Matthew 11
11
1And it came to passe that when Iesus had made an ende of commaunding his twelue disciples, hee departed thence to teache and to preach in their cities. 2And when Iohn heard in the prison the woorkes of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and sayde vnto him, 3Art thou he that shoulde come, or shall we looke for another? 4And Iesus answering, said vnto them, Goe, and shewe Iohn, what things ye heare, and see. 5The blinde receiue sight, and the halt doe walke: the lepers are clensed, and the deafe heare, the dead are raised vp, and the poore receiue the Gospel. 6And blessed is he that shall not be offeded in me. 7And as they departed, Iesus beganne to speake vnto the multitude, of Iohn, What went ye out into the wildernes to see? A reede shaken with the winde? 8But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that weare soft clothing, are in Kings houses. 9But what went ye out to see? A Prophet? Yea, I say vnto you, and more then a Prophet. 10For this is he of whom it is written, Beholde, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11Verely I say vnto you, among them which are begotten of women, arose there not a greater then Iohn Baptist: notwithstanding, he that is the least in the kingdome of heauen, is greater then he. 12And from the time of Iohn Baptist hitherto, the kingdome of heauen suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13For all the Prophetes and the Lawe prophecied vnto Iohn. 14And if ye will receiue it, this is that Elias, which was to come. 15He that hath eares to heare, let him heare. 16But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like vnto litle children which sit in the markets, and call vnto their fellowes, 17And say, We haue piped vnto you, and ye haue not daunced, we haue mourned vnto you, and ye haue not lamented. 18For Iohn came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a deuill. 19The sonne of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Beholde a glutton and a drinker of wine, a friend vnto Publicanes and sinners: but wisedome is iustified of her children. 20Then began he to vpbraide the cities, wherein most of his great workes were done, because they repented not. 21Woe be to thee, Chorazin: Woe be to thee, Bethsaida: for if ye great workes, which were done in you, had bene done in Tyrus and Sidon, they had repented long agone in sackecloth and ashes. 22But I say to you, It shalbe easier for Tyrus and Sidon at the day of iudgement, then for you. 23And thou, Capernaum, which art lifted vp vnto heauen, shalt be brought downe to hell: for if the great workes, which haue bin done in thee, had bene done among them of Sodom, they had remained to this day. 24But I say vnto you, that it shall be easier for them of the land of Sodom in the day of iudgement, then for thee. 25At that time Iesus answered, and saide, I giue thee thankes, O Father, Lord of heauen and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of vnderstanding, and hast opened them vnto babes. 26It is so, O Father, because thy good pleasure was such. 27All things are giuen vnto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Sonne, but ye Father: neither knoweth any man ye Father, but the Sonne, and he to whom ye Sonne will reueile him. 28Come vnto me, all ye that are wearie and laden, and I will ease you. 29Take my yoke on you, and learne of me that I am meeke and lowly in heart: and ye shall finde rest vnto your soules. 30For my yoke is easie, and my burden light.
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Matthew 11
11
John the Baptizer
1When Jesus finished placing this charge before his twelve disciples, he went on to teach and preach in their villages.
2-3John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”
4-6Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on:
The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.
“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves most blessed!”
7-10When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’
11-14“Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah.
15“Are you listening to me? Really listening?
16-19“How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.’ John came fasting and they called him crazy. I came feasting and they called me a boozer, a friend of the misfits. Opinion polls don’t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
The Unforced Rhythms of Grace
20Next Jesus unleashed on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way.
21-24“Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they’ll get off easy compared to you.”
25-26Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: “Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.”
27Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.
28-30“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.