To us who are still loaded down with the cares of life, with its many distractions, with the endless to-do’s driving us with no end in sight, Jesus’ offer still stands: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NKJV).
Perhaps we cannot come to Him because our goal in life is quite different from “rest.” We want to achieve. We want the best. We need money. We need a friendly face. We have some place we want to be and rest won’t get us there.
Actually, it will.
Sometimes our goals don’t work for us because they are pointing us in the wrong direction. Or our goals are unrealistic or premature. The rest Jesus offers is to calibrate your life so the life goals are so much better than you think. They will be so much better with Jesus in them.
“I will give you rest.” The rest will come through knowing a Person, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Creator of everything that was made at the beginning. He made you. He knows what makes you tick. He knows what He made you for. Himself.
Jesus calls to those who are laboring and are heavy laden. Why Because they know more than anyone that this is not the life they signed up for. They are more ready to try something new than the complacent and satisfied.
I am writing this primarily to Christians, but those not of the Christian faith can benefit from this as well. After all, Jesus is the Savior of all who believe. He wants all to come to Him.
What does this “Come to Me” entail? Jesus gives us the details: “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (v. 29). A yoke, in Jesus’ agricultural culture, was equipment laid on the necks of cattle and attached to a plow to dredge the land for planting. Jesus wants us to be hitched next to Him. That sounds scary, but don’t worry—He said He’s gentle and humble, lowly. He will work at our level. After all, though He is the Creator God, He had already humbled Himself to come to earth as a human being, and meet the people around them where they’re at. He will work with you. No hard driving. No whips. “For My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (v. 30). It means keeping in step with Him, staying close to Him at all times. The yoke ties you both together to do the same work, to go in the same direction.
But that’s all metaphor, right? What does it look like in the real world? “Learn from Me” (v. 30). That means to get into the Bible in a fresh way. Look for Jesus in it. Start reading at “Matthew” (see the Bible’s Table of Contents) and work your way through. Look at how gentle and humble Jesus is. How powerful. How authoritative. What else do you learn about Jesus? Chapter by chapter, write down your observations.
As you evaluate the wealth of material on Jesus and apply it to your life, you might find out why trusting and imitating Jesus “you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus was God on earth. Jesus has power over demons. Over nature and the weather. Over sickness and disease. He has authority over the religious, military, and all other rulers. His followers were in safe hands with Him.
With a clearer picture of Jesus walking alongside you, you can understand how God is walking beside you, and this decreases your worries. God is stronger than your tribulations. God has power over your troubles. God has a plan for your trials. Nothing is too big for Jesus. Nothing is too hard for God.
Those furrows being dredged by the plow with Jesus guiding you are revealing issues on the landscape of your soul. They are revealing secrets you never knew. “So that’s why I’m that way.” Don’t shy away. We are all sinners. Jesus came to make sinners whole, all who yield to Him as Lord over their lives.
Without Jesus, you fall back on yourself. Your weaknesses. Your inabilities. Your shortcomings. Where did your education get you? Your upbringing? Your wealth or lack of it?
Taking His yoke on you means to accept Him as an authority over you, giving Him permission to lead you in a new way you haven’t learned before. Let Him be Lord of your life. Be a student of Jesus. Read the Bible and let His Spirit teach you. Confess your sins to Him and trust Him to show you how they are overcome. It’s all in the Bible. Just take it in, one page a day or one chapter at a time.
As you read the Bible slowly and carefully, ask yourself:
“Is there a promise for me to hold on to?”
“Do I need to give something up?”
“Is there something for me to believe God for?”
“What is Jesus is telling me to act on?”
“Is there an important verse to memorize?”
“Who am I in God’s eyes?”
In this way, His Word becomes the “yoke” that steers you on the path of righteousness, the path of blessing. Your thinking is yoked to His way of thinking. Your work is yoked to the way He would work. Your beliefs are yoked to His faith.
Don’t be surprised when you find answers as you read and ponder carefully (but not if you skim casually). With the answers, you’ll realize the Lord is speaking to you and leading you. This should reassure you more and more, that God has His eye on you for good. Then you can relax. Then you’ll find rest for your soul. You thought God would be mean and demanding, but now He’s gentle and lowly.
Then you’ll be following in the footsteps of millions of Christians who decided to live for Jesus and not themselves. Their outside world does not hold them captive as before. Their lusts and sins are not as enticing as before. Instead of being yoked to their sins, they are yoked to Jesus–and that makes all the difference.
