"Come to me" says Jesus

Matthew 11:28-30

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

These words from Matthew’s Gospel are wonderful in at least two ways. They are very reassuring and encouraging for each of us. They also form a great invitation to those who are yet to meet Jesus.

These words touch the complexity of everyday life. Each of us suffer from tiredness from time to time. Each of us carry various concerns through life – some of which are resolved quickly, while other issues persist. These worries can arise through: family, work, current responsibility, illness, injury, loss, conflict, finances, fear, temptation, guilt or shame.

The knowledge of someone who loves us and cares for us deeply can certainly take the edge of such burden-carrying. And the fact that Jesus loves and cares for us despite knowing all our foibles is even more significant. This knowledge of God ... this level of relationship with God ... is the encouragement that we can live within day by day, and is also the encouragement that we can live out in public – with the hope that others might find such rest and peace.

Being “yoked” to another might seem at first threatening, difficult, even rigorous. The idea behind the “yoke” was the wooden collar that ran across the shoulders of a pair of oxen (which had been hitched to a plough). This “yoke” enabled the oxen to jointly pull enormous weights, the burden being equally distributed over both the animals (thus neither one became overwhelmed). So there is actually tremendous potential in being “yoked” with a strong and wise partner.

In this case we are also “yoked” with someone who is “gentle” and “humble”, meaning that any guidance or direction given can only be in our best interests (and in the best interests of God’s good plan for humanity and all creation). That’s where I want to be – within God’s good plan for humanity and all creation – an ongoing learning experience. That is the definition of “rest” for me ... to be where God wants me to be, and doing what God wants me to be doing. Then we find life to weigh much lighter!

This sort of “rest” comes from having a relationship with Jesus – the “Prince of Peace”. As the scripture says, this is “rest” for “our souls”, so it’s not really just “rest” in the sense of sleep and ease. For in accepting and following Jesus, the “Prince of Peace”, we could actually be busier than we ever were before ... but in far more important ways. The One we are “yoked” with will take us down the path of all sorts of peace-making and justice-seeking.

Jesus did endure many pressures in his life on earth, so he does understand what we face. Not only this, Jesus can travel with us and lift us up. Jesus offers an invitation ... “Come to me”! This is an invitation for us both to receive, and to pass on to others.