The Invitation
“Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’”
Matthew 11:28-30
One of the wonderful aspects of my vocation as a pastor is that I have the honor of officiating weddings and, typically, I receive a wedding invitation from the engaged couple. I love opening and reading wedding invitations because they are so beautiful and meticulously crafted. I suspect most of us like receiving invitations whether they are to a wedding, to a party or to a dinner.
Etched above the front door of our Church is perhaps the most appealing invitation ever given, “‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”
God’s invitation to “come to me” is oft repeated in the Bible in different ways. Throughout the Old Testament, we see that God says to His people “Return to me.” He says to the Prophet Joel, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.” (Joel 2:13) And now Jesus gives a similar invitation, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Not only does Jesus invite us to come to Him, but He also invites us to take something from Him — His yoke. Now, unless you are a farmer with a special interest in using old-fashioned agricultural technology, this language about taking a “yoke” might seem odd. A yoke is simply a large horizontal bar fashioned around the necks of oxen that enables them to pull a plow. But in Jesus’s day, it was also a metaphor for taking on the teaching of one’s master; in a word: discipleship. So, we might say that taking on Jesus’ yoke simply means to become His disciple.
Jesus goes on to say, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” If I’m honest, these words by Jesus can be a bit puzzling. I mean, isn’t part of our calling as Christians to “take up our cross” (Matthew 16:24) and to suffer? Yet then, I think of all the “heavy burdens” that I might be carrying if I didn’t know Jesus. Perhaps it would be the guilt of past sin, the burden of trying to prove myself in my profession or the endless quest of trying to impress other people; the list goes on. Yet, Jesus invites us to lay those burdens aside. He liberates us from such misguided desires and gives us a yoke that is easy and light.
So, as you begin your day today, what “heavy burdens” are you carrying that you might lay aside? Jesus invites you to take up His yoke and He will “give you rest.”
