Apathy or Dependence: Matthew 11:20-30

Sometimes I wonder how Jesus would be received if He were alive today. If someone were to perform the miracles and healing that He did, would people living today (without having a historical Jesus to look back on) accept Him, or would He be rejected? Another part of me wonders if it was just the Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus, while the majority of the average people living in that culture chose to accept Him.

It is while I wonder this that I come to a challenging passage in the gospel of Matthew. As I read it, in a way it answers both of these questions I occasionally wonder about. So let’s read this challenge, from Matthew’s gospel, chapter 11, and let’s use the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 20, Matthew tells us that:

²⁰ Jesus began to speak against the towns where he had done most of his miracles. The people there had not turned away from their sins. So he said, ²¹ “How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! Suppose the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon. They would have turned away from their sins long ago. They would have put on clothes for mourning. They would have sat down in ashes. ²² But I tell you this. On judgment day it will be easier for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³ And what about you, Capernaum? Will you be lifted to the heavens? No! You will go down to the place of the dead. Suppose the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom. It would still be here today. ²⁴ But I tell you this. On judgment day it will be easier for Sodom than for you.”

Let’s pause reading here for a brief moment. Matthew tells us that Jesus spoke “against” the towns where He had done most of His miracles. These were the communities who would have clearly had enough evidence to tell them Jesus was significant, and the miracles would build the case that He was from God. However, apathy seemed to be alive and well in the first century. Jesus speaks out against these towns because even with plenty of evidence, the average, regular person discounted Jesus’ message and ministry and continued living as he or she had always lived.

Jesus compares these two towns with two historical communities who were known for their sinful lifestyle. God personally destroyed Sodom because of the community’s sinful behavior, and while I don’t know if the city of Tyre was still around when Jesus was alive walking on this earth, one of the Old Testament prophets connected the king of Tyre with Lucifer, who fell from heaven. While Ezekiel’s prophecy clearly is speaking about a being who existed long before Tyre’s actual king, the fact that Ezekiel connected the leader of this city with Satan speaks to the reputation that Tyre had for its sin.

What seems to be the difference between the present communities Jesus was speaking to and their historical counterparts was simply apathy. The people in the past, even those who were actively pursuing sin, would have turned their lives around if Jesus had been present and working miracles earlier in history. This challenges me to wonder if apathy is among the worst character traits we could possess. If we ignore and discount all that is happening around us, then how will God ever wake us up to what He wants for us? Perhaps this is one reason why trials come into our lives.

However, Jesus also said some other powerful things in this discussion. Continuing in verse 25, we learn that:

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father. You are Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from wise and educated people. But you have shown them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father. This is what you wanted to do.

²⁷ “My Father has given all things to me. The Father is the only one who knows the Son. And the only ones who know the Father are the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to make him known.

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest. ²⁹ Become my servants and learn from me. I am gentle and free of pride. You will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ Serving me is easy, and my load is light.”

In this last part of our passage, we have three big ideas.

First, Jesus applauds God for hiding “these things” from the wise and educated people, while showing it to those who are childlike. The context for the phrase “these things” must then refer to His words against the two towns we had just talked about, and perhaps it relates specifically to our discussion on apathy. Part of me wonders if the more “educated” a person gets, the more apathy they can also display.

I really don’t think that education guarantees an equivalent or proportional level of apathy, but perhaps as we learn and grow intellectually, we learn that there is so much that we don’t know that it becomes easier to ignore the things we don’t understand in favor of the things that we do understand.

The second idea is that the Father is the only One who truly knows the Son, and while the Son is the only One who truly knows the Father, Jesus tells us that the Son reveals the Father to a certain group of people that He chooses. This means that you and I, if we have been chosen, can actually know who the Father is. However, in order to be chosen, we must be friends of Jesus, and the likelihood is high that friendship in this case also equals alignment and obedience. It’s hard to be friends with someone who is living in a way that is opposed to your character or a belief you have, and it may be this way with Jesus too. The closer we can live like Jesus and be like Jesus, the easier it will be to be friends with Him.

Concluding these three ideas is the idea of rest. Jesus invites those present to follow Him if they are tired of carrying a heavy load. While following Jesus might not remove a physically heavy load that one may have to carry, what Jesus is describing in this illustration is a load of spiritual rules and regulations that had become ever more confusing and convoluted as time had passed. What had been simple at one time was now more complicated than ever, and someone trying to live rightly according to the religious leaders of that era needed to be ever careful and cautious about breaking one of the countless laws that were present. The first century religious leaders had created laws that were designed to guard against breaking other laws, and that made the standard of right living even more confusing.

But Jesus comes with the message that His way is simple. Jesus does have a load for us to carry, but it is light. This means that it does matter what we do, what we say, and how we live, but the frame of reference Jesus uses is not one of restriction but instead it is one of freedom. Jesus wants us to avoid the lifestyles, activities, habits, and other things that will ultimately trap us in favor of the ones that give us life. By following Jesus, we can find rest for our inner selves and for our hearts and minds.

This passage, which opened with Jesus speaking out against the apathy present in the towns He did most of His miracles in, and which ends with an invitation out of the burden of trying to live up to an impossible standard, we see both apathy and self-reliance being opposite to the life God has for us. Education helps, but it is not the only key to breaking free from apathy and self-reliance. Instead, drawing close to Jesus, and learning to follow, obey, and depend on Him is the way into the life God intends for each of us to live!

As we come to the close of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

If you feel as though you struggle with apathy, or if you are trying to live life apart from God, and in either case you feel tired, burned out, or empty, perhaps this passage and our discussion today is a challenge to seek God, follow Jesus, and commit to depend on Him for guidance, strength, and direction.

In order to learn what He wants from us, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself, reading every verse and passage in context, and intentionally mixing your study with prayer, reflection, and ample time. Rushing Bible study is rarely productive, and it doesn’t ultimately lead to rest. Instead, choose to pray and open your Bible with plenty of time available so you can rest, learn, listen, and discover what God wants to show you in His word.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!