Matthew 11:25-30

Muhammad Ali proclaimed to his enemies: “I am the greatest!”

Kanye West, in one of his old songs, boldly proclaims: “I am a god!” 

Donald Trump has proclaimed: “I am the greatest president in history”

Jesus proclaimed: 

• “Your teachers are all wrong!”
• “Nobody knows God but me.”
• “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest for your souls!”

How do you know which words you can trust? Can you trust Jesus’ words? 

In our passage this morning

Jesus is setting himself up as the alternative to the religious leaders of his day:

“I am the one you need to learn from. I am the one you need to follow. I am the one you need to come to.”

Jesus invites his hearers to turn their lives around, to come to him, and to base their lives—everything—on what he teaches. In other words, he’s inviting his hearers to trust him. “Come, and learn from me. Trust me. And I will give you rest for your soul”

St Anne’s, this morning, Jesus is inviting you to trust him, maybe it’s for the first time. Maybe to keep trusting him as life throws you curveballs, speedbumps, and hiccups. He invites everyone. Just notice how many different people there are in the stained glass window.

Exclusive knowledge of God! Rest for your soul! Those are huge claims! The question is: Can Jesus deliver? Can Jesus be trusted? 

St Anne’s, in our passage, you have 3 reasons for why you can trust Jesus. 3 Reasons to trust Jesus, I’ll give them to you as we go. We’ll spend most of our time in the 3rd one.

The first reason you can trust Jesus is this:

Jesus will never deceive you.

Jesus says, there are those who appear wise and learned, but have no access to God. The world is full of teachers—some of whom are confident, charismatic and successful—but Jesus warns us that God has hidden himself—he has hidden the truths of the Kingdom—from those who are wise and learned in their own eyes. 

And Jesus says, “I will not deceive you like they do.”

Read with me from Verse 25:

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. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

Jesus says, God has hidden himself from those who consider themselves wise and learned in their own eyes; it’s a picture of pride. God is pleased to hide himself from those people, and he is pleased to reveal himself to little children, those who have a spirit of neediness, dependence; those who know they lack. 

Who is Jesus talking about? 

Based on the rest of Matthew, I think he’s talking about the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. These are the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who were supposed to teach and lead God’s people, but their hearts are corrupted.

Let me take you to Matthew 23:4.

Talking about the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, Jesus says:

They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads —the same word for “burden” in our passage—and [they] put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

In other words, they are hypocrites. Verse 13:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. 

And soak this in, this is scary:

You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

The Pharisees and Teachers of the law are themselves stuck outside the gates of Heaven, dumping 20kg kettlebells into the hands of their people, turning them around and saying, “Not good enough, try again.” 

Their hearts are corrupted, and the people they lead are lost, crushed, and without hope. 

And we see that in Matthew 11, before this passage. We see Jesus interact with 3 kinds of people:

• First, there was John the Baptist, in prison. The believer who is doubting because of life’s burdens. 
• Second, there were the people, the crowds, “this generation” that Jesus had come to. They were ignorant and confused. They were unwilling to trust Jesus. They were not prepared to receive the Messiah.
• Third, and lastly, Jesus rebukes two towns that had seen him heal the sick, lame, blind and deaf, and saw him raise the dead, and yet, they refused to repent as Jesus commanded them. They liked the idea of Jesus, but not what Jesus came to do. They liked the miracles, but ignored the message. 

The people have been misled. Their leaders have failed them; they have been deceived. 

But Jesus will never deceive you

He will never promise one thing and give you another. He will never use you for his own gain.

Recently, Minna and I watched a show on Netflix called ‘Trust Me: The False Prophet”. It’s about the lives of women who were part of a fundamentalist Mormon cult: how they came to believe in a self-proclaimed prophet who lied to them, manipulated them, and abused them for his own gain. One of the women said this: “We’re following a false prophet, and he’s leading us right to hell.”

Some escaped. One of them, Naomi, said this, “I was really lost. My whole life I was taught obedience is everything, the first law of heaven. And here I am in prison, for my perfect obedience…”

Following a false teacher can feel like a prison: You need to get on their agenda, you feel like you need to work for their love and approval, otherwise it’s all over.

St Anne’s, be careful who you listen to. Remember, in this passage, Jesus sets himself up as the alternative teacher; the one true teacher to follow. 

Are you listening or following someone who is leading you away from Jesus? It doesn’t matter if they appear to be wise and learned. Do not follow them. 

Jesus will not mislead you. He will not make you feel like you’re in a prison, working for his love. He will not deceive you.

Jesus, humble and lowly, suffered a criminal’s death and by doing so he broke into the Prison of Hell; he is emptying hell and hauling people into heaven. 

He is not hypocritical; he is not cruel; he is not domineering; he is not using people for his own gain. 

St Anne’s, Jesus will never deceive you. You can rest in that. You can trust Jesus. 

That’s the first reason you can trust Jesus. 

That’s the 2nd reason you can trust Jesus:

Jesus is the only way for you to know God 

Nobody can know God on their own strength. Nobody can reason their way to God. Nobody gets God because they happened to have the right political view, or happened to have been born in the right family, or happened to have lived the right way. 

No, no, no. The only reason you can know God is because Jesus has revealed him to you.

Read with me. Verse 27. And as we read this, notice the absolute audacity of Jesus’ words:

“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.

Why is it that nobody can know God?

The answer of the Scriptures is sin. 

We were dead in our sin, says Paul in Ephesians 2.  Gratifying the desires of the flesh; we were by nature, deserving of God’s wrath. None of us deserved to know God; in fact, none of us could know God. Dead people cannot choose to be alive.

Who can bring dead people back to life? Nobody. 

Who can reveal God to you? Nobody. 

Who can lead you to God? Nobody. 

Who is qualified? Nobody…

…With one exception: Jesus.

And… he has to choose you… wow!

These would be the most arrogant words ever uttered by a human… unless they were true. 

How do you know it’s true?

What has convinced millions of people across countries, cultures, and centuries that Jesus really is who he said he was? Son of God, the only one who can reveal God the Father! What a bold claim! 

How can you trust this man?

The theologian Douglas O’Donnell says, because “the character fits the claims.”

When you read about Jesus, you see that he said he was humble, and that’s what you get; you believe him. You believe him because you see the God of the Universe come to earth through a lowly, and filthy birth, in a nobody town, to a nobody family, in the mud. 

You see him say no to the devil’s temptations. 

You see him care for the lowly, preach good news to the poor, heal the sick and suffering, welcome the outcasts and the nobodies. You see him have mercy and compassion on sinners. 

You see the King of Kings enthroned—not in a palace—but on a criminal’s hill, on a cross that he himself carried. You see him don a crown, not of gold and fine jewels, but of thorns piercing his skull. 

You see the whips on his back, the nails through his hands and feet, his cry of agony, and his head drop into death. 

You see and say to yourself, like the Roman Centurion in the Gospel accounts, “Surely this man was the Son of God.”

His character fits his claim.

For some of you, you don’t know whether you have faith just yet. 

Can I encourage you, this is the place to start. See who Jesus claims to be, and see that his character fits his claim.

There’s no more guesswork. There’s no more wondering about what God feels towards you. Jesus is the only way for you to know God, that’s the second reason you can trust Jesus. 

Jesus’ character fits his claim. And what does he say about himself? He is gentle and humble in heart. 

The third and final reason you can trust Jesus is:

Jesus has a heart you can trust

Jesus tells us that at the very core of his being is gentleness and humility. And when he invites you to come to him—to trust him—you can be confident that he has the best intentions for you. He is gentle towards you. He won’t give you something out of spite, or revenge, or malice. Everything he calls you to do comes from his gentle and humble heart. 

If Jesus had a personal website with an “About Me” page, it would simply read: “Gentle and Humble in Heart.” There is nobody like Jesus.

Verse 28. Jesus says to you, St Anne’s:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus says, “Leave the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law—these hypocritical teachers—and come to me! Only those whom the Son chooses can know the Father, and here the Son says, “COME!” The only requirement is that you are weary and burdened.”

What does it mean to be “weary” and “burdened”?

Jesus isn’t talking about having too much going on in your calendar. Or having too many doctors’ appointments and being overwhelmed with chores, raising kids, or life admin. He’s not promising you more free time, a bit more “me time”, or just one extra nap! 

No, no, no! Jesus is talking about a bigger problem. In this context, Jesus is speaking to those who are weary and burdened by the spiritual leadership of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law.

They have taught people “You need to do all these things—you need to be perfect—for God to accept you.” 

The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law aren’t around in Ryde, but you still hear their voices, heaping burdens upon you:

“You’re not good enough”

“You’re not good enough as a mum. Look at all the things you don’t do; don’t you love your child? Not good enough, try again!”

“You’re not good enough as a man. Look at what a real man achieves. Not Good enough, try again!”

“You’re not good enough as a student. Do you even want to have a good future? Not good enough, try again!” 

That’s the voice of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law.

Their legalism is hypocritical, their hearts are corrupted, and they do not love their people.

They stand on the sidelines as their people are crushed.

St Anne’s, Jesus will not crush you.

This is the only place in the Scriptures where Jesus tells you what he is like deep down; it is what is at the core of his being. 

He is gentle and humble.

Author Dane Ortlund, in his book “Gentle and Lowly”, writes, what is most natural to [Jesus] “is not a pointed finger but open arms.” Jesus is gentle, understanding, and kind towards you; he will not turn you away, no matter what you’ve done. 

There is no excuse you can give to Jesus that will make him turn away from you. 

You might say, “I am a great sinner.” “I will never turn you away,” says Jesus.

You might say, “I am a long-time sinner.” “I will never turn you away,” says Jesus.

You might say, “I am a hard-hearted sinner.” “I will never turn you away,” says Jesus.

You might say, “I am a backsliding sinner.” “I will never turn you away,” says Jesus.

You might say, “I’ve served Satan all my days.” “I will never turn you away,” says Jesus.

You might say, “I have sinned against God.” “I will never turn you away,” says Jesus.

You might say, “I have sinned against you even when you’ve shown me mercy.” “I will never turn you away,” says Jesus.

You might say, “I have nothing good to bring before you.” “I will never turn you away,” says Jesus.

St Anne’s, come to Jesus with all your sins and failures; he will not turn you away. He is gentle. He is not harsh. He is humble, he is lowly, he brought himself low so that you might be forgiven and saved. 

He is gentle. He is humble. 

You can trust his heart.

And so you can trust him when he says “Come to me… take my yoke upon you and learn from me.”

This is what a “yoke” is

A yoke was a tool that you’d hook over two oxen to help them pull and do the work they’re supposed to. There was also a human version, which you’d use to carry heavy loads. 

Whichever one it is, the point is this:

Jesus is saying, “If you want to handle the burdens and weariness of life without being crushed, you need the proper tool: Follow me! Learn from me! And you will carry the burdens of life with peace.”

Jesus isn’t offering you life without commitments, or life free from stress, or life without burden. Life will make you feel burdened and weary. What Jesus promises you, what he invites you to do, is to take up the right tool to bear life’s burdens. 

He calls you to be his disciple. To live your life in imitation of him. To take up your cross and follow him. 

Jesus says, Verse 29 again:

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. 

Yes, Jesus secures an eternal rest for your souls, but that changes your life now. 

Rest for your soul is being able to breathe a sigh of relief, even when everything is chaotic. It’s jumping out of an airplane knowing you’ve got a parachute.

Why? Jesus says:

…my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Discipleship to Jesus feels kind; you feel that it just fits right; Jesus gives you out of his gentle and humble heart. You can trust that when he tells you to do something, it’s for your good. 

One of my daughter’s favourite things to do at the moment… She’ll be toddling off to do something or play with something, and she’ll turn to whoever is around, bend over, and beg you to “Come! Come!”. 

She has no ulterior motive, no selfishness, it is a pure desire for you to come join her in her joy and happiness. 

St Anne’s, Jesus says to you, “Come!” 

There is no ulterior motive. No selfishness. No deception. Just gentleness. Humility. 

The question for you, St Anne’s, is:

Is there an area in your life where Jesus is saying, “Come and follow me!” and you’re staying put? 

Maybe he’s saying, “Come, leave behind that sinful pattern of life.”

Maybe he’s saying, “Come and sacrifice your time, energy, and money!”

Maybe he’s saying, “Come and forgive that person.”

Jesus says, “Come to me, learn from me.” 

And so often, you’ll feel reluctant.

St Anne’s, you can trust Jesus. 

He will not deceive you.

He is the only way to know God, and so he has the right to tell you what the best way to live is. 

And you can trust his heart. 

Jesus says, “Come to me.” 

Will you do that this morning? 

I’m going to pray in a moment. 

But I want us to spend a moment now reflecting on just one thing that you need to trust Jesus with. One thing you feel Jesus is saying to you, “Come to me, learn from me.”