Advertisement

Resistance to the kingdom (February 9, 2025)

Change is hard, but discipleship points us to hope. Explore Matthew 11 and reflect on what it means to follow Jesus amidst fear and indifference.

Matthew 11:7-15, 20-30

Change is hard

About three years ago at a conference, the presenter shared two things that have been integral in my life and leadership ever since. First, she reminded us that “change is anxiety producing” and moments later, “change cannot happen without loss.”

Perhaps these two thoughts are, in part, why many adults tend to be resistant to change. We prefer the known to the unknown. Yet many of us admire leaders who call for a change to the status quo. So, basically, we don’t always like the way things are, but we’re afraid of what we might lose if things change.

Challenging the status quo

That mix of admiration and fear was certainly the case with those who went to see John the Baptizer. John was a prophet, a voice crying out in the wilderness urging people to repent and be baptized. He was a forerunner of Jesus, telling the people who gathered to see him that one was coming who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. People left their homes to hear John’s message, but Matthew 11 leads me to believe that not much had changed in the lives of those who heard and were baptized by him.

Jesus questions the crowd as to why they went to the wilderness in the first place. What had they expected to see there? Was John merely a spectacle to them? What was the point of being baptized if they weren’t going to repent, to turn around and live their lives differently?

Before this Jesus had been preaching and doing “deeds of power” (Matt. 11:20). However, much like the baptisms performed by John, miracles like restoration of sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, cleansing of lepers, and the raising of the dead, while amazing, didn’t seem to create any lasting societal or systemic changes. Jesus intrigued the people; he and his teachings were a challenge to the norms of the time but, as we know, while the idea of change is exciting, the reality of it is scary.

Even so, Jesus’ message is a condemnation of indifference. The miracles Jesus performed grabbed people’s attention, but their response was lukewarm. They did not recognize God in their midst and could not see the Kingdom of Heaven drawing near through Jesus’ work and words. Their indifference causes Jesus to compare the cities he visited to Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, all of which would have been known to Jesus’ listeners as wicked, inhospitable cities that had been condemned by God. These “sinful” cities, Jesus says, would have better received the message of repentance and change, than the Jewish cities he visited.

A call to discipleship

Despite this, Matthew 11 ends with a beautiful message and call to discipleship. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). Though the people resisted Jesus’ teachings, he still called them – and still calls us – into discipleship.

A huge sculptural and painted work of art depicting Jesus’ crucifixion was created in the 16th century for the Monastery of St. Anthony in Issenheim, France. The Isenheim Altarpiece also depicts Mary, mother of Jesus, John, the beloved disciple, Mary Magdalene, and John the Baptizer. Though his presence is anachronistic, John the Baptizer stands to Jesus’ left, barefooted and wrapped in camel’s hair, holding a book and pointing toward Jesus. Theologian Karl Barth, who had a reproduction of the art hanging above his desk, said that true discipleship is just what John the Baptizer is doing; it is simply to point at all that God has done for us in Christ.

May our lives point toward Christ, bearing witness to the world of all that God has done for us.

Questions for reflection on Matthew 11

  1. Why do you think miracles weren’t enough to lead the people to believe in Jesus?
  2. What opposition to your faith have you encountered and how have you responded to it?
  3. Do you think it is worse to be indifferent to God’s kingdom or actively opposed to it?

Want to receive lectionary content in your inbox on Mondays? Sign up here.

LATEST STORIES

Advertisement