JESUS THE PIPER (5)

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*JESUS THE PIPER (5)*

*Scripture Treasure.*

Matt 11:28-30

*Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.*

*Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.*

*For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

Jesus invited the wearied people to let them know that His ministry was not as Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum saw it. His ministry brought grace and a way to bring strength to the heavy ladden soul and experience forgiveness. 

*Scripture Commentaries.*

Jesus, after rebuking the people through the parable of the children sitting at the market place, ended Matt 11 with an invitation.

The flow of events in this chapter points to the burden the Pharisees had placed upon the people.

Their interpretation of the law had been horrifying and prohibitive, and the people must have lacked the confidence in the law of God meant to set them free.

Jesus said in Matt 23:4 *For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers*.

There is a problem when men interpret and/or hope to interpret the law of God on their own terms.

When this occurs, people interpret the law to suit themselves and/or a certain sect of the populace.

Even in constitutions of nations, there are manipulations.

In both the law of God and the land, just as Jesus warns His listeners not to follow the example of the Pharisees because they do not practice what they preach so people do not always follow laid down constitutions. They always look for a way round it.

The influence of the Pharisees was so bad and hypocritical that they demanded from others what they were unwilling to do themselves, Matt 23:4c.

Nothing is more burdensome than spiritual burden.

It was so bad that if the Pharisees, the rulers of law, and the Saducees did not dance to the piper's song, at least someone would, but there was no one!

People may not be so wearied about the law, but by the way, it is interpreted.

When we interpret the Bible wrongly or do not balance it for people to understand God's message, it affects people's moral standards.

Most times, not every statement that proclaims God in His judgment should be viewed judgmental.

Grace and truth, judgment, and forgiveness must be balanced.

Jesus balanced all. This was why He rebuked Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.

Solomon says *Open rebuke is better than secret love*, Prov 27:5.

Often, if not all the time, God delivers grace through His judgment, justice and truth, ref Ps 136.

Oftentimes, if not all the time, God proves Himself. Something He does to people who refuse or resist His power, Rom 9:17, Exd 3:19.

We must let people know why God is love and also a consuming fire.

We must let them know that God is merciful but that also there is fierce judgment on His other hand or else we will be imposing under nuitrition and suffocating rules upon people to watch them suffer in ignorance while we bask in our moral superiority.

We must let people know that bad actions have consequences, Gen 19. We must let people know that not all bad consequences are as a result of sin and we must let them know that righteous people suffer because we live in a dark world, Job 1-42, 1 John 5:19. We must let them know that death comes to us suddenly or unexpectedly because it is appointed. People die suddenly not because of their faults. So, Jesus was saying in Lk 13:4-15 that people can not escape death. They can die regardless of their righteousness, ref also, Heb 9:27. Though the eighteen people perished but a life lived in repentance will save those who died suddenly.

All these must be balanced, and what happens around us makes it all inclusive with none exclusive

The Pharisees' wrong interpretation and their all-inclusive sins brought a burden upon the people.

Other ways that the Pharisees' placed burden upon the people are in Matt 9:10-13 when they excluded the people that they were unclean.

In Matt 12:1-14, they placed restrictions on the Sabbath that ignored human need (12:1-14) and the already cited zealousness of theirs about tithing mint, dill, and cumin, but neglects the *....weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith...* Matt 23:23.

Jesus said *Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.*, Matt 23:25.

At the end of all these, Jesus offered rest to the people who have been wearied and heavily burdened by the Pharisees and the rulers of law.

In Matt 11:28-30, His message is that we make sure we are right with God. Jesus' message is that repentance and total submission of our weaknesses to Him is the only way to avoid eternal death

Jesus invited the people to let them know His law was not as bad as the Pharisees interpreted them.

The songs He piped were not so bad that people could not dance to it. It was the way the Pharisees had interpreted it that made it unsavourable for the people to dance to it.

If you do not know the truth, when Jesus the piper plays His tunes, you will not dance.

*Remorse Corner.*

Jesus offers a solution to as many who may have been misled by His gospel!

*Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.*

*Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.*

*For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.*

Matt 11:28-30.

*Call to Word action.*

1 John 5:3 *For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.*

*The Christian clarion duty.*

Moses gave the law because of the hardness of the people's heart, ref Matt 19:8, but Jesus brought grace and truth, John 1:17.

*Prayer.*

Lord, please save as many who may have been distracted by the wrong interpretation of Your word. Help me to stay focused on Your word of truth, in Jesus name.

Good morning all, and have a blessed day.

God bless you.