Jesus Justifies Calling Disciples

Matthew 11

 Even though Jesus was phenomenally successful in his first year of ministry, his compassion for the people was so great he prayed God would send additional laborers into the harvest field. Then he took the phenomenally bold step of sending his disciples out to do exactly what he’d been doing: preaching the good news of the kingdom and performing miracles to restore people’s health.

 He gave them their instructions, warned them about being hated and persecuted, said cities that rejected them would have it worse than Sodom and Gomorrah, told them not to be afraid, challenged them not to second guess his instructions, promised them a reward and sent them out two by two to the Jewish communities in Galilee.

 Matthew 11. 

   1 When Jesus finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he left that place and went off to teach and preach in the towns near there. 

  2 When John the Baptist heard in prison about the things that Christ was doing, he sent some of his disciples to him. 3 “Tell us,” they asked Jesus, “are you the one John said was going to come, or should we expect someone else?”

 John the Baptist had been put in prison after Jesus had been baptized. And right after that that Jesus had gone to Galilee and remained there.

 That means that while John was in prison his disciples would have been giving John updates on Jesus. They would have told him about all the miracles and summarized the Sermon on the Mount and repeated the Beatitudes. Those must have been comforting to John because many of them would have applied to him: pure in heart, merciful, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness – all blessed.

 For over a year he had been hearing reports. So why send his disciples now to ask Jesus if he’s the Messiah? I think it was because Jesus had chosen the twelve and sent them out to do exactly what he’d been doing. That threw John for a loop. Would the real Messiah please stand up? There weren’t supposed to be 13 Messiah’s, just one.

Once a man from the county of Cork captured a leprechaun and forced him to reveal his treasure. He led the man to a tree beneath which the gold was buried. The man marked the tree with a red scarf, planning to return with a shovel, and made the leprechaun promise not to touch it. The leprechaun, true to his word, left the scarf, but when the man returned, he found a red scarf tied to every tree in the area.[1]  

  By giving his disciples authority to perform miracles, it was like he had tied a Messiah scarf on each one of them and John couldn’t tell which one if any of them was the real Messiah.   

John may also have been wondering why Jesus had left him to rot in prison. The Messiah was supposed to be all about justice but John was only seeing the blessings being passed to everyone but himself.

So no sooner has Jesus taken this bold step to franchise his ministry, than he faces a serious challenge from John the Baptist. In the rest of this chapter Jesus justifies his action and at the same time authenticates the work of his disciples. Let’s look at his initial reply. 

4 Jesus answered, “Go back and tell John what you are hearing and seeing: 5 the blind can see, the lame can walk, those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are brought back to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. (and the closes with this beatitude:) 6 How happy are those who have no doubts about me!”

To answer John’s question he quotes from at least three prophetic passages that predict the unique and identifying activities of the coming Messiah. * (See at end of document)

Verse 1 says that Jesus was teaching and preaching. So what miracles were they seeing? I think these are the works of his disciples. Jesus sent them out to do this stuff and they did it. 

It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t mention freeing prisoners. But he does challenge John to deal with his doubts and keep the faith. That’s where the blessing will be. Verses 7-15.
  Jesus was vindicated in multiplying his ministry through the recruitment of disciples because as he has just shown they were an extension of his fulfillment of prophecy. What Isaiah was saying about Jesus, he did and so did the disciples.

There’s more. Verses 7-15

7 While John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus spoke about him to the crowds: “When you went out to John in the desert, what did you expect to see? A blade of grass bending in the wind? 8 What did you go out to see? A man dressed up in fancy clothes? People who dress like that live in palaces! 9 Tell me, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes indeed, but you saw much more than a prophet. 10 For John is the one of whom the scripture says: ‘God said, I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.’ 11 I assure you that John the Baptist is greater than anyone who has ever lived. But the one who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than John. 12 From the time John preached his message until this very day the Kingdom of heaven has suffered violent attacks, and violent men try to seize it. 13 Until the time of John all the prophets and the Law of Moses spoke about the Kingdom; 14 and if you are willing to believe their message, John is Elijah, whose coming was predicted. 15 Listen, then, if you have ears!

Let me try to summarize what Jesus was saying with some help from my professor, Dr. D. A Carson.[2] 

Jesus starts to interact with the crowd and asks them about John the Baptist. Did they expect John to be a weakling who went with the flow? No! Who would go to the desert to listen to a wishy-washy wimp? Did they expect to find the same kind of person they’d find in a palace wearing all the latest clothes from GQ? No. Why would they want to honor anyone from Herod’s court with their presence? They wouldn’t.

No they had gone to see a prophet and John was a prophet. In fact, Jesus said he was the greatest human to date. He received that honor because he was chosen to be the messenger who would prepare the way for the Messiah. He was the first one to identify him as such.

But as great as he was, he was not as great as the least disciple. Disciples are greater because they have a fuller revelation of Jesus. John was close to Jesus but disciples - even us - are closer. We have a more intimate access to Jesus. We have a greater share in his ministry. When John was preparing the way for Jesus, he in a sense was also preparing the way for us who labor under Jesus’ authority and headship.

The ministry of his disciples is an extension of fulfilled prophesy of the Old Testament and an advancement over John the Baptist.

There’s more. Verses
  16 “Now, to what can I compare the people of this day? They are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group shouts to the other, 

17 ‘We played wedding music for you, but you wouldn’t dance! We sang funeral songs, but you wouldn’t cry!’ 18 When John came, he fasted and drank no wine, and everyone said, ‘He has a demon in him!’ 19 When the Son of Man came, he ate and drank, and everyone said, ‘Look at this man! He is a glutton and wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts!’ God’s wisdom, however, is shown to be true by its results.” 

In Jesus’ view, the people of his day were as fickle as children playing a game. They didn’t like John the Baptist because he made them feel guilty and they didn’t like Jesus because he didn’t seem religious enough. They criticized Jesus because of the people he hung out with – tax collectors and sinners. And that’s exactly who the disciples were: tax collectors and sinners.

But look what Jesus says: [overhead]

Wisdom is justified by her deeds (19).

This is the same word John the Baptist used when he sent his disciples to find out what Jesus was doing.

  Heard in prison about the deeds of Christ (2).

 John heard Jesus was doing something he thought unorthodox for the Messiah – calling disciples. Jesus answered the charge saying that the wisdom of his decision was proven by what his disciples had been doing.

 There’s more. Verses 20-24.
  20 The people in the towns where Jesus had performed most of his miracles did not turn from their sins, so he reproached those towns. 21 “How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you too, Bethsaida! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have long ago put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on themselves, to show that they had turned from their sins! 22 I assure you that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to the people of Tyre and Sidon than to you! 23 And as for you, Capernaum! Did you want to lift yourself up to heaven? You will be thrown down to hell! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would still be in existence today! 24 You can be sure that on the Judgment Day God will show more mercy to Sodom than to you!”

 One question we haven’t answered yet is which towns did Jesus go to preach in after he sent his disciples out. Verse one says he went to their cities. Most of the disciples were from Galilee so it makes sense that Jesus followed them from city to city.

 Of the three cities he mentions, we know for sure that there were disciples from Bethsaida and Capernaum. One or more of them must also have been from Chorazin. Jesus promised the disciples he would have their backs and here he follows through and repeats for specific cities the promise he’d given them in general terms. Jesus was vindicated in calling disciples because the responses to them will be remembered on Judgment Day. 
 There’s more. Verses 25-27.

25 At that time Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. 26 Yes, Father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen. 

27 “My Father has given me all things. 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. 

Here the theme of the unlikely hood of twelve ordinary men being chosen to not only associate with the Messiah but also to act as his proxies. God had hidden his being and his plans from the upper crust but revealed it to tax collectors and sinners. What Jesus had to show them was phenomenal. 

Jesus knew everything there was to know about the Father. The Father had given Jesus all things. Jesus could pass this wealth of heaven on to those he chose. And who did Jesus choose? His disciples. Again Jesus is vindicated in multiplying his ministry through the use of disciples. When it comes to equipping them, he won’t have to hold anything back. He can pull out all the stops.

And finally, verses 28-30.

28 “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads (or all you who labor), and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. 30 For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.”

Jesus is more than able to take care of those he calls as laborers.  He doesn’t send them and forget them. It’s not sink or swim. He continually calls us back. He is continually available for us to learn as we go.

Having a gentle and humble master takes the fear out of “What if I make a mistake?” and gives us courage in the face of “I’ve never done this before.” It turns a dreaded task into “Hey! I can do this.” 

Having a yoke that’s easy means we can handle it. We don’t have to be the biggest, smartest, richest ox in the herd.

This is an important message for us today. People don’t mind if we send money to help victims of disaster. They don’t mind if we help out the poor with the basic necessities. They don’t mind if we get together to sing and eat donuts. But they don’t think we have a right to be laboring in the harvest field. They draw the line when it comes to spreading the gospel. But that was a line Jesus intentionally chose to cross when he sent out his disciples. And he crossed that line permanently when he gave us the great commission.

So go:

1. You are extending Jesus’ fulfillment of prophesy.

2. You are doing something greater than John the Baptist.

3. The eternal results of your ministry will more than justify your work.

4. You will be vindicated again on Judgment Day.

5. Jesus will share all of his personal resources with you.

6. His gentle and humble and he’ll look out or you.

*Three Prophetic Passages

Isaiah 26:19

    But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy.

Isaiah 35:4-6

 Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”

Isaiah 61:1-2

 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.

Summary

We are disciples.

We are also laborers.

Jesus authorizes us.

1. You are extending Jesus’ fulfillment of prophesy.

2. You are doing something greater than John the Baptist.

3. The eternal results of your ministry will more than justify your work.

4. You will be vindicated again on Judgment Day.

5. Jesus will share all of his personal resources with you.

6. He is gentle and humble and he’ll look out or you.

Youth Message

Sad But True

 Some think that Valentine’s Day was started in memory of a priest who lives about 200 years after Jesus. When the Roman emperor Claudius banned marriage Valentine continued to marry couples in secret until the emperor found out and threw him in prison. There he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter and right before he was killed he sent her a love note and signed off by writing, “from you Valentine.”  That’s sad but true.

 The first valentine in existence was sent from Charles, Duke of Orleans, from his prison in the Tower of London to his wife in 1415. Sad but true.

 It also sad but true that a lot of people don’t go to church. Do you know why? Some people don’t believe in God. Sad but true. And some people don’t know that Jesus loves them and died for them. That’s really sad but true.

 But the good news is that given time, they may. God loves everyone and he’s working to let them know that he loves them and wants to forgive them and make them his children. And he wants to use us to get the message to them. Sometimes it’s hard work and so I’ve got a energy bar to help you on the way for a Valentine’s Gift.