In Matthew 11:27-30, Jesus shows us that no one can really know God except by His (Jesus) revelation of Him to those whom He wills to reveal Him to. But then He reveals the good news that it is His all-inclusive will and desire to reveal Him to everyone, saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden…” In the language Jesus spoke, to labor implies hard work, meaning to “feel fatigue”, while heavy laden is to load up or to overburden through ceremony (or spiritual anxiety). To those of His immediate audience this would apply to being under the yoke of the law and the religious leaders for any degree of acquaintance with God; but the same principle applies to those who try to bear a religious load by works, good deeds, or just “turning over a new leaf”. Those who take this route do not find rest because they remain under the laborious yoke of ceremonies and rule keeping, striving to do right yet always falling short. Jesus’ promise is “I will give you rest.” He then goes on to say, “Take My yoke upon you”; the yoke is a coupling to join together, and figuratively, it speaks of servitude to a law or obligation. Everyone is under one yoke or the other; either you are under the yoke of bondage to laws, ceremonies, and sinful ways trying laboriously to do right but always falling short, or you are under His yoke which is light and easy to bear, where you “find rest for your souls”; for He says “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” His yoke is easy because He took the weight of the load upon Himself making our side (following Him) easy when we fully yield and submit to Him. This is where we find that His “burden is light”, burden here means “an invoice” like a freight invoice; it figuratively speaks of a task or service. So then being yoked with Him, following, even in task or service, becomes easy and delightful, totally unlike keeping laws, religious works, or trying to turn over that proverbial “new leaf”. Will you not come to Him today?
Rest
-By Rose Hill
Jesus said, “Bring your heavy burden to Me:
Learn of Me and you will see,
That I can give you perfect rest,
And your soul will be greatly blessed.”