Written by Dawn Rutan
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).
