28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus assembled his twelve disciples and prepared to send them out. His preparation included warnings about their persecution as they carried the Gospel to cities and towns and the cost of following him. He also talks about rewards – not for his disciples, but for those who receive his disciples.

He prays and follows it up with this invitation:

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

This invitation carries the heart of God for all people: come to me. There are no prerequisites, works or a checklist. Come to me. Bring your baggage, worries, fears and hurt. Come to me. Broken, whole, put-together or falling apart, come to me.

The great longing in every human heart for acceptance, peace, purpose, belonging and more is only found in Jesus.

This is the beginning of rest.

29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The yoke is a farming tool that ties two oxen together to assist with plowing. It would keep them locked and joined together. In scripture, it’s used to describe other things: slavery (Lev. 26:13), affliction (Lam. 3:27), punishment for sin (Lam. 1:14) and the law (Gal. 5:1).

We labour for all sorts of things—career advancement, building relationships, or honing your craft. We also labour for bad things: Maintaining an image, striving for our righteousness, or covering the tracks leading back to our secret sins.

So take a moment, and reflect. What are you labouring for? What burdens do you need to lay aside? What needs to be confessed? What needs to be healed and restored by the God who makes all things new?

Jesus doesn’t say He’ll make things easier. He calls us to throw off the burdens weighing us down, to give up striving and accept his call.

If we’re tracking with the image of yoked oxen, they’re tied together, side by side. One of them can try to move ahead but only so far. Both oxen need to learn to walk together.

Here Jesus redeems the yoke – it’s not a tool for oppression but an instrument of freedom.

This is such an incredible image of our Christian walk. When we take on Jesus’ yoke, we’re not tied to the weight of the world. We’re tied to him. We learn to follow at his pace, in his time. We may try to push ahead, but if we’re truly in step with the Spirit of God, his voice will call us back to where we need to be. Walking in Jesus’ way is how we find rest.

Verse 29 concludes with another invitation: learn from me.

Put another way: follow me, be my disciple. This is the call of every believer, and it’s the work involved in resting.

Matthew Henry puts it this way: “It requires self-denial and exposes to difficulties, but this is abundantly repaid, even in this world, by inward peace and joy.”

Jesus’ way is one of submission, humility and service.

Jesus outlines his way of living in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, 6 & 7. In summary:

We’re called to be pure in heart, merciful peacemakers, letting our light shine in the darkness, to forgive, to honour others – even the difficult ones, to pray, to fast, to keep your heart fixed on heaven, to ask largely of God, to bear fruit and build our lives on the solid rock.

Follow Jesus in this way, and you will find rest.