I’ve started reading through the
New Testament and this morning I read Matthew 11. I realized anew how
artificial the chapter, verse, and section divisions can be at times.
I know I’ve tended to view the Gospels in particular as a series of
unrelated stories. My Bible (ESV) divides this chapter into three
sections that at first glance don’t seem to be connected. But when
I got to verses 28-30 I started wondering what they had to do with
the preceding verses:
“Come to
Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy,
and My burden is light.”
In the first six verses of the
chapter, John’s disciples come to Jesus and ask if He really is the
Messiah. In answer, Jesus tells them to look at His works—people
healed, the dead raised, and the good news preached. Then in verses
7-19, Jesus asks the crowds why they followed John the Baptist, and
He reminds them of the evidence that John was a prophet who was
himself prophesied by Malachi.
In verses 20-24, Jesus denounces the
people who saw His miracles and yet refused to believe in Him. Then
He prays aloud in verses 25-27 in a way that seems to dig in the goad
a little deeper. My loose translation is, “God has made it so
obvious that even children can understand who I am, but you ‘wise’
men still missed it.”
It’s only after these declarations
and proofs of His identity that He says, “Come to Me.” This is
not just some disjointed thought or a random word of encouragement.
It is because He is the Messiah, Savior, and Son of God that Jesus
can say He will give us rest. No one else can relieve the burdens of
our hearts and souls. And when He says His yoke is easy, it’s not
just an invitation to join Him in His work. He’s just gotten
through telling John’s disciples that He is doing the impossible by
the power of God. We can’t simply join His work, because we have
nothing to contribute on our own. But we get to hand Him our burdens
and watch Him at work.
As the Apostle John reminds us, “The
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory”
(John 1:14). His glory, power, and majesty are reminders of who He is
and who we aren’t! We aren’t the ones with the strength to carry
every burden. And in John 15 Jesus declares that He is the Vine, and
we’re just branches depending on His resources. I read those verses
recently as saying, “I AM the Vine, so stop trying to be the vine
yourself!” Abiding in Him is the prerequisite for bearing fruit.
It’s His work, not ours. (As a side note, John 15:7 says that
abiding is also the prerequisite to answered prayer.)
In writing about Matthew 11, Max
Lucado writes, “I wonder, how many burdens is Jesus carrying for us
that we know nothing about? We’re aware of some. He carries our
sin. He carries our shame. He carries our eternal debt. But are there
others? Has he lifted fears before we felt them? Has he carried our
confusion so we wouldn’t have to? Those times when we have been
surprised by our own sense of peace? Could it be that Jesus has
lifted our anxiety onto his shoulders and placed a yoke of kindness
on ours?” (A Love Worth Giving,
p. 27).
You’ve
probably heard the illustration of a boy “helping” his father
with some job, like carrying the end of the board. He isn’t really
contributing to the effort, and he has no idea how much weight his
father is actually bearing for him. But he wants to help because he
wants to spend time with dad.
So how does this work in practical
life? First, we need to remind ourselves of who God is—He’s in
control of all things and He’s also our loving Father. That alone
can be great encouragement when the burdens of life start to get
heavy. In a recent sermon, Mark Driscoll* made the comment that if
you’re facing a particular temptation or trying time, take heart in
knowing that God knows you are strong enough to bear it when you rely
on Him.
Second, we need to continuously turn
our burdens over to God, making a conscious effort to stop worrying,
analyzing, and planning. I confess I’m not very good at doing this
on a consistent basis. But in my written prayers I see the theme
repeated, “God, I don’t understand this and I don’t know what
You are doing, but I trust You anyway.” David’s psalms are great
examples of such prayers. Worship songs are another avenue of
redirecting our thoughts. Here is one that I’ve listened to a lot
in recent weeks, “Peace Be Still” by Rush of
Fools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UDvvlhJGME
May we find our rest in His strength
and steadfast love.
“Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and
answer me; I am restless in my complaint… But I call to God, and
the Lord will save me... Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will
sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved... I will
trust in You” (Psalm 55:1-2, 16, 22-23).
*This blog was written before Mark Driscoll's downfall. I do not endorse him in any way.
