Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. -- Matt. 11:28-30.
Some years ago, I drove from southern Texas to Fort Wayne, Indiana. I left Texas early Monday morning and slept in Oklahoma that night. On Tuesday morning, when I started my journey home, I promised myself that the next place I slept would be my residence, in my own bed.
Consequently, I drove all day Tuesday and into the night. I reached my destination early Wednesday morning. By the time, I turned the key in my front door, I was so tired, I barely made it to my room. I was so tired, I fell into bed and within minutes, I was fast asleep.
In the above text, Jesus invites us to come to Him. We who are weary and burdened will find rest in Him. He is our rest.
When Jesus invites "all you who are weary and burdened" to come to Him, He is not talking about the way you may feel after a long journey. After my long and tedious journey, I needed some sleep, which gave me rest. Jesus is talking about a different kind of rest. He is talking about rest from the burdens of life, which sin brings upon us. Jesus offers a rest for life.
Our everyday burdens come from our job, family, health, and finances. Life's problems cause us to make wrong decisions and foolish choices. In order to find relief, some take the ultimate way out. They end their lives.
Jesus tells us that He has the solution to life. When we trust in Him, He will give us the rest that we need. He will give us relief from the burdens of life and help us to focus on that which is more important than anything in this world, eternal life with Him.
How does Jesus give us rest? He offers a transfer of yokes. Normally when we conjure up the idea of a yoke, we think of burdens. During the time of Jesus, the yoke was a device, which farmers used to control their animal, binding them together and forcing them to work together. It was not a comfortable device.
While the yoke of the world is burdensome and brings tribulations, Jesus' yoke is not like that. It is easy. It brings life. There is nothing in it to gall the yielding neck, nothing to hurt us, but on the contrary, much to refresh us. I implore you to embrace this invitation today. The world cannot offer the rest you seek. You will only find true rest in God, through Jesus Christ.
Jesus paid a great price for the rest, which He offers you. In obedience to the Father, He humbled Himself, took on the appearance of a man and bore our sins on the cross. Through His suffering and death, He provided us with a path back to God. Because of His love for humanity, He endured the wrath of God so that we would not have to.
One commentator says that the yoke of Christ is a yoke lined with love. It is easy because the love of God and the hope of heaven make it easy.
n Rev. Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at The Lutheran Church of Nassau, can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas or telephone 323-4107; E-mail: lutheranchurch@coralwave.com: Website: www.Nassaulutheranchurch.org.
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