Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Matthew 11:29
Come to Him
Jesus was never overpowering in His personality, but He was gentle and humble, so anyone could approach Him. That should make it easy for us to come to Him. The only thing keeping people from coming to Him is that they don’t want to humble themselves and admit they’re a sinner. Until they humble themselves before God, they cannot come to Christ, because God is opposed to the proud (James 4:6).
All Who Labor
If you have trusted in Christ, don’t try to trust in your works which I have done a few times. Maybe Jesus is telling us to come to Him all who are laboring or working and getting exhausted in the process. D.L. Moody kept extraordinarily long days and was asked, “Are you tired?” and he replied, “I’m tired in the work, but not tired of the work.” Don’t give up. Your labor of love is not in vain. Come to Jesus and rest if you’re tired laboring.
The Heavy Laden
If you’re laboring, then that means you’re “heavy laden” or loaded down with lots of weight. Maybe it’s finances that are weighing on your mind. It could be a serious relationship problem that’s getting you down. Maybe an illness or disease has your back against the wall. The solution is this; come to Jesus, all who labor, and all who are heavy laden…and then, take the yoke.
Taking the Yoke
People must first make the choice to “come to Jesus,” and then all who labor by carrying around such heavy loads can take Jesus’ yoke upon them. A yoke was a device where animals shared the weight and this would cut in half whatever the load or weight was, but Jesus’ yoke is different. He takes the load for us, but we have to choose to unload it. He doesn’t place the yoke over us, we must take His yoke upon us. It’s like Jesus telling us, “Can I help you with that?”
Finding Rest
Jesus has told us how to come to Him and receive the rest that our souls truly need. It’s not just body rest that Jesus is talking about, but a rest for the weary, heavy laden, hard laboring souls who need to take Jesus’ yoke upon them. He said, “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” (Matt 11:29). Have you?
Conclusion
Don’t you find friends or family members who are gentle and lowly in heart easy to approach? That’s the way Jesus was, but so much more. He wanted everyone to come to Him and get rid of their heavy loads, and then find rest in Him and learn from Him. That’s the only way to really “find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:29).
