He Will Give Us Rest
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Matthew 11:25-30
25. At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26. yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 27. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. 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. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Jesus refers in verse 25 not to those who are uneducated or dense, but rather to those for whom “the law” or “the way of the world” have become their compass. Those he refers to as babes expresses an innocence of evil, those open and receptive to what Jesus is saying. Then Jesus reiterates that there is but one way to salvation – through the Father. And the only way to the father is through the Son. Jesus gives us all the same message, whether or not we accept and believe his message is up to us.
Jesus tells us that He is the source of refreshment, rest, and recovery from the slings and arrows of life. I think of a day at the spa when I read verse 28 (not that I’ve ever spent a day at a spa!). Jesus wants to take away all the physical, emotional and spiritual aches and pains, bumps and bruises and even the serious conditions that keep us from being whole. He is all we need, and our faith in him will sustain us.
I love verses 28-30. I long for the easy yoke and light burden of eternity in heaven! But these verses also apply to our time on earth. Living our faith is often difficult. People may not understand why we act a certain way, or live a certain way. We may be viewed as weird or different. People may have contempt for us, or worse, could hate us and persecute us for our faith. But our faith is what provides us with the strength, wisdom, courage and fortitude to bear it all. And to come out stronger, surer, with an even deeper faith.
In some ways, though, our faith makes our lives easier. Because whenever we have a decision to make, or two paths from which to choose, when we base our decision on what our faith directs, we can be assured of making the proper choice. The burden of living our faith is indeed light, in comparison to the alternative! Because of our faith we know how we are to treat others, to conduct ourselves, and to care for our world.
These last three verses are especially timely for me right now. It’s been a long, challenging, physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting year. Through it all, though, my faith has sustained me. The sacrifice of Jesus made my yoke easier and the burden lighter, even on those days when I didn’t think I could make it one more minute. And so . . . go to the one who is gentle and lowly in heart. He does not condemn or persecute us. Rather, he welcomes us with open arms. He pats our head and smoothes our cheek and murmurs, “It’s alright, I’m here.”
I hope today you take a few minutes out of the frenetic activity of this holiday season and allow Christ to comfort you. And that you’ll take on his easy yoke and light burden as you go about your day.
Mary
