The Great Invitation
Matt. 11:25-30 (Luke 10:1-24)
In Luke chapter 10, Jesus sends out the 70. In Luke 10:17 we see the 70 returning rejoicing. Then in Luke 10:21-24, Jesus praises God. There is a parallel to these last four verses found in Matt. 11:25-30.
In Matt. 11:25-26, Jesus praises God:
1. As Father. Using this intimate term, Jesus claims equality with God (John 5:18).
2. As Lord of heaven and earth. The ONE with all rule and authority.
3. As the one who reveals “these things.” Things concerning the kingdom of God were not revealed to Pharisees and Sadducees, the wise and intelligent, but to fishermen and tax collectors; the spiritual babes. Those depending more on God than their own so called wisdom.
In Matt 11:27, Jesus claims authority over all things. Previously he had demonstrated his authority over:
1. Satan - - - Matt. 4:1-11. In verse 10, Jesus says, “Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ (vs. 11) Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”
2. Nature - - - Matt. 8:23-27. Here we see Jesus in the boat with his disciples when a storm arises. The disciples awaken Jesus and he commands the wind and the waves to be still.
3. Demons - - - Matt. 8:28-32. In this story, Jesus meets two demon possessed men. The demons in the men acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and ask to be cast into a herd of swine. Jesus casts them into the swine and the swine run into the sea and drown.
4. Human handicaps and ailments - - - Matt. 9:1-8, 20-22. In this section, Jesus heals the paralytic, and the woman with a hemorrhage. In verses 1-8 a paralytic is brought to Jesus and when Jesus heals him he picks up his bed and walks away. Verse 8 is important for it says, “When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.” Then in verses 20-22 while Jesus was walking, a woman who had suffered a hemorrhage for many years touched the hem of his garment and was healed.
5. Life and death - - - Matt. 9:18-19, 23-26. This passage raises the daughter of a ruler from the dead.
Finally in Matt. 11:27, Jesus makes this dramatic claim, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Based on that claim of authority then, Jesus issues his Great Invitation in Matt. 11:28-30.
1. First he says, “Come to me . . .” I have the power. I have the authority. I have proved it again and again. Devil, demons, nature, human ailments, death. Come to me AND NO ONE ELSE. I am the only one in the universe that can give you what you need.
2. “ . . . all who labor and are heavy laden.”
First problem. The people were weary to the point of collapse. They were laboring under the heavy load of the law and all the additions made to it by the elders. Jesus refers to this in Matt. 23:4, “ . . . and they tie up heavy loads and lay them on people’s shoulders . . .”
This statement refers to the Talmud which contained the Law plus the traditions of the elders which were considered as having equal authority. The Talmud created an impossible burden for those who were attempting to abide by the Law. But even without the additions of the Talmud, the Law was impossible to keep. Paul refers to it as a yoke of bondage in Acts 15:10 and a yoke of slavery in Gal. 5:1.
It is the law that requires perfect obedience James 2:10 says that if you violate just one point of the law, you have violated the whole law. It is the law of “sin and death.” YOU SIN AND YOU DIE! And Paul says in 3:23 that “all have sinned.” But as all have sinned, so Jesus offers rest from that burden to ALL who will come to him. For those who would come to Jesus, he offers REST.
3. “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest . . . rest for your souls.”
Jesus uses the term “rest” twice in this short passage for significance, for rest is the one thing needed most by those under the burden of sin and the law. Those of you who have been in the armed services will be familiar with the term, “R and R.” Rest and recreation. It is a time when the soldier, or sailor, or airman, is allowed to leave his duties and spend resting and regaining his energy. But eventually the soldier, sailor, airman, has to return to his duties and become weary again.
Jesus’ rest is complete and everlasting. No longer will we be under the burden of perfect obedience to justify ourselves before the Lord in this life. And we can look forward to a time in heaven with eternal rest from our labors. So how do we get that rest which Jesus so freely offers.
THIS INVITATION IS UNIVERSAL BUT ALSO CONDITIONAL.
4. “Take MY yoke upon you.”
A yoke is a device to help carry a load. In Jewish literature, a yoke referred to the sum total of obligations which a person must take upon himself. Jesus then is asking his listeners to exchange yokes. Jesus is asking his listeners to submit to his rule and authority as Savior, Christ, Son of God.
5. “and learn from ME.”
Become my disciple and I will show you how to maintain a relationship with God the right way. For:
A. “I am gentle (meek).”
Meekness is the opposite of self assertiveness or self interest; it is an evenness of spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply because it is not occupied with self at all. It stems from an attitude in which we accept God’s dealings with us as good and therefore without disputing or resisting. A meek person is the one who finds refuge in the Lord, commits his way entirely to Him, leaving everything in the hands of Him who loves and cares for us.
B. “And humble in heart.”
Realizing that I am totally dependent on God for all that I have. I am nothing without him.
5. “You shall find rest for your souls.”
This is a word that is used in the Greek Old Testament for the Sabbath rest. Christ’s rest is not a rest FROM work, but IN work. It is not the rest of inactivity but the harmonious working together of the will, heart, and mind because each has found in God the ideal sphere for its satisfaction and development.
The promise is rest now and forever. Through faithful service as a disciple of Christ we will receive rest. The irony is this; the more we serve Christ, the more rest we receive so that we can work even more.
Rest is offered by Christ to those who come to him or believe in him. That rest is received by the believer when he accepts Jesus’ authority in his life and becomes Jesus’ disciple.
A. “My yoke is easy.”
Not chafing or burdensome. This is a concept which John mentions in I John 5:3 when he says that the commandments of God “are not burdensome.”
B. “My load is light.”
Responsibilities are easy to meet because of the attitude with which they are done.
Conclusion:
We serve Christ not out of fear but out of gratitude as we establish a personal relationship with him and learn from and about him and let his attitudes become ours. Our souls receive the rest or refreshment needed to bear up under the pressures of the world. Through the rest received from Christ we have the peace that passes all understanding; the calmness of spirit in the face of the world that the world simply cannot understand.
We can be under a burden of sin that is bearing down upon us. Certainly all of us have been there at one time or another in our lives. Christ invites us to come to him and receive his rest. His only requirement is that we become his disciples.
