Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV): "Come to Me, all you 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."
The word 'rest' here in Greek is 'anapauo', meaning 'to rest, to refresh, to be at ease', and it isn't just about finding rest from the stress and pressures of day-to-day life, but in the right context, finding rest from the heaviness and encumbrance of religious rules, bureaucracy, and legalism.
This was the actual reason Jesus spoke these words, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest". He was speaking to those who had been trying to carry an impossible load, namely the man-made rules and standards imposed upon them by the religious leaders of the day.
The word 'labor' here speaks of 'trying to work it out to the point of utter exhaustion', whilst the term 'heavy laden' speaks of 'a great load being dumped on a person'. As you can see here, Jesus was addressing those who were exhausted (or burnt-out) from trying to measure up to the expectations of the religious leaders of the day!
I heard the Lord saying these words recently:
"Make Christianity as simple as the Bible says Christianity is! Make life as simple as the Bible says Christians are! Empower them, not encumber them!"
As a matter of fact, Jesus came to set us free! Freedom from not just the stress and pressures of day-to-day life, but also from the religious yoke set by men! What then is a yoke? It is a wooden crosspiece fastened on the neck of two oxen to pull together a load when working in pairs. You see, the ox isn't alone under the weight of the wooden crosspiece. That's speaking about you. There's another ox to help him. And that's speaking about Jesus. A yoke is in effect a 'picture' of the 'cross', and Jesus is here to help you carry your 'cross', burden, heaviness, and shame!
Of course, Jesus paid a very heavy price to set the people free! He ruffled the feathers of 'the powers that be' (the religious leaders) of His days, so much so that they sought to kill Him! But He stayed true to His calling on earth, obedient till the very end, even to the point of death on the cross! Today, He is exalted above all names, that every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that He is Lord!
Hebrews 4:15 says, 'For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin'.
- He suffered assassination attempts, both character assassination and physical assassination (Matthew 2:13-16, Luke 4:28-30).
- He suffered rejection from His own disciples, and even His brothers did not believe in Him (John 6:41-66, John 7:5).
- He suffered sorrows, and wept. Raising Lazarus back to life sealed His very own death (John 11:35, John 11:48-50).
- He suffered betrayal from His own at the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1-3).
- He suffered great pains, humiliation, and loss of breath on the cross (John 19:17-30).
Beloved of God, whatever your 'cross', burden, heaviness, or shame may be at the moment, know that there's nothing that He cannot understand (or sympathize with you). Like the ox that carries the weight of the wooden crosspiece, let Him also carry them all for you, as you continue to walk side-by-side with Him. Amen.
