QT 13/02/2026 Fri. Matthew 11 Offence, Hostility, Judgment & Rest. 绊倒、敌意、审判与安息
QT 13/02/2026 Fri. Matthew 11 Offence, Hostility, Judgment & Rest.
READ http://www.esv.org/matthew11
(1) “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (11:6)
To be offended by Jesus does not usually mean open hostility at first. In Matthew 11 it means stumbling over who Jesus really is when He does not meet expectations.
John the Baptist’s question (11:3) sets the tone. John believed the Scriptures, proclaimed the kingdom, and yet struggled when Jesus’ ministry did not look like immediate judgment and upheaval. Jesus answers by pointing not to explanations but to fulfilled prophecy (Isa 35; 61): the blind see, the lame walk, the poor hear good news. In other words, the kingdom is here, but not in the way you expect.
People are offended by Jesus when:
(a) He refuses to be reshaped into their preferred Messiah (political, moralistic, therapeutic, or comfortable).
(b) He exposes sin before relieving suffering.
(c) He offers grace before judgment, humility before power, and a cross before a crown.
To be not offended by Jesus is to trust Him even when His ways unsettle us. It is a quiet, costly faith that says: He is Lord, even when I don’t understand the timing or the method. That is why Jesus calls such a person “blessed”—they do not stumble away when faith is tested by disappointment or delay.
(2) Hostility, distortion, and the verdict of wisdom (11:12–19)
Matthew does not sanitize the reaction to Jesus. The kingdom advances, but it advances against resistance. You observe rightly if you see that violence here is not romanticised zeal but conflict, pressure, opposition—sometimes overt, sometimes subtle.
Jesus exposes the inconsistency of His critics. What are these?
(a) Apathy (11:16–17): That generation wants control. They refuse to respond whether God comes in judgment (John) or grace (Jesus). The issue is not style but stubbornness.
(b) Demonizing holiness (they attacked John): John’s disciplined life is labeled madness.
(c) Discrediting grace (they attacked Jesus): Jesus’ table fellowship is labeled as moral compromise.
Notice the pattern: whatever God does, it will be wrong in their eyes. The goal is not discernment but dismissal.
“Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds” (11:19)
This line is the moral verdict over the whole section. Wisdom here refers to God’s saving plan, embodied in both John and Jesus. Though their ministries look very different, both are obedient to God’s purpose.
“Justified” means shown to be right or vindicated. The proof of God’s wisdom is not in winning arguments but in fruit: (a) lives transformed, (b) sinners restored, (c) the kingdom actually breaking into the world. Look around you today, you, your caregroup fellowship, the church that God has called you to belong to. Are these good transformations also happening?
In short: God’s wisdom does not need human approval; it will be proven right by what it produces. Those who accuse may sound convincing in the moment, but history—and eternity—will tell the truth.
(3) Judgment avoided, rest received (11:20–30)
Matthew brings the chapter to a sharp fork in the road.
(a) Unrepentant cities (11:20–24): These cities saw much and responded little. Their danger was not ignorance but familiarity without repentance. Jesus’ warning is severe because privilege without response hardens the heart.
(b) The gracious invitation (11:25–30): Against this backdrop of judgment, Jesus’ invitation shines even brighter. The truth is hidden from the self-sufficient and revealed to the humble. The weary are not told to try harder but to come to Jesus. The alternative to judgment is not freedom from a yoke, but a different yoke.
The world’s yoke is crushing because it demands performance without grace. Jesus’ yoke is bearable because it is carried with Him, shaped by His gentleness, and directed toward life.
To “learn from” Jesus is not merely to study Him, but to pattern one’s life after His humility and trust in the Father. The paradox of the gospel is this: submission to Christ is the only path to true rest.
Final Remarks: Matthew 11 prepares disciples for reality: (a) Jesus will be misunderstood. (b) Faith will be tested by unmet expectations. (c) The kingdom will advance amid tension. (d) Judgment is real—but so is rest.
The call is clear: Do not be offended by Jesus. Do not stand neutral. Do not trade His gentle yoke for the crushing burdens of self-rule.
Instead, come. Learn. Rest.
QT 13/02/2026 星期五. 马太福音 11. 绊倒、敌意、审判与安息
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/mat/11/
(1) “那不被我绊倒的，就有福了。”（11:6）
被耶稣绊倒通常并非指初始的公开敌意。在马太福音第11章中，这意味着当耶稣未达预期时，人们因祂真实身份而跌倒。
施洗约翰的质疑（11:3）奠定了基调。约翰虽信奉圣经、宣告天国降临，却因耶稣的事工未显现即刻审判与动荡而陷入挣扎。耶稣的回应并非解释，而是指向应验的预言（赛35；61）：瞎子看见，瘸子行走，穷人听见福音。换言之，天国已临，却非你们所期待的模样。
人们因耶稣而被绊倒的情形：
(a) 他拒绝被塑造成他们理想中的弥赛亚（政治型、道德型、治疗型或舒适型）。
(b) 他先揭露罪恶才缓解苦难。
(c) 他先施恩典后审判，先谦卑后掌权，先十字架后冠冕。
不被耶稣冒犯，意味着即便他的作为令人不安仍信靠他。这是一种安静而代价高昂的信心：即便我不明白时机或方式，祂仍是主。正因如此，耶稣称这样的人为“有福”——当信仰遭遇失望或延迟的考验时，他们不会跌倒离去。
(2) 敌意、扭曲与智慧的审判（11:12-19）
马太并未粉饰人们对耶稣的反应。天国虽在推进，却始终面临阻力。若你察觉此处的暴力并非浪漫化的狂热，而是冲突、压力与反对——时而明目张胆，时而隐晦难测。
耶稣揭露了批评者的矛盾之处。这些矛盾具体表现为何？
(a) 冷漠（11:16-17）：那世代的人渴望掌控。无论上帝以审判（施洗约翰）或恩典（耶稣）降临，他们都拒绝回应。问题不在方式，而在顽固。
(b) 妖魔化圣洁（他们攻击施洗约翰）：约翰的自律生活被斥为疯狂。
(c) 诋毁恩典（他们攻击耶稣）：耶稣在用餐时的交流被指为道德妥协。
注意其模式：无论上帝做什么，在他们眼中都是错的。目标不是辨别是非，而是全盘否定。
“但智慧借着它所作的，就证实是公义的了”（11:19）。
这句是整段经文的道德判决。此处的智慧指上帝的救赎计划，在约翰和耶稣身上都得以体现。尽管他们的事工看似迥异，却都顺服于上帝的旨意。
“就证实是公义的了” 意为被证实正确或得到伸张。上帝智慧的凭据不在于辩论胜负，而在于结出的果实：(a) 生命被改变，(b) 罪人得恢复，(c) 神国真实降临世界。今日环顾四周——你自己、你的小组团契、上帝呼召你所属的教会——这些美好的改变是否也在发生？
简言之：神的智慧无需人的认可；它必因所成就的而被证明是正确的。那些控告者或许在当下显得有理有据，但历史——以及永恒——终将揭示真相。
(3) 免去审判，得享安息（11:20–30）
马太将本章引向岔路口。
(a) 顽固不化的城邑（11:20-24）：这些城目睹诸多神迹却鲜有回应。其危险不在于无知，而在于习以为常却毫无悔改。耶稣的警告如此严厉，因特权若无回应必致心硬。
(b) 恩典的邀请（11:25-30）：审判的背景衬托下，耶稣的邀请更显耀眼。真理向自以为义者隐藏，向谦卑者显明。疲乏者无需勉力挣扎，只需来到耶稣面前。审判的替代方案并非摆脱轭，而是换上另一副轭。
世人的轭令人窒息，因它要求无恩典的功绩。耶稣的轭却能承受，因它与祂同负，承载祂的温柔，指向生命。
“跟随” 耶稣不仅是研究祂，更是效法祂的谦卑与对天父的信靠。福音的悖论在于：唯顺服基督方得真歇息。
结语：马太福音第十一章为门徒预备了现实：
（一）耶稣必遭误解
（二）信心将受未竟期望的试炼
（三）国度将在张力中推进
（四）审判真实存在——但安息亦然
呼召清晰：莫因耶稣而心生抵触。莫持中立立场。莫用自我统治的沉重枷锁，取代祂温柔的轭。
反而要前来。学习。安息。
