Title Example of Gratitude (Matthew 11:20-27)
Contents
♥Introductory words
The 《Matji》 living in West Africa say 'thank you' and 'my head is in the dirt.' It is said This is because they bow their heads to the ground when they show the highest courtesy to the grace of others. That is to say, he is grateful enough to put his head in the soil. On the other hand, a person who does not know gratitude at all is called a 'person who wipes the snout'. In Korean, it means 'to wash your mouth thoroughly'. It is a metaphor for not being thankful even though you have been given grace, breaking your heart, or pretending not to know.
People often express gratitude only if they have a special reason to be grateful. However, the gratitude of our believers is different. We are thankful for happy things or when things are going well, but sometimes we can be thankful in the face of misfortune. This is because we understand the grace of God. Gratitude is a command from God and a human duty.
But this age is certainly forgetting to be grateful. In the past, when it was difficult to make a living, I was thankful even while eating glutinous rice, and even though I had nothing to give to God, my heart was full. Even in the 60s and 70s, there were not enough clothes and food. However, people were generous, and they had the time to think about their neighbors.
Now is an era of abundance. But people are more ravenous than before, and their greed is constantly growing. When we stand, we want to just sit and watch, when we sit, we want to lie down, and when we lie down we want to sleep. Wouldn't this be human cunning and a mass of insatiable desires?
-Proverbs 27:20, "Hell and fame are not satisfied, nor the human eye satisfied." Ecclesiastes 5:10, "A lover of silver is not satisfied with silver, and a lover of abundance is not satisfied with income." You, this is in vain."
The text shows the Lord lamenting that the villages that have received the most grace from God neither repent nor give thanks. Next, Jesus shows the unique way of giving thanks. We want to take the example by examining the content of thanksgiving that Jesus showed.
1. The Essence of Gratitude
People express 'thank you' when things go well, when they get help, or when they feel happy. Such 'thanks' are common in the world. To the saints who know God's providence and God's grace, the transcendent gratitude of "thank you in everything" appears, not the general gratitude.
In verse 25 and below of the main text, there is a special prayer in which Jesus expresses his gratitude. In verse 25, which is the beginning of the prayer, the time for the prayer of thanksgiving is recorded, saying, “Then Jesus answered and said,” The word “at that time” refers to verses 20-24 of the text.
During his public life, Jesus performed many miracles and wonders in cities such as 'Corazin', 'Capernaum', and 'Bethsaida'. That is, Jesus paid special affection and attention to these towns. But seeing that the towns that had received much grace did not repent and did not give thanks, Jesus groaned deeply.
-Capernaum ▶ Matthew 8:5-13, Healing of the centurion's servant / Matthew 8:14,15, Healing Peter's mother-in-law's fever / Matthew 8:16, Casting out demons / Matthew 9:20-22, Blood flow Healing a sick woman / Matthew 9:23-26, Raising Jairus' daughter / Matthew 9:27-31, Healing two blind men / Matthew 17:24-27, paying taxes with money from the mouth of a fish / Mark 2:1-12, Healing a paralytic/ Bethsaida (hometown of Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Philip) ▶Mt 14:15-21, Feeding 5,000 people with 5 bottles and 2 fish/ Matthew 14:25 -33, Walking on the sea/ Mark 8:22-26, Healing the blind
These miraculous events are so famous that they have even spread rumors to strangers around them. If these miracles had been performed in Gentile cities such as Sodom, Sidon, or Tire, Jesus lamented that they would have already repented and escaped destruction (Sodom, Sidon, and Tire were destroyed by God's discipline). Text verse 21
The heart of Jesus was stained with deep sighs because of the hardness and betrayal of the people. How would you describe that disappointment and disappointment? Haven't you also had such experiences? How did you feel when the person you treated with a lot of attention and love did not recognize your heart and instead opposed and harassed you?
At this very moment, when betrayal, disappointment, and disappointment came over, the Lord looked up to heaven and offered a prayer of thanksgiving. The Lord did not see the external reality, but saw the work of God who provides for it.
Yes. The essence of Christian gratitude is not for the reality that appears, but for the work of God in control of all things. Christians live in the realities of the world, but in reality they live in the kingdom of God under the control of God. Therefore, even if the reality shown is frustrating and there are hardships, we are thankful because the Lord is in charge of the work. This is transcendental gratitude, and it is the essence of the Christian's gratitude.
If this is the essence of gratitude, how can we do this?
2. Conditions to be audited
When Jesus sees those who do not know grace as grace and do not give thanks, he groans and prays thanks to God. In the very content of that prayer, the way to give thanks is open.
If we summarize the contents of verses 25-27, which is the content of prayer, ① God makes children understand God's will. ② Those who receive revelation according to the will of Jesus Christ will come to know God. In summary, the revelation of the Lord will be revealed to those who are like children, and those who receive the revelation will come to know the will of God. Here, “those who receive revelation” means “those who believe in the incarnate Jesus.” Matthew 18:3, "Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
To 'turn around and become like a child' means 'to have the nature of a child who completely trusts and relies on parents'. Yes. Only those who receive God's grace with a pure heart and know how to regard it as grace can be thankful.
♥Now, the little child who barely speaks keeps raising his feet. The reason is that you want to brag about wearing new shoes. So I ask. "The shoes are beautiful. Who bought them?" The child replies, "Mom!" Little children are honest. It is because they do not yet have the desire to make any merit their own.
However, even if you know a little more about the world, people claim that they did something they didn't do, and if it's a bad thing, they say they didn't do anything they did.
This is why the Lord demanded a 'heart like a child'. The reason people lose their pure and honest heart is because they are fed up with the desires of the flesh and the struggle for survival. That is why the Lord invites people who are so tired of life that they do not know the grace of God as grace.
- Verses 28-30
The Lord asks us to cast upon Him the burdens of the world, the burdens of desires, the burdens of pain, and the burdens of life. While carrying a burden, I feel closer to life's pain, anguish, and resentment than to God's grace. Now that I am under a heavy load, can I remember grace and gratitude? When the burden of life is lifted, the cross of the Lord is visible and the graceful hand of God is felt.
- 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxieties on the Lord, for he counsels you."
So how do you put the load down? If you want to put down your luggage, but don't know how to put it down, why can't you put it down?
To let go of the burden is to believe in the providence of God working on me. That is, I believe and rely on God's will for all of my life. I believe that what I do, the people I meet, and everything that appears in nature is the work of God's hand. In other words, I acknowledge that everything I breathe, act, and think is being done by God. When you have this kind of conviction, you will depend on God for everything, and you will realize that everything that happens in the world is God's work. And the life that was swayed by the phenomena of the world comes to hope for God. it will become a daisy. When this happens to you, the burden has already been lifted.
Among the forefathers of faith who lived like this, 'David' can be selected. David was a man of outstanding faith who depended on God and entrusted everything he had to God. This David shows the way to depend on God.
- Psalm 37:4-8, "Rejoice in the Lord. He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in him and he will do it, and he will make your righteousness shine like a light, and your justice will be done." "Be quiet before the LORD and wait patiently. Do not complain about him who prospers in his way, and who carries out his evil schemes. Stop wrath and put away his wrath. Do not complain, for he is inclined to evil."
Rejoice in the Lord, leave the way to the Lord, trust in God, be patient and wait patiently, and not be angry with the world. This phenomenon is manifested in the possessor of pure faith like a child who believes and relies on God's will.
Has your life been entrusted to God?
If you are willing to bear all the burdens of life that have been given to you, you can never be grateful. Rather, it will only be filled with complaints and resentment. Just like the Israelites in the wilderness. It is a beautiful and happy thing to live life with gratitude in your heart.
By trusting and relying on God's work, I pray that you will entrust the heavy burdens of your life to the Lord and become a saint who always thank God for a happy life.