Coro Baptist Church

Last week, Jesus invited us to come to him and receive rest for our souls. This week, as the Pharisees confront Jesus over Sabbath law, he will show us the root and reason for our invitation– we have a God who desires mercy, not sacrifice. Pray with me that you and I might know personally and profoundly the rest that comes from having a Lord rich in mercy for his people.

Upon reflecting on his past, a struggling writer wrote, "The quality of my work became the measure of my worth". What a heavy way for this unknown writer to live. What a burden for him to carry upon his shoulders. Upon reflection of your life, would you say the same or something similar? Does your heart murmur of your own measure and worth? Living like this is exhausting for everyone. Wouldn't you like some rest for your soul? A lighter load upon your shoulders. It sounds too good to be true. But Jesus says in our passage this week, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Let us come together on Sunday to be reminded and encouraged to trust the tender heart our saviour has for the weary and heavy laden. For in Jesus alone do we find rest for our souls.

In Jesus' day, the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven drew a whole range of responses– from­ inquisitive to indifferent, from welcome reception to outright rejection. It is not dissimilar today. But whatever the response, this good news cannot be ignored. Jesus is "the one who is to come" as John the Baptist once asked of him, and his coming has changed history. Blessed indeed is the one who is not offended by him. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Continuing in Matthew's gospel, even in the midst of wolves, Jesus tells his sheep not to be afraid. No threat, no persecution, not even death, can rival the protection and promises of God fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Take a moment to read the passage from Matthew 10 and note the great promises Jesus makes for all who receive him.

In Ezekiel 34, God reveals his dismay with the rulers of Israel. They have not shepherded the people of God well, taking advantage of them for their own profit. Moved by compassion for his people, God says, "I will be your shepherd". I will seek, I will feed, and I will heal my sheep. In Matthew 9, what do we find but words that describe Jesus' ministry as one moved by compassion to seek, feed, and heal the sheep that have long been left without a shepherd– a ministry that he is eager to call the future apostles into as he equips and instructs them in how he will continue to shepherd his people through them in the days to come.

Matthew records for us in this passage at least 4 pictures of people in deep anguish desperately reaching out for help. These are people from different backgrounds, different socio-economic conditions, struggling with different, terrible trials, yet they all have this in common – they are all met and delivered from their trials by our incredibly compassionate Saviour. The pictures point us from the physical realm to a deeper spiritual reality. Our spiritual symptoms may differ, but the underlying disease, the root of the problem is a heart corrupted by sin. And while the manifestation of sin and its soul-destroying ravages may differ in each of our lives, there is only one antidote to the vile venom of sin, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of David. As the apostle Peter cried out before the Sanhedrin, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved", we too, in our desperate need, must look to a gracious, compassionate Saviour for mercy in the midst of our soul's anguish."

This passage bears witness to the powerful potency of the presence and message of Christ amongst the most despised people in Jewish society. The new wine of the Kingdom of God could not be contained by a calcified, rigid Judaism that trusted in its own righteousness and knew little of the overflowing mercy of God. Those who could not admit their need for Jesus but instead trusted in their own fancied goodness could not cope with the 'reckless mercy' that Jesus displayed to those they considered real 'sinners'. Jesus made it clear that He was creating a whole new structure that could handle the powerful potency of actually knowing and showing the astonishing mercy of God.

A weather phenomenon described in apocalyptic language. Demons inhabiting the bodies of men. People gravely ill. If these three things were shown in a movie trailer or described in the blurb of a book, I would likely not pick it up for fear of it haunting my dreams. Yet each of these occurrences is not only present in our scripture passage this week but a description of the powers present in our world. There is a reason the disciples are described as being afraid; how could they not be! Yet, the greatest power in all of creation isn't a storm, demons, ailments, or even sin, but Jesus. He, who has authority over all of creation, and came to overthrow the kingdom of darkness and save his people. What do we have to fear if we have Jesus?

In an age of 'influencers', 'likes' and 'followers' on social media today, it is somewhat refreshing (and confronting!) to hear the honesty of Jesus towards those who would choose to follow him. He makes no apologies, nor does he try to hide the 'fine print' in order to gain a greater following. We don't hear it very often today, but there is a cost to following Jesus, and an urgency to go with it if we are to hear Jesus correctly. In the end, it is all gain, but only as the 'surpassing worth of knowing Christ' is revealed to us. May this be the case among us as we hear his Word and he calls us to follow him this week.

Where is our satisfaction found in life? Where do we go to rejoice? There is no limit to the imagination when answering these questions. Even churches seem to have more than one answer. Yet whether it is the love of self or the love of vital theology concepts, the Bible says that all fall short compared to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the great lost love of the world. And in this series titled "Rejoicing in Christ" we will simply be spending time looking at him.