Mat 11:25-27 For what does Jesus give praise (lit. confess openly and freely with thanksgiving) to God in Mat 11:25? What are “these things” to which He refers that God has hidden from the wise and intelligent but revealed to babes? See Mat 11:11-15 for the superlative nature of God’s heavenly kingdom and how one must die to self and be born again as a new creation to enter into it; Mat 11:16-19 for the hidden wisdom of God that did not dance to the tune of sinful men’s expectations; Mat 11:20-24 for the judgment that will befall those who in their own wisdom reject the plain manifestation of God’s superior wisdom; and especially Mat 11:27 for how the true nature and character of God is revealed by Jesus only to those to whom He wills, to those who like little children have a humble faith to accept what is foolishness to the world’s wisdom; see also 1Co 1:18-2:5. What do these verses teach us about those to whom God chooses to reveal Himself, and those to whom He remains hidden? Cf. Isa 5:21, Joh 7:45-49, 9:39-41. Why does the true nature and character of God remain hidden from those who are wise in their own eyes? See Mat 11:25-26, 13:11-15. For those from whom He remains hidden, is their darkness entirely of their own making? See Psa 18:25-26, Isa 29:9-14,18-19, Joh 12:39-40, Rom 11:8, Jam 4:6. What does this teach us about the great danger of pretense in our religion? See 2Th 2:11-12. To really know God (as the Greek word in Mat 11:27 connotes) and the eternal life that comes from knowing Him in truth (Joh 17:3) through Jesus Christ, what then must our heart attitude be? See Luk 8:15, Rom 12:3, 1Co 3:18-20, Phil 2:3-11, Mat 20:25-28. What does Jesus mean in Mat 11:27 that all things have been handed over to Him by the Father? See Mat 28:18, Joh 3:35, 5:21-23,26-27, 13:3, 17:2, 1Co 15:27, Eph 1:22, Heb 2:8, 1Pe 3:22. What does this and the rest of Mat 11:27 teach us about the exclusive nature of the salvation provided by Jesus? See Joh 14:6, Act 4:12.
Mat 11:28-30 Who does Jesus bid come to him in Mat 11:28? What does He mean by “weary”? Note that the Greek word used means literally to labor (cf. KJV), toil, work hard, so that He has in mind those who “work to exhaustion” (NASB text note); cf. Luk 5:5, 12:27, Act 20:35, Rom 16:6,12, 1Co 4:12, 1Ti 4:10, 5:17, 2Ti 2:6 for the same Greek word used. Is diligent, hard work necessarily a bad thing that Jesus seeks to relieve us of? See Gen 2:5,8,15[1], Eph 4:28, 2Th 3:10-13; contrast Eze 16:49, Amos 6:1, Zec 1:15, Luk 12:19. From what sort of exhausting labor does Jesus seek to relieve us? See Mat 6:19,25-28,31-33, Luk 10:38-42, Joh 6:27; cf. Psa 127:2, Ecc 5:12. From what other burdens are people often “heavy laden” that Jesus seeks to relieve us? See Mat 23:4 and Luk 11:46 for the only other occurrences in the gospels of the Greek word and its cognate that translate “heavy laden” in Mat 11:28 and “load” in Mat 11:30; cf. also Mar 7:1-4,14-19, Gal 4:8-11, Col 2:16-17,20-23. In the context of the wise and intelligent from whom are hidden the mysteries of God’s heavenly kingdom, and the babes to whom they are revealed, which are those who are weary and heavy laden, and which are those who weigh them down with burdens? What is the yoke of Jesus that is easy to bear? See Mat 11:29. Why does being gentle and humble in heart deliver one from the burdensome loads of man’s religion? See Gal 5:22-23, Rom 13:8-10, 1Jo 5:3. What does it mean “give rest” (Mat 11:28)? See 1Co 16:18, 2Co 7:13, Phm 1:7,20 where the same word is translated “refresh”. What sort of rest or refreshment do the commandments and teachings of the “wise and intelligent” seek to impose, and how does that contrast with the sort of rest Jesus offers in Mat 11:29? What is the significance of this passage to the Sabbath controversies in the immediately following context?