July 9, 2023 Matthew 11:16-30: The Response to the Words and Deeds of the Messiah

This week we re-visit Matthew 11, which deals with the response to the Words and Deeds of the Messiah, from John, from the crowds, from the cities of Galilee. It concludes with an affirmation of Jesus’ relationship with the Father that parallels “Wisdom” and may have laid the groundwork for the theology of John’s Gospel, as well as an invitation to learn from Jesus and find rest. We discuss Calvin’s views on Jesus’ identity and the question of “wisdom” in light of the text. Finally, we discuss the question of how much we should talk about the historical and critical questions in our preaching.