Why was John’s life and ministry
significant? (11:10)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
11.
12.
What did Jesus claim about the
kingdom of heaven? (11:12)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
13.
Whose prophetic role did Jesus say
John was fulfilling? (11:14)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
08.
How did Jesus identify John? (11:910)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
14.
How did Jesus compare His
generation to children? (11:16-17)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
09.
15.
What criticism did John the Baptist
receive? Why? (11:18)
___________________________________
___________________________________
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14
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
16.
What frequent charge was leveled at
Jesus? Why? (11:19)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Get It
17.
If you faithfully lived for God and were
thrown in jail, how do you think you
might react?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
18.
Based on this passage, how do you
think Jesus reacts when we have
moments of weakness and doubts
about our faith?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
19.
How do you personally handle doubts
when they come?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Jesus that you could tell others?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
22.
If Jesus were physically here today
and began talking about you at a
press conference, what kinds of
remarks would he make?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
23.
In what ways is the work of God
advancing in your life or in your circle
of influence?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Apply It
24.
What words of comfort could you
share this week with a Christian who
happens to be dealing with doubt?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
25.
20.
Why do you believe that Jesus is
God’s Son and the Savior of the
world?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
What specific actions can you take
today to strengthen a weak area of
faith?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
26.
21.
What have you seen and heard about
What immature attitude or action do
you need to change today in order to
15
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
develop more fully in your faith?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
11:20
Then He began to reproach the
cities in which most of His miracles
were done, because they did not
repent.
Then Jesus began to denounce
the cities in which most of his
miracles had been performed,
because they did not repent.
Then began he to upbraid the cities
wherein most of his mighty works
were done, because they repented
not:
C. H. Spurgeon
That was the point that Christ aimed at,—
their repentance. He did not seek to dazzle
them with wonders and marvels, but to
break their hearts away from their sins. This
is what his mighty works ought to have
done, for they proved him to be the Messiah;
and those mighty works also warned those
who witnessed them that God had come
near to them; and that, therefore, it was time
for them to turn from their evil ways.
Miracle On Easter
An African told how God worked Easter
Sunday at the Ibuga Church of Western
Tanzania. The Ibuga Christians had to meet
outdoors because the buildings could not
accommodate the 800 who attended. While
they sang and worshipped, they had no idea
of the calamity that was striking their
neighborhood.
About the time they started their service, a
huge lioness came from the forest wild and
mad. Normally a lion would kill and eat, but
she was only bent on killing. She dashed
from house to house attacking everything in
her path. She killed three goats, a cow, and
then a woman and her child! As the cry of
anguish arose, the lioness ran off in the
direction of the Ibuga Church meeting. The
villagers said that now the "Mungu Mwena"
("God is good") people will get it, for that
lioness is headed directly for them.
The congregation suddenly saw the creature
only a few yards away. She stopped and
growled furiously. The people quivered with
shock! The preacher shouted, "Folks, don't
be afraid, the God who saved Daniel from
the lions is here. The Risen Christ of Easter
is here." Then with a God-given faith and
authority he turned to the lioness and said,
"You lion, I curse you in the Name of Jesus
Christ!"
Then the most amazing thing happened.
From the scattered clouds, though there had
been no rain nor was there any later a bolt
of lightning struck the lioness and she
dropped dead in her tracks. The preacher
ran and jumped up and down on the carcass
and then used it as a platform to preach!
Seventeen people were instantly saved. The
community was stirred and agreed with the
local policeman who muttered as they
carried the carcass to the police station, "the
God of these `Mungu Mwena' people surely
is a God of miracles!"
C. H. Spurgeon
There was a tenderness about the tone of
Christ when he spoke thus. The words are
burning, but the eyes were full of tears. He
could not contemplate the possibility of the
gospel being rejected without a broken
heart. He sighed and cried as he bore
testimony against those who refused eternal
life. With what tenderness must Christ
regard some that are present here to-night,
whose privileges from their childhood until
now have been so great that they could
scarcely be greater, and yet they seem
determined to reject the admonitions of love,
and trample over tenderness in their
desperate resolve to perish. God have
mercy upon such.
Devil Wishes To Grant Him Shame
A legend says that the Devil once came to a
sinner during confession, saying that he
came to make restitution. On being asked
what he would restore, said: "Shame. For it
is shame that I have stolen from this sinner,
16
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
making him shameless in sinning; and now I
have come to restore it to him, to make him
ashamed to confess his sins."
Foster
C. H. Spurgeon
They listened; sometimes, they applauded;
but they repented not; and there is nothing
really accomplished until men have
repented. In vain have we preached until
men are brought to repent; so the Master
said:
11:21
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the miracles had
occurred in Tyre and Sidon which
occurred in you, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to
you, Bethsaida! If the miracles
that were performed in you had
been performed in Tyre and
Sidon, they would have repented
long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto
thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty
works, which were done in you, had
been done in Tyre and Sidon, they
would have repented long ago in
sackcloth and ashes.
11:21-24 Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom were
ancient cities with a long-standing reputation
for wickedness (Genesis 18-19; Ezekiel 2728). Each was destroyed by God for its evil.
The people of Bethsaida, Chorazin, and
Capernaum saw Jesus firsthand, and yet
they stubbornly refused to repent of their
sins and believe in him. Jesus said that if
some of the wickedest cities in the world had
seen him, they would have repented.
Because
Bethsaida,
Chorazin,
and
Capernaum saw Jesus and didn’t believe,
they would suffer even greater punishment
than that of the wicked cities who didn’t see
Jesus. Similarly, nations and cities with
churches on every corner and Bibles in
every home will have no excuse on
judgment day if they do not repent and
believe.
C. H. Spurgeon
There is a great depth of mystery here,
which we cannot hope to fathom.
The gospel was not preached to those who
would have repented if they had heard it,
and it was preached to those who did not
repent when they listened to it even from the
lips of Christ himself. Upon this latter class,
the sole effect of the gospel preached to
them was to plunge them into yet deeper
depths of guilt because of their refusal of it.
It is not for us to solve the mystery; it will be
our wisdom to see that, being ourselves
favored with the plain declaration of the
gospel, we do not put it from us, lest we
perish even more miserably than those who
never heard it.
A Pompeii Lady Falls
Of the 20,000 inhabitants of Pompeii, some
2,000 lost their lives, among them a woman
who loved finery above all else. As the
deadly rain of fire came down, she decided
to run to the harbor and escape by ship.
That was wise, but this rich and beautiful
woman stayed behind just long enough to
collect as much jewelry as she could carry.
Snatching up her rings, she hastily thrust
them on her fingers. There was no time to
hunt for a box or a bag in which to cram her
ornaments, so she picked up as many as
she could hold, and rushed into the street,
clutching her pearls and diamonds, her
rubies and sapphires, her gold brooches and
her earrings a wealth of finery that would be
placed at thousands of dollars today.
But she delayed too long. The poisonous
fumes overcame her as she ran; and with all
her trinkets she stumbled, fell, and died,
clutching the things she prized so much.
There, under the ashes of Pompeii she lay;
and when the excavators found her, she
was still lovely, and her hands were still
laden with jewels.
C. H. Spurgeon
Listen to that, you gospel-hardened sinners,
you who have heard, and heard, and heard,
but have not repented. See how great is
your sin, for you have rejected what others
would have received if it had been
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
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presented to them. See how your guilt
accumulates, and its punishment also.
11:22
"Nevertheless I say to you, it shall
be more tolerable for Tyre and
Sidon in the day of judgment, than
for you.
But I tell you, it will be more
bearable for Tyre and Sidon on
the day of judgment than for you.
But I say unto you, It shall be more
tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the
day of judgment, than for you.
Destruction Of Port Royal
Port Royal once situated on the island of
Jamaica has been called "the richest and
wickedest city in the world."
It was the natural rendezvous for most of the
pirates and buccaneers of the day. Liquor,
gambling, women, dope every vice thrived in
Port Royal "in greater extravagance than
anywhere else in the world." Perpetual
brawls raged in the streets and the blood of
murdered men flowed endlessly. Rape and
theft were commonplace.
Then on June 7, 1962, two terrific
earthquakes struck. With the second, the
sea was driven back half a mile. The city
was split open in a dozen places and into
the crevasses toppled scores of screaming
men, women and children. Choking sulfur
fumes sifted through openings in the earth.
Then as the sea returned, a great wall of
water swept into Port Royal, smashing
ships, washing buildings from their
foundations. Suddenly, and with a sullen
roar, the whole city slipped slowly into the
sea with most of its population.
To this day one can go down to the site and
look down through several fathoms of clear
water and see some of the coral-crusted
remains of Port Royal “The wickedest city in
the world."
11:23
remained to this day.
And you, Capernaum, will you be
lifted up to the skies? No, you will
go down to the depths. If the
miracles that were performed in
you had been performed in
Sodom, it would have remained
to this day.
And thou, Capernaum, which art
exalted unto heaven, shalt be
brought down to hell: for if the
mighty works, which have been
done in thee, had been done in
Sodom, it would have remained until
this day.
"And you, Capernaum, will not be
exalted to heaven, will you? You
shall descend to Hades; for if the
miracles had occurred in Sodom
which occurred in you, it would have
C. H. Spurgeon
Sodom! — that is the blackest place of all.
Ah, me! will that verse ever fall, like a
millstone, upon any one of my hearers, to
grind him to powder, because you heard the
gospel, and rejected if, intending always to
receive it, but never receiving it at all? From
such a doom, may God in mercy deliver you!
No Way To Describe Hell
There is no way to describe Hell. Nothing on
earth can compare with it. No living person
has any real idea of it. No madman in
wildest flights of insanity ever beheld its
horror. No man in delirium ever pictured a
place so utterly terrible as this. No nightmare
racing across a fevered mind ever produced
a terror to match that of the mildest hell.
No murder scene with splashed blood and
oozing wound ever suggested a revulsion
that could touch the border lands of hell. Let
the most gifted writer exhaust his skill in
describing this roaring cavern of unending
flame, and he would not have even brushed
in fancy the nearest edge of hell.
Hell was originally "prepared for the Devil
and his angels” not for man! Little wonder
that there is joy in heaven over one sinner
that repented. He is saved, redeemed,
rescued. It makes the hearts in heaven glad.
11:24
"Nevertheless I say to you that it
shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom in the day of judgment,
than for you."
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
But I tell you that it will be more
bearable for Sodom on the day of
judgment than for you."
But I say unto you, That it shall be
more tolerable for the land of
Sodom in the day of judgment, than
for thee.
C.H. Spurgeon
God is more angry with some of you than he
is with some in hell. Are you startled by the
assertion? “It shall be more tolerable for
Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee.”
The sins you have already committed are
greater than those of Sodom, and the anger
is in proportion to the guilt.
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04.
How effective do you feel large
evangelistic crusades are?
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Explore It
05.
"Born To Raise Hell"
A few years ago the public was horrified by
the brutally sadistic slaying of eight nurses in
Chicago. The man who was charged with
the crime wore a tattoo on his arm, "Born to
Raise Hell." Since this fact was published
quite a few young men have had a similar
slogan tattooed on their arms. In Hamilton,
Canada, it is reported that "twenty to thirty
youths in their late teens have had
themselves inscribed with this slogan."
Open It
01.
What are the pros and cons of living in
a big city?
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02.
What city would you most like to visit?
Why?
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03.
What is your favorite city in the world?
Why?
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After His praise of John, what did
Jesus begin to do? (11:20)
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06. Who was Jesus condemning? (11:20)
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07.
Why was Jesus denouncing the cities
in which He performed most of His
miracles? (11:20)
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08.
What two cities did Jesus condemn
first? Why? (11:21)
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09.
How did Jesus say Chorazin and
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
Bethsaida were different from Tyre
and Sidon? (11:21)
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10.
What did Jesus say would happen on
the day of judgment? (11:22)
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11.
What city did Jesus single out for
comparison with Sodom? (11:23)
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12.
What
did
Jesus
predict
for
Capernaum? (11:23)
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13.
Why did Capernaum have a bleak
future? (11:23)
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15.
What city did Jesus say would face
the sterner judgment than Sodom?
Why? (11:24)
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Get It
16.
How do you think God views our
country’s evil bent—especially in light
of all the ways He has blessed us?
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17.
As people who have experienced the
goodness of God, how should we be
living?
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18.
In what ways are you treating the
mercies of God or his blessings in
your life as no big deal?
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19.
14.
To what ancient, evil city did Jesus
compare Capernaum? Why? (11:2324)
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Why is it dangerous for us to know the
truth about God and yet continue to
sin?
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
20.
What would Jesus say if He came and
preached in our city today?
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21.
Why do you think we sometimes
become indifferent toward God?
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Apply It
22.
What specific sin do you need to
repent of today?
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23.
What are three things you could do
this week to be a brighter light for
Christ in your city or town?
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hide these things from the wise and
intelligent and didst reveal them to
babes.
At that time Jesus said, "I praise
you, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because you have hidden
these things from the wise and
learned, and revealed them to
little children.
At that time Jesus answered and
said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because thou
hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes.
11:25 Jesus mentioned two kinds of people
in his prayer: the “wise”—arrogant in their
own knowledge—and the “little children”—
humbly open to receive the truth of God’s
Word. Are you wise in your own eyes, or do
you seek the truth in childlike faith, realizing
that only God holds all the answers?
C. H. Spurgeon
So he had been talking with his Father:
“Jesus answered.” Very often, no doubt, the
Savior spoke with God when it is not
recorded in the Gospels that he did so; but
here a plain hint is given that Christ was in
intimate communion and fellowship with
God. At such times, great doctrines which,
to the shallow minds of those who live at a
distance from God, even seem dreadful,
become delightful, and are lit up with
unusual splendor. At that time, the doctrine
of election was specially upon the heart of
Christ because he was dwelling near to God
himself: “Jesus answered and said,”
In light of the certain judgment of God,
what step could you take this week to
reach a lost neighbor or friend?
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They Were Saved In Childhood
Polycarp, the courageous early church
martyr, was converted at 9 years old.
Jonathan Edwards, perhaps the mightiest
intellect of the American pulpit, was saved at
7. Count Zinzendorf, leader of the
Moravians, signed his name to this covenant
when he was 4: "Dear Savior, do Thou be
mine and I will be Thine!"
11:25
Matthew Henry, that great commentator,
was converted at 11. Robert Hall, the prince
of Baptist preachers, received Christ at 12.
24.
At that time Jesus answered and
said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord
of heaven and earth, that Thou didst
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
Spurgeon began to awaken spiritually at 12.
Isabella Graham, immortal in the Christian
Church, was converted at 10.
C. H. Spurgeon
Did the Lord Jesus Christ in his address to
Bethsaida and Capernaum awaken in his
own mind all those difficulties that hover
round about the doctrine of predestination?
Did it not seem strange that God should
send the gospel to people who rejected it,
and did not send the gospel to a people who
would have received it? How can these
things be? And the dear Savior answers the
question to his own miner by falling back
upon that ether truth sublime and, to him, full
of thanksgiving — the infinite sovereignty of
God. I do not knew what some of us would
de if we did not believe that truth. There are
so many things which puzzle us — so many
questions, but the Judge of all the earth
must de right. He must, he will do as he
pleases with his own, and it is not for us to
question the preroga-tires of the Most High.
Now the Savior at last seems to give vent to
his soul in one grand burst of gospel
preaching. And whenever you and I get
worried about any doctrine, it is always well
to come back to the simplicity of the gospel
and proclaim it again.
unsophisticated. They can cling, and trust,
and cry, and love; and to such the Lord
opens up the treasures of wisdom. The
objects of divine choice are such as these.
Lord, let me be one among them! The truths
of the heavenly kingdom are hid, by a
judicial act of God, from men who, in their
own esteem, are “the wise and prudent.”
They cannot see, because they trust their
own dim light, and will not accept the light of
God.
Here we see, also, the reason of election,
the divine will: “So it seemed good in thy
sight.” We can go no further than this. The
choice seemed good to Him who never errs,
and therefore it is good. This stands to the
children of God as the reason, which is
above all reason. Deus vult is enough for us.
If God wills it, so must it be, and so ought it
to be.
11:26
"Yes, Father, for thus it was wellpleasing in Thy sight.
Yes, Father, for this was your
good pleasure.
Even so, Father: for so it seemed
good in thy sight.
Oswald Chambers
C. H. Spurgeon
“Jesus answered”: sovereign grace is the
answer to abounding guilt. With rejoicing
spirit Jesus sees how sovereign grace
meets the unreasonable aboundings of
human sin, and chooses out its own,
according to the good pleasure of the
Fathers will. Here is the spirit in which to
regard the electing grace of God: “I thank
thee.” It is cause for deepest gratitude.
Here is the author of election: “ O Father.” It
is the Father who makes the choice, and
reveals the blessings. Here is his right to act
as he does: he is “Lord of heaven and
earth.” Who shall question the good
pleasure of his will? Here we see the objects
of election, under both aspects; the chosen
and the passed-over. Babes see because
sacred truths are revealed to them, and not
otherwise.
They
are
weak
and
inexperienced. They are simple and
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship
step by step -- we either have a relationship
or we do not. God does not continue to
cleanse us more and more from sin -- "But if
we walk in the light," we are cleansed "from
all sin" (1 John 1:7). It is a matter of
obedience, and once we obey, the
relationship is instantly perfected. But if we
turn away from obedience for even one
second,
darkness
and
death
are
immediately at work again.
All of God's revealed truths are sealed until
they are opened to us through obedience.
You will never open them through
philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a
flash of light comes immediately. Let God's
truth work into you by immersing yourself in
it, not by worrying into it. The only way you
can get to know the truth of God is to stop
trying to find out and by being born again. If
you obey God in the first thing He shows
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
you, then He instantly opens up the next
truth to you. You could read volumes on the
work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of
total, uncompromising obedience would
make things as clear as sunlight.
God, his truth, and how we can know him.
Don't say, "I suppose I will understand these
things someday!" You can understand them
now. And it is not study that brings
understanding to you, but obedience. Even
the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven,
and the deepest truths of God immediately
become yours. Yet God will never reveal
more truth about Himself to you, until you
have obeyed what you know already.
Beware of becoming one of the "wise and
prudent." "If anyone wills to do His will, he
shall know . . ." (John 7:17).
“All things are delivered unto me of my
Father.” All things are put into the Mediator’s
hands; fit hands both towards God and
towards man; for he alone knows both to
perfection. Jesus reveals the Father to the
babes whom he has chosen. Only the
Father can fill the Son with benediction, and
only through the Son can that benediction
flow to any one of the race of men. Know
Christ, and you know the Father, and know
that the Father himself loveth you. There is
no other way of knowing the Father but
through the Son. In this our Lord rejoiced;
for his office of Mediator is dear to him, and
he loves to be the way of communication
between the Father whom he loves, and the
people whom he loves for the Father’s sake.
Observe the intimate fellowship between the
Father and the Son, and how they know
each other as none else ever can. Oh, to
see all things in Jesus by the Father’s
appointment, and so to find the Father’s love
and grace in finding Christ! My soul, there
are great mysteries here! Enjoy what thou
canst not explain.
PLEASING


11:27
Pleasing God earns others’ respect.
2 Samuel 8:15
Copying others just to please them.
2 Kings 16:18
"All things have been handed over
to Me by My Father; and no one
knows the Son, except the Father;
nor does anyone know the Father,
except the Son, and anyone to
whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
"All things have been committed
to me by my Father. No one
knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father
except the Son and those to
whom the Son chooses to reveal
him.
All things are delivered unto me of
my Father: and no man knoweth the
Son, but the Father;
neither
knoweth any man the Father, save
the Son, and he to whomsoever the
Son will reveal him.
11:27 In the Old Testament, “know” means
more than knowledge. It implies an intimate
relationship. The communion between God
the Father and God the Son is the core of
their relationship. For anyone else to know
God, God must reveal himself to that
person, by the Son’s choice. How fortunate
we are that Jesus has clearly revealed to us
C. H. Spurgeon
Here we have the channel through which
electing love works towards men:
To Comprehend God
John Wesley said: "Bring me a worm that
can comprehend a man, and then I will show
you a man that can comprehend the triune
God!"
Never try to arouse faith from within. You
cannot stir up faith from the depths of your
heart. Leave your heart, and look into the
face of Christ.
11:28
"Come to Me, all who are weary and
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
"Come to me, all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest.
Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest.
11:28-30 A yoke is a heavy wooden harness
23
GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen.
It is attached to a piece of equipment the
oxen are to pull. A person may be carrying
heavy burdens of:




Sin,
Excessive demands of religious
leaders
Oppression and persecution, or
Weariness in the search for God.
Jesus frees people from all these burdens.
The rest that Jesus promises is love,
healing, and peace with God, not the end of
all labor. A relationship with God changes
meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual
productivity and purpose.
C. H. Spurgeon
There is no rest in the difficulties of
metaphysics. There is no rest in the labors
of human merit. “Come unto me, and I will
give you rest.”
A Christian who loves Jesus is sometimes
said to be "on fire for the Lord." What a great
way to describe the warm, inviting presence
of Christ that radiates from the lives of His
children before the eyes of weary people in
a troubled world!
Let's live in such a way that people will see
Christ in us and want to gather around the
light of His life-giving love.
A Christian on fire for God
will draw others to the light.
Double Blessing:
 Rest
 Meetness
 Supply
 Peace
 Keeping
 Indwelling
 Life and Joy
Oswald Chambers
Gather Around
Come to Me, all you who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. -Matthew 11:28
When guests at The Houstonian Hotel in
Houston, Texas, enter the main lobby on a
searingly hot summer day, they are often
surprised to see flames dancing in a huge
stone fireplace. If it's scorching outside and
the air conditioning is humming away, why
have a fire burning inside? Because people
like to gather around a fire. The gas logs
don't produce much heat, but there's
something warm, inviting, and relaxing about
the flickering light. It seems to say, "Pull up
a chair, sit down, and rest awhile."
As I read the Bible, I often sense that weary,
anxious people were drawn to Jesus Christ
in much the same way that travelers today
are drawn toward the fireplace in that Texas
hotel. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest" (Matthew 11:28). For those who
believe in Christ, it's not just temporary relief
but eternal rest of soul that stays with them
wherever they go.
God intends for us to live a well-rounded life
in Christ Jesus, but there are times when
that life is attacked from the outside. Then
we tend to fall back into self-examination, a
habit that we thought was gone. Selfawareness is the first thing that will upset
the completeness of our life in God, and
self-awareness continually produces a
sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives.
Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be
produced by nervous emotions or by
suddenly being dropped into a totally new
set of circumstances. Yet it is never God's
will that we should be anything less than
absolutely complete in Him. Anything that
disturbs our rest in Him must be rectified at
once, and it is not rectified by being ignored
but only by coming to Jesus Christ. If we will
come to Him, asking Him to produce Christawareness in us, He will always do it, until
we fully learn to abide in Him.
Never allow anything that divides or
destroys the oneness of your life with Christ
to remain in your life without facing it.
Beware of allowing the influence of your
friends or your circumstances to divide your
life. This only serves to sap your strength
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
and slow your spiritual growth. Beware of
anything that can split your oneness with
Him, causing you to see yourself as
separate from Him. Nothing is as important
as staying right spiritually.
And the only solution is a very simple one -"Come to Me . . . ." The intellectual, moral,
and spiritual depth of our reality as a person
is tested and measured by these words. Yet
in every detail of our lives where we are
found not to be real, we would rather dispute
the findings than come to Jesus.
Heavy:
 Hands
(brethren to hold them up)
 Yoke
(oppression of sin)
 Burden
(consciousness of sin)
 Ears
(hardening of unbelief)
 Eyes
(drowsiness of slumber)
 Trials
(opportunities for triumph)
 Laden
(Christ is the lifter!)
C. H. Spurgeon
Here is the gracious invitation of the gospel
in which the Savior’s tears and smiles were
blended, as in a covenant rainbow of
promise.
“Come:” he drives none away: he calls them
to himself. His favorite word is, “Come.” Not
— go to Moses; but, “Come unto me.” To
Jesus himself we must come, by a personal
trust. Not to doctrine, ordinance, or ministry
are we to come first; but to the personal
Savior. All laboring and laden ones may
come: he does not limit the call to the
spiritually laboring, but every working and
wearied one is called. It is well to give the
largest sense to all that mercy speaks.
Jesus calls me. Jesus promises “rest” as his
gift: his immediate, personal, effectual rest
he freely gives to all who come to him by
faith. To come to him is the first step, and he
entreats us to take it. In himself, as the great
sacrifice for sin, the conscience, the heart,
the understanding obtain complete rest.
When we have obtained the rest he gives,
we shall be ready to hear of a further rest,
which we find.
Carrying Others' Sorrows
Although the North American Indians had no
written alphabet before they met the white
man, their language was anything but
primitive. The vocabulary of many Indian
nations was as large as that of their French
and English exploiters, and often far more
eloquent. Compare the coldness of "friend"
with
"one-who-carries-my-sorrows-on-hisback."
I will give you:
 Rest
 Service
 Satisfaction
 Upholding
 Guidance
 Strength
 Victory
C.H. Spurgeon
The cry of the Christian religion is the simple
word, “come.” The Jewish law said, “God,
and break the commandments, and thou
shalt perish. Go, and keep them, and thou
shalt live.” The law was a dispensation of
the whip, which drove men before it. The
gospel is just the opposite. It is the
Shepherd’s dispensation. He goes before
his sheep, and he bids them follow him,
saying, “Come.” The law repels; the gospel
attracts.
Jesus' Specialty
In his dialogue with Trypho, Justin Martyr
preserves a tradition that the things Jesus
the Carpenter specially made in His
workshop were "ploughs and yokes." What
ploughs and yokes they were! No scamped
work, no shoddy piece, ever left His hand.
"Thorough" was His hallmark and men ought
to be able to tell a Christian by the
thoroughness and honesty of his work.
Oswald Chambers
Whenever anything begins to disintegrate
your life with Jesus Christ, turn to Him at
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
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once, asking Him to re-establish your rest.
Never allow anything to remain in your life
that is causing the unrest. Think of every
detail of your life that is causing the
disintegration as something to fight against,
not as something you should allow to
remain. Ask the Lord to put awareness of
Himself in you, and your self-awareness will
disappear. Then He will be your all in all.
Beware of allowing your self-awareness to
continue, because slowly but surely it will
awaken self-pity, and self-pity is satanic.
Don't allow yourself to say, "Well, they have
just misunderstood me, and this is
something over which they should be
apologizing to me; I'm sure I must have this
cleared up with them already." Learn to
leave others alone regarding this. Simply
ask the Lord to give you Christ-awareness,
and He will steady you until your
completeness in Him is absolute.
A complete life is the life of a child. When I
am fully conscious of my awareness of
Christ, there is something wrong. It is the
sick person who really knows what health is.
A child of God is not aware of the will of God
because he is the will of God. When we
have deviated even slightly from the will of
God, we begin to ask, "Lord, what is your
will?" A child of God never prays to be made
aware of the fact that God answers prayer,
because he is so restfully certain that God
always answers prayer.
If we try to overcome our self-awareness
through any of our own commonsense
methods, we will only serve to strengthen
our self-awareness tremendously. Jesus
says, "Come to Me . . . and I will give you
rest," that is, Christ-awareness will take the
place of self-awareness. Wherever Jesus
comes He establishes rest -- the rest of the
completion of activity in our lives that is
never aware of itself.
'They Wouldn’t Let Me!'
Come to Me, all you who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. —
Matthew 11:28
A woman was trapped on the top floor of a
burning building. Flames and smoke blocked
every way of escape. When firefighters
arrived, one of the men scrambled up a
ladder to the window where the woman was
screaming for help, and with outstretched
arms he offered to save her. But when she
looked down and saw the great distance to
the ground below, she panicked and drew
back into the room.
The man attempting the rescue begged her
to trust him for her safety, but his pleas were
not heeded. In senseless fear she retreated
beyond the fireman’s reach. Finally, being
forced to return to the ground, he said with
tears in his eyes, "I did everything I could to
save her, but she wouldn’t let me!"
Those words made me think of the spiritual
peril facing so many people. Jesus longs to
forgive their sins, but they stubbornly resist
His offer of salvation. By refusing to trust
Him, they are like the woman who perished
in the flames even though she could have
escaped.
Dear friend, right now believe on the Lord
Jesus! He invites you to come to Him
(Matthew 11:28). Don’t be among those of
whom the Lord must say, "I did everything I
could to save them, but they wouldn’t let
Me!"
Faith is the hand that receives God’s gift.
C.H. Spurgeon
An old Puritan says, “Come to Jesus, sinner,
and if you are lame, come lame. If you say
you have no feet, come on your stumps.
Come as you can, for he cannot reject you
till he denies himself.
Salmon Run
Come to Me, all you who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. —
Matthew 11:28
Salmon fascinate me. Each August I drive a
few miles north of my home in Idaho and
watch them make their weary way through
the last stages of their spawning run to the
sandbars along Lake Creek. I always think
of the long journey they've taken.
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
is telling you to do is to "Come . . . ."
Some months earlier, they leave the Pacific
Ocean and begin their run up the Columbia
to the Snake River, then up the main fork of
the Salmon River to the East Fork, up the
Secesh River to Lake Creek—more than
700 miles.
Driven by instinct, they swim against
currents, up waterfalls, and around
hydroelectric dams. Despite eagles, bears,
and many other predators, they struggle to
reach their ancestral spawning grounds to
lay their eggs.
"Come to Me . . . ." When you hear those
words, you will know that something must
happen in you before you can come. The
Holy Spirit will show you what you have to
do, and it will involve anything that will
uproot whatever is preventing you from
getting through to Jesus. And you will never
get any further until you are willing to do that
very thing. The Holy Spirit will search out
that one immovable stronghold within you,
but He cannot budge it unless you are
willing to let Him do so.
Their journey reminds me of the human
journey. We too have a homing instinct.
"There exists in the human mind, and
indeed by natural instinct, a sense of Deity,"
John Calvin said. We are born and we live
for the express purpose of knowing and
loving God. He is the source of our life, and
our hearts are restless until they come to
Him.
How often have you come to God with your
requests and gone away thinking, "I've really
received what I wanted this time!" And yet
you go away with nothing, while all the time
God has stood with His hands outstretched
not only to take you but also for you to take
Him. Just think of the invincible,
unconquerable, and untiring patience of
Jesus, who lovingly says, "Come to Me . . .
."
Are you restless today, driven by discontent
and a longing for that elusive "something
more"? Jesus Christ is the source and
satisfaction of all you seek. Come to Him
today and find rest for your soul (Matthew
11:28).
C.H. Spurgeon
If you cannot come with a broken heart,
come for a broken heart. If you cannot come
with faith, come for faith. If you cannot come
repenting, come and ask the Lord to give
you repentance. Come empty-handed,
bankrupt, ruined, condemned, and you will
find rest.
Our hearts are restless
till they find their rest in Christ.
Oswald Chambers
Isn't it humiliating to be told that we must
come to Jesus! Think of the things about
which we will not come to Jesus Christ. If
you want to know how real you are, test
yourself by these words -- "Come to Me . . .
." In every dimension in which you are not
real, you will argue or evade the issue
altogether rather than come; you will go
through sorrow rather than come; and you
will do anything rather than come the last lap
of the race of seemingly unspeakable
foolishness and say, "Just as I am, I come."
As long as you have even the least bit of
spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself
in the fact that you are expecting God to tell
you to do something very big, and yet all He
Perhaps no verse in the whole of Scripture
has been handled in the pulpit more
frequently than this, and yet it has not been
exhausted, and never can it be. It is a great
soul-saving text.
11:29
"Take My yoke upon you, and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and humble
in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND
REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls.
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
C. H. Spurgeon
First; he gives rest to all that come, But
afterwards there is a second rest which they
find who become obedient and bear his
yoke. The rest that comes of pardoned sin is
sweet, but the rest that comes of conquered
sin through obedience is sweeter still. The
rest he gives is precious, but there is rest
upon rest, as there is grace upon grace, and
let us go in for the highest form of that rest.
“Ye shall find rest unto your souls.” The very
innermost part of your being shall be full of
peace.
Life Indeed:
 Living in Christ
 Instructed by Christ
 Following after Christ
 Enduring through Christ
How To See His Face
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart. --Matthew
11:29
Danish sculptor Bertel Thorwaldsen was
commissioned to make a statue of Christ.
He first took some very pliable clay and
made a model. Then he left his studio,
giving the new-formed clay time to dry and
harden. During the night, however, a dense
mist rolled in from the sea and the moisture
altered the molded figure.
When the sculptor returned the next day, he
thought that his embryonic masterpiece had
been ruined. The hands that had been held
aloft as though to bless were now stretched
forward in an inviting way. The head of
Christ that had been gazing heavenward
now looked down toward the earth, partially
hiding the face from view.
Looking at the model, Thorwaldsen
suddenly realized that this is the way the
final sculpture should be formed. "Indeed, if
you want to see the face of Christ," he
exclaimed, "you must humble yourself and
get down on your knees!"
The more we learn of Christ and the more
we seek to follow Him, the more we desire
to reflect His meekness and humility. Yet
how far we fall short! Few of us are truly
"gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29).
Oh, that we might learn more of Him, that
pride and selfishness may die out!
You can ask the Lord for humility,
but you can't thank Him for it.
Christ’s Character:
 Holy
(in His nature)
 Harmless
(in His actions)
 Undefiled
(in His life)
 Separate
(in His service)
 Meek
(in Spirit)
 Humble
(in heart)
 Devout
(in purpose)
Yoke's Heavier End
John T. Faris tells the story of a man who
was carrying a heavy basket. His son
offered to help him. The father cut a large
stick and placed it through the handle of the
basket so that the end toward himself was
very short, while the end toward the boy was
three or four times as long. Each took hold
of his end of the stick, and the basket was
lifted and carried easily.
The son was bearing the burden with the
father. But he found his work easy and light
because his father assumed the heavier end
of the load. So it is when we live for Jesus
Christ. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me... for my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light" (Matthew 11:29-30).
Rest in seven aspects:
 Rest of conscience
 Rest of assurance
 Rest of confidence
 Rest of consecration
 Rest of heart
 Rest of mind
 Rest of glory
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
Brilliant Thoughts
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me.
--Matthew 11:29



Attentive
Diligent
Faithful
in the flock
in the school
in the estate
A kind friend who knows my tastes and
reading interests gave me a fascinating
book for my birthday. It's called The Most
Brilliant Thoughts Of All Time. There's no
question about the wit and wisdom of the
short sayings it contains. But are they the
most brilliant thoughts of all time?
C. H. Spurgeon
“Take my yoke and learn:” this is the second
instruction; it brings with it a further rest
which we “find.” The first rest he gives
through his death; the second we find in
copying his life. This is no correction of the
former statement, but an addition thereto.
The book doesn't contain a single quote
from the Lord Jesus. Yet when He lived on
earth, even His critics were amazed at His
wisdom. They asked in dumbfounded
wonder how He knew so much (John 7:15).
Jesus did not have any formal education. He
wasn't the student of a prominent rabbi, like
many of the teachers of His day. Yet even
the soldiers who were sent to arrest Him
reported, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"
(v.46).
First, we rest by faith in Jesus, and next we
rest through obedience to him. Rest from
fear is followed by rest from the turbulence
of inward passion, and the drudgery of self.
So if we are in search of brilliant thoughts,
there are none better than the words of
Jesus Christ. Like Mary the sister of
Lazarus, we ought to sit at the feet of our
Lord and learn from Him (Luke 10:39).
Jesus said that choosing to hear His words
is "that good part, which will not be taken
away" (v.42).
Let's respond to our Savior's invitation:
"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me"
(Matthew 11:29). His words are the most
brilliant of all time.
In the light of Christ's brilliance,
the world's wisdom is but a shadow.
Found in Him:
 Secure
 High Priest
 Affectionate
 United
 Living
 Submissive
 Obedient
 Flourishing
 Waiting
 Useful
in the building
in the breastplate
in the family
in the firm
in the tree
in the body
in the household
in the garden
in the quiver
in the hand
We are not only to bear a yoke, but his yoke;
and we are not only to submit to it when it is
laid upon us, but we are to take it upon us.
We are to be workers, and take his yoke;
and at the same time we are to be scholars,
and learn from him as our Teacher. We are
to learn of Christ and also to learn Christ. He
is both Teacher and lesson. His gentleness
of heart fits him to teach, to be the
illustration of his own teaching, and to work
in us his great design. If we can become as
he is, we shall rest as he does. We shall not
only rest from the guilt of sin, — this he
gives us; but we shall rest in the peace of
holiness, which we find through obedience
to him. It is the heart, which makes or mars
the rest of the man. Lord, make us “lowly in
heart,” and we shall be restful of heart.
“Take my yoke.” The yoke in which we draw
with Christ must needs be a happy one, and
the burden which we carry for him is a
blessed one.
We rest in the fullest sense when we serve,
if Jesus is the Master. We are unloaded by
bearing his burden; we are rested by
running on his errands.
“Come unto me,” is thus a divine
prescription, curing our ills by the pardon of
sin through our Lord’s sacrifice, and causing
us the greatest peace by sanctifying us to
his service.
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
Oh, for grace to be always coming to Jesus,
and to be constantly inviting others to do the
same! Always free, yet always bearing his
yoke; always having the rest once given, yet
always finding more: this is the experience
of those who come to Jesus always, and for
everything.
Do you have to be miserable, overworked,
and deprived of fun in life to please God?
That’s the idea a great many people have
about the Christian life. Even some believers
in Jesus have the false notion that living for
the Lord is a joyless endurance of
unpleasant tasks.
Blessed heritage; and it is ours if we are
really his!
G. Campbell Morgan told about a Christian
woman who was struggling with this issue.
She was hesitant to give her life fully to
Jesus. The woman said to Morgan, “I know I
will have to do all the things I most dislike,
but I am determined to be a real Christian.”
Humility:
 Soul
 Flower
 Secret
 Badge
 Lesson
 Mind
 Example
 Livery
 Securer
 Harbinger
11:30
of contentment
of grace
of service
of obedience
of grace
of lowliness
of Christ
of heaven
of blessing
of reward
"For My yoke is easy, and My load
is light."
For my yoke is easy and my
burden is light."
For my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light.
The Burden Bearer
Jesus described Himself as “‘gentle and
lowly in heart’” (Matt. 11:29); therefore, He
gives rest, not weariness, to all those who
submit to Him and do His work. In Christ you
have not only a Savior but also a burden
bearer. He helps you carry all your burdens,
including the burden of obedience.
Jesus will never give you a burden too
heavy to carry. His yoke has nothing to do
with the demands of the law or human
works. Instead, it pertains to the Christian’s
obedience to Him, which He wants to make
a joyful and happy experience. Thank God
for providing such a gracious burden bearer
in the person of His Son.
C. H. Spurgeon
Blessed be his name, we have found it so.
Our Daily Bread
A year later, Morgan was visiting in her town
and spoke with her again. “Do you recall,”
she inquired, “what I said to you when I
dedicated my life to Christ?” He told her he
did. As she looked at him, the light of God
appeared to be on her face. She exclaimed,
“But it’s been so different, Dr. Morgan! I
began to follow Christ, feeling that I would
have to do all the things that were contrary
to my desires, but now I do what I want
every day because God has made me
pleased with the things that please Him!”
The yoke of Christ is not a yoke of bondage
and misery. Rather, it’s one of true freedom
and joy because Jesus joins with us to carry
life’s load. Have you let Him unburden you?
You can do what you please
When what you do pleases God.
Defining God's Yoke
A teacher read to her class the text,
"My yoke is easy."
"Who can tell me what a yoke is?"
she asked.
A boy said, "A yoke is something they
put on the necks of animals."
Then the teacher asked, "What is the yoke
God puts on us?"
A little girl said, "It is God putting His arms
around our necks."
C.H. Spurgeon
I might call to witness all those who have
ever proved this. Never did a man wear the
yoke of Christ but he always loved to wear it.
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
Open It
01.
If you had one week of vacation in
which to recharge your physical and
emotional batteries, where would you
go to rest, relax, and get rejuvenated?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
02.
What sorts of activities absolutely
drain the life out of you?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
03.
Why are many Christians frazzled and
burned out?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Explore It
After pronouncing woe on several
unrepentant cities, what did Jesus do?
(11:25)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
07.
Why did Jesus say He was praising
God? (11:25)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
08.
What did Jesus say God had
entrusted or committed to Him?
(11:27)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
09.
Who alone did Jesus say knew Him?
(11:27)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
04.
05. When did Jesus pray? (11:25)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
06. How did Jesus address God? (11:25)
___________________________________
10.
Besides himself, who did Jesus say
could know God? (11:27)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
11.
Who claimed to reveal God to the
world? (11:27)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
12.
What general invitation did Christ
make at this time? (11:28)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
___________________________________
13.
What kind of people was Jesus
addressing? (11:28)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
14.
What promise did Jesus make to
those who would accept His offer?
(11:28)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
15.
What farming imagery did Jesus use
to encourage people to come to Him?
(11:29)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
16.
How did Jesus describe Himself?
(11:29)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
17.
How is walking with Christ described?
(11:30)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Get It
18.
In your eyes, what about Christ seems
so obvious that everyone ought to be
able to see it?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
19.
Why do you think God hides certain
truths from “the wise”?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
20.
In what ways do you feel weary and
burdened right now?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
21.
What aspects of the Christian life do
you find especially taxing or
burdensome?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
22.
What is it like to experience the
promised “rest” of Christ?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
23.
How would you describe your walk
with Christ right now?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
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GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Chapter 11
Apply It
24.
What are two specific ways you can
work with Christ tomorrow instead of
going in your own direction?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
25.
Besides praying, what are some ways
you can get to know your Father in
heaven more intimately this week?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
26.
What burdens will you entrust to
Christ today?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
33