Invitation to the Weary and Burdened

Matthew 11:28-30

v. 25-27
At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have
hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father,
for this was your good pleasure.
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Jesus uses the word revealed twice in these verses. He says “these things” about God are
revealed to those who are chosen and to little children. God chooses those who humble
themselves to receive His revealed wisdom. It is His good pleasure to make salvation available to
us, even though we do not deserve it.

In modern American culture, it is virtuous to be completely self-reliant. Our country was

founded to break away from the ideas that there were men born as lords and then those who
owed their allegiance to them. We believe that every person is born equal right to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.

But here, Jesus says there is a “Lord of heaven and earth” who we are entirely dependent on for
salvation. God makes salvation available to those who would receive it. And those who receive it
are those who humble themselves like little children. The “wise and learned” cannot receive this
gift because they want to achieve it on their own.

For us to receive what God has for us today, we need to realize that we cannot be self-reliant
when it comes to “these things” that God chooses to reveal to us. We must acknowledge that
God is “Lord of heaven and earth” and that we cannot dictate our own terms to Him. We cannot
say, “Well, I don’t believe in this.” Or, “Well, I don’t agree with that.” If it is revealed to us, we
must accept it by faith as it is given to us.

v. 28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Christians believe that God sent Jesus as a Savior into a world that desperately needs Him. Here
He is in these verses, calling out to those He was sent to save: “Come to me! All of you!” Jesus
calls all people, but it is up to us to heed His call. Indeed, we already read that not everyone will
heed this call, but only those that come to Him humbly and with faith like little children.
Jesus is calling to everyone who is burdened with regret, guilt, and their inability to perform
according to the way they ought to. We all get by the best we can in this life, but I think
everyone would admit it is a struggle. We struggle with the effects of our own sin and the sin of
others. We do not have peace because we do not have a right relationship with God. We have a
conscience that tells us we ought to do one thing, but what we do is another.

Knowing about God is not a solution. When Jesus was speaking here, he was addressing Jews
who knew God’s law in and out. It is good to know God’s law, but without a right relationship
with God, it only serves to point out our inability to please Him. Jesus came to take away the
burden of sin and instead give us rest through a restored relationship with God.

v. 29a
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble at heart, and you will
find rest for your souls.”

First, Jesus diagnosed the problem. Here, He gives the remedy. A yoke is a bar that you put
across the shoulders of an ox, mule, or horse so that they can plow the ground. Elsewhere in the
Bible, a yoke is a metaphor for servitude. In other words, Jesus is asking us to replace our own
burden, the one that we carry when we are not in right relationship with Him, with the servitude
that we owe Him in a right relationship.

Here, some will balk, “Ah, a loving God would not demand that we serve Him; He would simply
take away our burden.” But, have you considered that He is, after all, Lord of heaven and earth?
Have you considered that someone must be god in your life—and if you think it is yourself, are
you really in control? If you are in control, then do you always do the good you know you ought
to do? Do you always avoid the sin that you ought to avoid? In fact, you are not in control, but
sin controls you. You are a slave to sin and carry its burden.

Jesus says, “I came and died to remove the burden of your sin. Please accept what I’ve done for
you and come back into a right relationship with me.”

When we become a Christian, we become a disciple of Jesus. We take His yoke upon ourselves
and do the work that He has prepared for us. We need to learn to be good oxen. As I understand
it, Christians should be the most humble and selfless people in the world, but at the same time
the most hardworking, persevering, disciplined, focused, and ambitious people in the world. The
yoke of discipleship that Jesus gives us will lead us to difficulty and hardship. We need to be
tough and ready, not limp and timid. Someone said, “Christianity is not for your handkerchief,
but for your backbone.”

v. 29b
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble at heart, and you will
find rest for your souls.”
In Acts 14:22, Paul and Barnabas tell the newly formed churches at the end of their first
missionary journey, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” In 1
Peter 2:20-21, Peter writes, “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is
commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you
an example that you should follow in his steps.”

We take His yoke upon ourselves and learn from Him. Where does He lead us? He leads along
the path that He Himself took—submission to God and a determination to follow God’s plan for
His life. It is important for us to realize that Christianity is not a destination that we arrive at, but
rather a path that we walk.

What does he teach us, as we walk along this path? Jesus teaches us to be like Him. You do not
need to be holy to be a Christian, but you become a Christian so that gradually God will make
you holy through a process we call sanctification. In fact, the name Christian means little Christ.
When we follow Jesus in discipleship, we learn gentleness and humility, which is so contrary to
the brashness and pride that we find in the world. We find a deep peace and security that comes
from a trusting relationship with God, which allows us to be gentle and humble.

People who need to justify themselves are those who boast and take pride in what they have
done. But people who are justified by God are gentle and humble because of what God has done
for them.

v. 29c
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble at heart, and you will
find rest for your souls.”

Finally, Jesus says that after we take this yoke upon us, then we will find rest for our souls. In
other words, there is no other way to find rest for our souls but through a restored relationship
with God.

Isaiah 55:1-2
"Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
v. 30
“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Even though following Jesus requires commitment and hard work, it is easy because Jesus sent
His Holy Spirit to help us. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within
him.”

Whenever we come to Jesus, He gives us the ability, joy, and life to serve Him. This comes from
the Holy Spirit, which lives on the inside of us. We will find that we want to do what Jesus has
called us to do. It is good for people to feel a sense of duty, but it is much, much better for us to
perform our duties out of love and a pure desire. C.S. Lewis said that duty is like a crutch we
need to rely on when our love fails.

“Duty is only a substitute for love (of God and of other people) like a crutch which is a
substitute for a leg. Most of us need the crutch at times; but of course it is idiotic to use the
crutch when our own legs (our own loves, tastes, habits, etc) can do the journey on their own.”

The Holy Spirit works inside of Christians to will and act according to God’s purpose.

Philippians 2:13
“… for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

Colossians 1:29
“To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can focus on faith, love, and hope, which produce
work, labor, and endurance in our lives.

1 Thessalonians 1:3
“We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor
prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”