Matthew 11:28-30
A. INTRODUCTION
How often have you heard the words: ‘Come to me, all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your inner being. For my yoke is good and my burden is easy to bear’? In its various translations, many times, no doubt. There’s an expression: familiarity breeds contempt. And that can be definitely stated about this verse.
Because apart from in the Bible in Matthew’s Gospel, in the Anglican church, at least, people have been used to hearing the expression on a regular basis—through the various prayer books authorised for use.
For example, in the Book of Common Prayer published in 1662, the first verse was required reading for every Communion service. In Australia, in An Australian Prayer Book published in 1979—it was expanded to include the two verses that followed (although its use was made optional). And in the publication of A Prayer Book for Australia in 1995, it not only remained optional, but it was shrunk back to its original length.
For several centuries in the Anglican church, therefore, the words of Jesus have been repeated almost every time there has been a communion service. So it’s no wonder that for many Anglicans they have become so familiar. Or, may be, too familiar. Because of the danger of being too familiar could mean that they have lost much of their meaning.
So, today, with all their familiarity, just what do those words mean? What was Jesus’s sentiment behind the words? And why are they considered to be (in the language of the old prayer book) ‘Comfortable Words’?
B. THE FIVE THINGS OF NOTE
Well, I’d like, today, to use all three verses. Because there are five things of which we should take particular note.
1. An Invitation from Jesus (28a)
Because firstly, the words of Jesus are an invitation. ‘Come to me…’ he said. In other words, Jesus’s invitation is that we should go to him—and not to anybody else. There are implications in the words of Jesus.
There is the implication that Jesus is the only one who has access to the Father. There is the implication that Jesus is the only one who has access to the resources of the Father. And as a consequence, there is the implication that it is only through Jesus that we can know the Father.
Indeed, we cannot know God, apart from what Jesus reveals to us. And that gives us sufficient reason why we should take his invitation seriously.
Yes, other things may call out for our attention. Other people may claim to have an alternative way (or even that there are many ways to the Father). And some religions actually teach that. But Jesus’s invitation implies there is only one way, and that is through him. That’s why his invitation is so important.
2. Who It Is That Jesus Is Inviting (28b)
The second thing to note is just who it is that Jesus is calling to. ‘Come to me, all who are weary and carry heavy burdens.’
Now Jesus is not inviting people who have done a hard day’s work, and are physically or mentally tired. No! This invitation is to all men and women—everyone, without exception, who is wearied with life’s burdens. In other words, he is calling out to those who find life difficult and those who face many hardships. His call is to those who are weighed down by the pressures and expectations of life; those who are weighed down by the pressures and expectations of other people—as well as the pressures they put on themselves. His calls is to those whose lives have little joy, whose life has become meaningless, and those who find life very difficult indeed.
Now it must be said that this invitation is not compulsory. There is no compunction on the weary and heavy laden to accept his offer at all.
3. The Reward That Jesus Is Offering (28c)
But for those who do accept, there is a third point to note. There is a reward. And, in the words of Jesus: ‘and I will refresh you.’
Now that doesn’t mean putting one’s feet up and being idle. What Jesus is offering is refreshment rather than idleness. Being put back on one’s feet so that life can be continued with renewed vigour, and new meaning.
And a good example of what Jesus meant can be found in the example of Moses (Exodus 33:14). Because these same words ‘I will refresh you’ were spoken to Moses by God at a very difficult part in his life.
Moses, at the time, was feeling under all sorts of pressure, leading the Israelites through the wilderness. It was not an easy task. The people had complained about lack of food; they’d complained about lack of water; they’d even complained they would have been better off staying in Egypt. And at the point that these words were said to Moses, he had just come down off the mountain—with two tablets of stone on which were recorded the ten commandments—only to find the people had made a golden calf and were worshipping it.
Needless to say, Moses was at the point where he’d had enough. So, he smashed the tablets on the ground. And in turn he began complaining to God about the lack of support, the lack of an assistant, and about all the burdens he was carrying.
And then those words of God came. And rest, or refreshment, is exactly what God provided him. Because almost the very next thing, we find Moses preparing two new tablets and was going back up the mountain, armed with the new tablets on which the commandments could be written. He had a renewed sense of purpose; a renewed sense of direction.
So, the rest that Jesus promises is the restoration of a healthy mind; it’s the restoring of one’s sanity; and it’s the enabling of people to return to life with new vigour, keen and eager to face whatever lies ahead.
4. What We Have To Do To Get The Reward (29)
The fourth thing to note is what it is that we have to do in order to get the reward. ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your inner being.’ There’s a catch in everything we do. And, in this case, Jesus says we have to take on his yoke.
Now there’s an implication behind these words. The implication is that we all carry someone’s yoke, even sometimes our own. It’s an idea that even in modern times is still popular. In a Bob Dylan song, released in 1979, he talked about the many things that pull us one way or another. The things that compete for our attention. And he concluded with a chorus which some might find familiar: ‘It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, But you gotta serve somebody’.
The point that Jesus was making, though, was not only that people should come to him, rather anyone else. But that they should take on his yoke, rather than bear the burden of another.
Jesus was saying that his way is a better way. It involves the need to follow him, to serve him, and to learn from him. In other words, all the things needed to be a disciple.
But accepting his way should not be scary. Because unlike others who compete for our attention, he doesn’t have to prove himself; he doesn’t need any fancy gimmicks; he doesn’t need to lord it over others. What you see, is exactly what you get.
5. Why Jesus Is A Better Alternative (30)
As a consequence, the fifth thing to note is that the way of Jesus is better than any alternative. ‘For my yoke is good and my burden is easy to bear’.
At the back of Jesus’s mind, as he made this statement, was undoubtedly his experience of the religious leaders of the time. The rabbi’s of the time, spoke loving of the yoke of the law. But they tended to put heavy burdens on people’s backs, with their legalism and the way they insisted that other people treat them.
They insisted that not only should people keep the law, but that people should keep their many intricate and complex interpretations of it too. Not only that, but that the people should have a fawning respect for their religious leaders. But then they loved to be noticed as pious and righteous men; there was a strict hierarchy of places of honour; and there was a proper way to address them and to do them honour.
But while Jesus would have had the religious leaders at the back of his mind, he would not have been restricting his comments only to them. Indeed, he would include any other group or pressures that were making unreasonable and unwarranted demands.
Jesus claimed to be better than all the alternatives. His yoke was easy; it was not a difficult and burdensome affair. His yoke represented a way that was good and pleasant. He may not have been calling people to a life of careless ease, but the service to which they were called would be a delight, not a painful drudgery.
6. Summary
So, those very familiar words—those too familiar words—then, can be summarised by those five things: they are an invitation from Jesus. An invitation to all men and women—anyone who is wearied with life’s burdens. The reward is refreshment, being put back on one’s feet so that life can be continued with renewed vigour. And it involves the need to follow him, to serve him, and to learn from him. But in comparison to whatever else is on offer, what Jesus is offering is second to none. In comparison with all others, his yoke is easy, and should not be a difficult or burdensome affair at all. No wonder the Book of Common Prayer called them ‘Comfortable Words’.
C. IMPLICATIONS
And so they should be, because for us they should be comfortable. And they should be comfortable at two different levels:
1. As An Initial Response To Jesus
Firstly, for those who have never responded to Jesus in a positive way, the words should be comfortable because he is offering a better way. A way from a life controlled by the burdens and expectations of others and even ourselves. And a way which includes the restoration and refreshment of his people. A way that gives new purpose in life.
Jesus is offering a real alternative. An alternative which is not burdensome but a delight. It’s not compulsory but one in which he wants people to come willingly, and after considering carefully all their options.
2. As A Reminder Of What Jesus Provides
And, secondly, for those who have already made a commitment to Jesus, the words should be comfortable because they act as a reminder of what we should be experiencing. Because none of us are perfect, and it’s so easy to take our eyes off Jesus.
Now, in the story of Moses, Moses was already a man of faith. But he had taken his eyes off God and had allowed himself to become tied down by other pressures. And just as he was restored by God to new life, and new vigour, the same can be true of us too.
Jesus’s words, then, can bring great comfort, as we seek to have those extra and unnecessary burdens removed, and to be restored to be the people of God, that we know we should be.
D. CONCLUSION
‘Come to me, all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your inner being. For my yoke is good and my burden is easy to bear.’
They may be familiar words—perhaps too familiar—nevertheless they are words of great meaning and comfort. And, leaving familiarity aside, they are words we would do well to repeat for many more hundreds of years to come.
Posted: 15th July 2022
© 2022, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au
