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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
January 2008
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Time after Pentecost -- Lectionary 14 (A) Matthew 11:16-30 July 6, 2008
Well, Brothers and Sisters, here we are. Week after week we come here faithfully—building up our knowledge of the scripture / exercising our faith – only to have Jesus tell us this morning that “faith does not go to the wise or the intelligent of the learned. Rather that God, the Father, reveals himself to infants (sometimes translated “little children”). Now, wait a minute… I’ve been coming here faithfully for _________ so many years, and you mean to tell me that I’m no closer to God than a little child!? A child who just rests in her mother’s arms – or worse yet, on the floor under the pew!?
Difficult, but yes, this is exactly what he’s saying.
For my part, I’ve been a trained seminary student, became a pastor (while I could have gone into something more lucrative), and you mean to tell me, Jesus, that I’m no closer to you than a child who has virtually no experience in any of these things—A child who doesn’t really know anything but comes here totally leaning on the comforting arms of someone they trust? (pause)
This is the offensive affront of the Gospel today: “No one can obtain faith (or obtain God) by his or her own mental acuteness, but only by the secret illumination of the Spirit.”
So, why do we keep coming back? Once we know the scripture fairly well; once we’ve found the theology that works for our lives, why do we need to come back again and again and again? Why do we not regard confirmation as graduation from the necessity to worship?
This is why: because of what this important piece of scripture tells us—and it is so full of grace (if we will only accept it).
Brothers and sisters, even after we listen to Jesus… Even after his spirit comes to us and begins to sanctify our lives and our hearts by teaching and encouraging us… Even as we have grown in faith and shared it with others… There is still that experience of leaning on the arms of someone we trust (vs. 28-29)
Brothers and sisters, even as we have matured, our need has not gone away. We are still vulnerable; we are still confronted daily by a mystery; there is still an unlimited amount to learn; in this sense we are always like children before God… And Christ always invites us to rest (not on our own understanding) but in his presence.
And that’s why we keep coming back week after week.
Recently, I was at the hospital talking with one of our elder members – a brother in Christ – allow me to share the gospel that he spoke to me: He was talking very matter of factly/ very openly about how at his advanced age his memory doesn’t hold the names that it used to. He was remarking about how his legs just aren’t taking him where they used to.
Trying to be supportive, I said, “Well, all we can do in life, is what we can do.”
His eyes lit up, and he smiled and said, “And the Lord does the rest.”
Children of God, here we are on this weekend when we have celebrated our nation’s independence from England. At the same time, we celebrate our personal freedoms established here by the founders of our country.
What strikes me, however, is that after our liberty was fought for and won, there always remained another struggle. This is the truth: after every victory or accomplishment—for the country or for the person—there will always remain another challenge to consume our attention—although we sometimes wish for rest, there is no freedom from this continuing lifetime we’ve been given. We always serve a purpose; there’s always work to be done.
Yet, when we accept service to God first—Jesus gives us a promise in return: a covenant
Jesus says, come with me and I will come with you. I will share in life’s struggles and because I am always with you, I will give you peace.
You see, little children do not try to muscle their way, intellectually or physically into understanding God’s reign. When tired or troubled, they are able to rest in the comforting arms of those they trust.
So, keep coming back, folks. And together—in our weakness—we’ll experience the strength of God found in a lifetime with Jesus. -------------------- Pastor Joshua Magyar 418 W. Main St. Sidney, MT 59270
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