Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Today is 2-for-1 Friday!
Check out Martha!
The Questions
1) Jesus begins by praising God for hiding “these things from the wise and intelligent and reveal(ing) them to infants”. What are “these things” that Jesus is referring to? (Read 11:1-24)
2) The original hearers of verses 28-30 did not know that the crucifixion was coming. How is the meaning of these words different for us?
3) Martha could have been present when Jesus spoke these words. What would these words have meant to Martha?
Matthew 11:25-30
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 intelligent and revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. 27 All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Original Intent
1) Jesus begins by praising God for hiding “these things from the wise and intelligent and reveal(ing) them to infants”. What are “these things” that Jesus is referring to? (Read 11:1-24)
Verses 2 and 3 of chapter 11 describe John the Baptist sending His disciples to ask Jesus if He is the Messiah or if there is someone else still to come. John had invested his whole life, to the point of being thrown in prison, to proclaim the coming of the Christ. It’s not hard to understand why he would want a little confirmation! After putting John’s disciples at ease, Jesus turned to the crowds around him and rebukes those who have seen and heard the gospel, but have rejected it. These things are the message and activities of the kingdom of heaven, preached and demonstrated by both John the Baptist and Jesus. Jesus says the truth of the gospel is revealed to infants because it takes faith and humility to understand and accept his message. The wise and intelligent (aka the Pharisees) were unrepentant, and stubbornly rejected the truth.
2) The original hearers of verses 28-30 did not know that the crucifixion was coming. How is the meaning of these words different for us?
Jesus’ words in verses 28 through 30 were exactly what the crowds were hoping to hear. They were weary and burdened. They were looking for rest. An easy yoke and a light burden were like music to their ears! The Jews were hoping for a Messiah that would liberate God’s people and establish a new Kingdom. Without the knowledge of what was to come, these words from Jesus probably confirmed their hopes. This Jesus would come make everything easier! We will finally have rest! Like Martha, the Jews didn’t yet understand the true rest that Jesus would bring by ensuring our salvation through His death on the cross.
3) Martha could have been present when Jesus spoke these words. What would these words have meant to Martha?
We learn in Luke 10:38 that Martha is generous and hospitable, welcoming Jesus and His disciples into her home and serving them. Her generosity, however, quickly turned to stress, anxiety, and the need to please while being busy. I would be willing to bet this wasn’t the first and only time Martha felt this way. When I read her story, I imagine a woman who was weary and burdened by the many tasks and services she felt she needed to do. For Martha, Jesus’ invitation to come to Himself for comfort and rest would have been like water to a dry well, deeply satisfying to her soul.
Everyday Application
1) Jesus begins by praising God for hiding “these things from the wise and intelligent and reveal(ing) them to infants”. What are “these things” that Jesus is referring to? (Read 11:1-24)
Growing up in a Christian home, I’ve heard the Gospel my whole life. I know the Bible well, and can say all of the “right” answers. It’s easy for me to fall into the camp of wise and intelligent, having all of the head knowledge of the Gospel, without feeling the weight of the heart of the Gospel. No matter how old I get, how many times I read the Bible, or what Bible studies I’ve done, all I need to enter the Kingdom of heaven is a child-like faith. (Matthew 18:3-4) How are you looking for these things? Are you finding the Kingdom of God through your wisdom and intelligence or have you come to Jesus with the humility of an infant?
2) The original hearers of verses 28-30 did not know that the crucifixion was coming. How is the meaning of these words different for us?
On this side of the cross, we know the burden Jesus carried was the weightiest we can imagine. He took on the sins of the whole world for all of eternity and he promised that those who follow him will have hardship (Matthew 10:22). But here Jesus says that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Is Jesus contradicting himself? It may appear so on the surface, but let’s take a deeper look. In verse 28, Jesus beckons the weary and burdened to come to him. He implies that his hearers are (and we will be) weary and burdened. Following Jesus doesn’t mean that you won’t face adversity. It means that when we do, we find our rest not in our own strength, but in Jesus. In John 16:33 Jesus says, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” Even through suffering, we have the gift of peace through Jesus because he conquered the world through his death and resurrection.
3) Martha could have been present when Jesus spoke these words. What would these words have meant to Martha?
Do you identify with Martha’s story? Have you felt weary and burdened, like there are too many to-do’s and not enough hours in the day? Oh, how often I am distracted by my many tasks, becoming bitter towards those around me that aren’t working as hard as I am! In those moments, may we remember Jesus’ words to Martha in Luke 10 and to the crowds in Matthew 11. My paraphrase: “You are weighed down and anxious about so many things. Instead, there is only one thing to do – come to Me with your problems and hurts and I will give you rest. Rest for your soul is found by humbly loving and trusting Me with your whole heart.”
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Missing the connection to our other Journey Study today?
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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