The Road To Rest

The Road to Rest

Matthew 11:25-30

John Bunyan's classic analogy of the Christian life, Pilgrim's Progress follows the journey of the main character named Christian as he travels from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, which describes the spiritual journey of a Christian towards salvation.

So, as Christian begins his journey, we find that he has a heavy burden on his back, symbolizing the weight of sin and guilt that he carries. This burden weighs him down and causes him great distress as he struggles to find a way to be freed from it. It is only through his encounter with Evangelist, who points him towards the Wicket Gate and the cross, that Christian can release his burden and begin his journey towards salvation and eternal life.

Now of course, the heavy burden represents the burden of sin that all humans carry and our need for redemption and forgiveness through faith in Christ. All of us were born into this life with a burden on us. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Roman's, Romans 5:12 (NASB95) "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—" The heavy burden on our back is a good description of what life is like apart from Jesus.

But you know, even those who are Christians can struggle with burdens that we put on ourselves. There are times when we may not be living as we should, not walking in proximity with the Lord as we should, and we begin to do things in our own power--with our own strength and it can feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders.

There are other weights beside sin that can weigh us down too. There's guilt from that sin, sickness, anger, jealousy, pride, worldly distractions, fear, anxiety, worry, unforgiveness, busyness, and a host of other things. So many things that can begin to take precedence in our lives and hinder our ability to follow Christ and love Him as we should.

This morning in Sunday School, we studied the gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, which begins with John the Baptist sending his disciples to Jesus to confirm if He is the Messiah. Jesus responded by pointing to the miracles He was performing as evidence of His identity. He then praised John the Baptist, highlighting his role as the messenger who was to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Jesus then went on to denounce the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for their lack of repentance despite witnessing His mighty works. He contrasted them with Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, and flat out said that Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, which by the way were areas where Jesus performed the majority of His miracles, and stated that their judgment will be harsher for rejecting Him than what Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom would experience because they didn't experience His mighty works as the others had.

Later in the passage, Jesus offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God, affirming His unique relationship with the Father and the revelation of divine truths to those who are humble and receptive. He then extended an invitation to all who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest, promising that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.

So, what I want to focus on today is the portion of chapter 11 that wasn't really covered by our SS lesson. And I find that interesting because verses 28-30 are some of the most popular, most quoted, and most comforting words in the Bible. Who among us cannot quote them from memory?

Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB95) Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I want you to notice that when Jesus began His prayer in v.25, He began with praise, which is a fitting beginning to any prayer. All too often we jump right into our petitions and forget all about praise, when praise is what should be first and foremost. Our God is the creator of all things that exist and all things that exist outside our realm of existence. So, He created everything that is, and everything that is not. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He is not a cosmic vending machine whose sole purpose is to fulfill your wants and desires. He is God and we are here for His purpose, not the other way around. He is worthy of praise, just as we read in the Revelation of John.