Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 - July 9, 2023

“To what will I compare this generation?” Why, they are like spoiled children, whining to their parents. 

Amen, right? Kids these days. “When I was a kid…” And technology! With no respect. Get off my lawn! Huh-rumph. 

Jesus sounds like a grumpy old man! 

Except (and you probably figured this out already), Jesus isn’t a grumpy old man, and he isn’t talking about “kids these days.” In fact, he isn’t talking about kids at all. When Jesus talks about “this generation,” he means the people living right then and there. He’s talking about those disciples, those followers, those who were just hearing, those who have yet to hear. He’s talking about people like you and me. Heck, not “like;” he IS talking about you and me. 

We are spoiled children. Nothing pleases us. The example Jesus gives to the people is that of John the Baptist and himself. John came fasting, and they complained that he was crazy - not relatable enough. He won’t join us for a meal or have a drink with us! Then Jesus came, sharing meals and drinks galore and they called him a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of riff-raff, hanging out with “those” people. 

So, the people rejected these prophets - and the God they pointed to.

Of course, We aren’t like that. Jesus is A-OK in our book. Mostly. 

See, I’m not convinced that “spoiled” is the right word. That has a negative connotation - one of entitlement and pampering. Instead, I think we have more of a Goldilocks syndrome. You remember Goldilocks, right? This porridge is too hot; this porridge is too cold. This porridge is juuuust right. 

This prophet is too severe. This prophet is too gracious. We like our prophets to be juuuust right - which usually means just like us. Just like what we know. Just like what we prefer. Just like what makes us comfortable. 

When it comes to Jesus, that welcome is too open. This teaching is too gracious. That piece is too holy or spiritual or idealistic. But this other part… this is juuuust right. 

Think of the Beatitudes - blessed are the poor, the meek, the peacemakers. It’s too unrealistic.
We push aside parables about possessions and treasures and wealth. It’s too personal.
We conveniently forget not only who Jesus spent time with, but to whom Jesus calls us to minister. That is too radical. 

Do you know what is just right? A Jesus who loves us as we are and leaves us alone. A Jesus who rubs us on the head and reassures us that we’ll be ok. A Jesus who only comes around when something bad happens to us so he can save the day, because we’ve pretty much got this. Tell me what I want to hear and do things the way I want them to be done. Yeah, that prophet is just right. 

Which begs the question: do we recognize, do we follow, do we like Jesus or not? All of Jesus? Jesus says we don’t. We’re picky. We’re self-centered. We’re… ok, we’re spoiled. 

Jesus calls the people of this generation out. Jesus calls us out. He says we don’t know him. We don’t want him. Jesus lays it all out there, plain and simple. We tell Jesus, by what we say and the ways we act, that he is not our perfect porridge. We’d prefer something else. 

And then Jesus says, “Come to me.”
Are you tired? Come.
Do you not know what to do? Come.
Are you burnt out on spoiled religiosity? Come.
Have you had it up to here carrying your heavy preferences, your biases, your burdens? Come. 

Jesus gives a word of grace to the same people he was just saying “woe” to. This judgment and conviction sit side by side with some of the most gentle, relief-giving verses there are. This is grace for us in the midst of our misplaced preferences, grace despite our choosing the wrong things. This is grace to “this generation.” This is grace to us. 

Jesus yokes himself to us. He offers us rest in the midst of troubles. He lightens our burden through his presence. He teaches us how to live and grow. He is a gentle presence in the midst of turmoil - even though that may not always be what we want. 

We often prefer a God who takes away our problems rather than one who helps us cope with them. A God who gives us all the answers when we don’t understand. A God who destroys our opponents rather than enables us to make peace with them. A God who eliminates our challenges rather than equips us to take them head-on. 

That’s where our disappointment lies. On this side of the kingdom, we will be let down when our preferences aren’t met. But God doesn’t pander to our Goldilocks-type ways. Instead, God shapes us, changes us, reforms us, teaches us, gives us grace to grow by yoking us to Jesus. 

And God does this first by offering us rest. He offers rest from the burden of our preferences; he offers rest from a weary world; he offers rest from having to do it all. 

After he gives us rest, then he offers to teach us - for us to learn from him. We learn from Jesus that there is not A right way to do this - any of this. But there are faithful ways. 

These faithful ways are ways where we walk with Jesus, yoked, joined, together with him. Faithful ways are authentic ways of worship, of serving, of being Christ-like in the world. Faithful ways are watching how Jesus lives and then working with Jesus now. 

Being yoked to Jesus, we learn how to live - not in a right or wrong, too hot or too cold kind of way, but in a faithful kind of way. Being spoiled isn’t good for anyone. Being faithful and learning from Jesus is. That means it’s less about what we prefer and more about what Jesus prefers. 

And this can be particularly true in the midst of changes - changes that have happened and changes that will come. We’ve all got feelings and thoughts and preferences. And yet, in it all, we should try to be faithful and learn from who Jesus is, learning from what Jesus has taught us is most important, what He prefers.

Jesus prefers community. We live in a community to help share grief, questions, excitement, hopes, doubts, burdens, joys, fears. He wants us to do this all together, with him.

Jesus prefers forgiveness. Being yoked to Jesus, resting in Jesus, we see a forgiven life for us where our burdens of guilt and inadequacy are lifted. 

Jesus prefers humility, showing us how to serve and being open to God’s will. We can learn from his humility and strive to cultivate a humble attitude in our own lives, putting others before ourselves.

Jesus prefers eating and drinking. Jesus comes to us in a simple meal of bread and wine to remind us of God’s love, where we get to see and hold Jesus with us. 

Jesus prefers compassion and love. We can learn from his example to extend compassion and love to those around us, treating everyone with dignity and grace.

Sometimes, these butt up against some of our preferences; we still may be particular, preferential, and persnickety - set in our own ways. And that can get pretty tiring, heavy, and burdensome. But Jesus is here saying, “Come to me, all that need rest. Come to me, those that want to learn to live faithfully. Come to me.”  Wherever we go, whatever happens, Jesus is yoked to us, preferences and all.

And that yoke fits just right.