(48) The Definition of Success | David and Robin Watters

The Preface:

What is your definition of success? What are the conditions of success for you? Is success for you about the end result, or is it defined by the process?

The Passage: Matt 11:20-30:

The Process:

What had Jesus done in the cities he listed in Matt 11:21-23? (Matt 11:20)
What did those things accomplish? (Matt 11:22)
What was Jesus’ conclusion from these events? (Matt 11:25-26)
What kind of burden did Jesus carry? How does He describe his burden in Matt 11:28-30?
What was Jesus definition of success? (Matt 11:27-30; John 17:3-4)

The Purpose:

What was God doing? Why did He have this written down?

It is clear that, although Jesus performed many miracles, and preached many sermons in these 3 cities, they did not repent and believe as a whole. Even Jesus was not 100% successful, if success was measured by numbers alone.

How was Jesus looking at this? He was not looking at it from the perspective of failure or success. Jesus had compassion on these cities. He invested a lot into these cities. But in the end, His success or failure to get them to respond to his message was not up to Him! Jesus’ conclusion is “for such was your gracious will.” (Matt 11:26) “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (John 17:4)

Jesus was available in every way to be God’s instrument. Jesus did everything God led Him to do in order to reveal the Father to them (Matt 11:27), but the success or failure of what He was doing, was completely up to God. Jesus did not concern himself with those details!

Even though Jesus was God’s answer to a dying world, Jesus describes His yoke as “easy” and His burden as “light.” Jesus lived at rest, because He left the success or failure to His Father’s will.

As Jesus concludes this passage, He invites those living under the weight of the law to take on his yoke and his burden. Just like He rested in the Father’s will and plan, He invites them to rest under His control.

He invites us to live the same.

The Plan:

As I ask these questions of myself, I encourage you to ask them too.

What can I learn from this? What is God saying to me and my life from this passage?

Where do I look to for success? What would it look like, or do for me, if I learned to face life and ministry like Jesus did?

Do I live with Jesus’ light and easy, burden, or is my life and ministry more characterized by toil and struggle?

What do I need become more aware of?

What am I anxious and worried about? Nothing can compare to the weight and burden Jesus carried. Yet Jesus was able to leave it with His Father. What do I need to leave with Him?

Am I more concerned about being God’s instrument, or am I trying to make a a name for myself by what I can accomplish? Jesus did accomplish great things. But that is not where He measured His success. He measured His success by how much He revealed the Father, not whether the people responded or not. (Matt 11:27)

How does God want me to engage with this? What does He want me to do because of what He is saying here?

Instead of living in dependence upon the flesh in a futile pursuit of something I will never be able to do (like Israel trying to obey the law), daily remind myself that Jesus invites me to take upon His yoke and His burden. I do this by resting under His control, in the same way He was resting under His Father’s control.

The Power; Implement and Integrate

The power to change is in the implementation and integration. We can talk all we want, make lots of plans, but until we do something about it, and develop habits that integrate those truths, we will never change. What is the one thing I need to do as a result of this study today?

Daily remind myself that this work is not my work. Just as Jesus was available in every way to be God’s instrument, I am simply God’s instrument that He is using to reveal Himself to those around me (John 1:18, 1 Jn 4:12) The success or failure of what I am doing, is completely up to God. I need not concern myself with those details!

Commentary:

Verse by verse insights:

Matthew 11:20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.

After declaring God’s opinion of John the Baptist, (I tell you, among those born of a woman none is greater than John) Jesus condemned the religious leaders for their rejection of John. (Matt 11:14-16) if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. ¹⁵He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ¹⁶“But to what shall I compare this generation? Jesus went on to confront, not only their rejection of John, but their rejection of Himself. (Matt 11:18-19) For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ They rejected John for his piety, but they rejected Jesus for his liberality.

The religious leaders had led the nation and influenced them to reject these men. Jesus says, “to what shall I compare this generation.” Jesus was not just condemning the religious leaders, but also those who chose to follow them.

Matthew 11:21-24 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²²But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

These 3 cities were in Galilee. These were where Jesus performed a large number of his miracles.

Matt 9:9 He called Matthew who seems to have been from Capernaum.
Bethsaida: Scripture only records 1 miracle in Bethsaida. (Mark 8:22-26) John 1:44 records that Bethsaida was the home town of Peter, Andrew and Philip.
Chorazin: This city is not mentioned anywhere else. No miracles are recorded to have been done here. In fact, there isn’t any record that Jesus even traveled to or through Chorazin. But, Jesus declared, “or if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented” (Matt 11:21) So, it appears Jesus was in this town, and did miracles there. And according to what Jesus says, not just one or two! This reminds us of what John said in John 21:25 “for the world could not contain the books that would have been written.”

Jesus did many more things than what the scriptures have actually recorded!

Jesus compares the response of the Jews in these 3 cities with 3 Gentile cities whom he condemned. Jesus’ rebuke is severe. “If Gentiles would have witnessed the work of God Himself, like you did, they would have turned to me!”

Matt 11:25-26 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

Jesus was available in every way to be God’s instrument. But, the success or failure of what He was doing, was completely up to God. Jesus did not concern himself with those details!

In fact, Jesus celebrates the work GOD was doing. “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.” Since the “wise and understanding” chose not to believe in Him, Jesus concludes that was how God wanted it!

Fruchenbaum comments that, “On one hand is the providence of God, and on the other the sin of man. No man can come unto the Father unless the Spirit draws him. Therefore, those who thought of themselves as wise rejected, but the simple responded. The “wise” neither saw nor understood because of their own pride, but the light dawned upon those deemed to be simple-minded.”

Matt 11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Jesus once again declares His complete and utter dependence upon His Father. “All things have been handed over to me by my Father.” In John 5:19 Jesus had said, “The Son can do nothing on His own account.” Everything Jesus did was in complete dependence on His Father. Jesus is God’s Word in living flesh. He is the light come to reveal and make God known. (John 1:18) Whoever has seen the Son has seen the Father (John 14:9) If people will not accept His revelation, there can be no knowledge of the Father. So Jesus declared, “No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Matt. 11:27).

Jesus wasn’t limiting who He was going to reveal the Father to. It is evident that Jesus would reveal the Father to any who accepted His word. He desired for everyone to understand and know His Father. The limitation was that of the human heart!

Matt 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Those Jesus was ministering to were laden down with the law. Jesus had revealed the Father to them many many times. He had clearly done the work only God could do in their midst. The miracles, the messages, Jesus had done them all as the instrument of God. But, they had chosen not to believe. They chose to remain under the heavy yoke of the law. They were laboring and heavy laden with the mountain of Mishna and Pharsiacal law.

These people lived their whole lives under a difficult yoke, and a heavy burden. Their taskmaster was not gentle and lowly. They were not at rest. Jesus invites them to leave behind their heavy weight, and to follow Him. He claims his yoke is easy and what He asks of them is light. He is gentle and lowly. With Him they will find rest for their souls.

Compare Jesus invitation with how Jesus lived… He was not concerned with success or failure, but simply to be God’s instrument. His invitation was to come to Him and live the same kind of life! Instead of living in dependence upon the flesh in a futile pursuit of something they will never be able to do, Jesus was inviting them to take upon Himself… and rest under His control.. in the same way He was resting under His Father’s control