April 1,
2012
Matthew 11:28-30
“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.”
Come to me…Jesus invites all people into
discipleship. He invites all people to
follow him. He does not interview these
potential disciples. He does not put
qualifiers on their acceptance. He
offers an open invitation. Come to me…is the call that echoes down
through the ages. It echoes in churches
weekly. It is a call that still rings
out personally through our interaction with the Holy Spirit. Will we accept this invitation?
You might ask; “Why should we?” which is a very good
question. Jesus gives us a reason. Have you ever felt the weight of the world
press down on your shoulders? Have you
ever found yourself struggling to live up to the expectations (voiced and
unvoiced) of others? Do you ever find yourself
so caught up in the details of something that you just can’t seem to ever get
anything right? The people Jesus was
speaking to know exactly what that is like.
The religious leaders of the day identified 613 laws that built on the
10 commandments. Each of these laws was
expected to be followed by those who would be faithful. On top of this 613 laws were countless
interpretations of those laws. Think how
wearying it must have been to try to keep all this straight in your life as you
tried to make a living and care for your family every day.
Jesus promises rest.
Following him is far different than following all the rules of the
religious leaders. This is still true
today. Religion can feel heavy. It can feel like a burden that holds us back
and wears us out. Faith is far
different. Jesus did not come to bog us
down with more rules and more interpretations of rules. He came to save. He came to give us life that is abundant and
eternal. His way...His "yoke"…is
not meant to take away from life, but to open us up to what life is really all
about. Being a disciple of Jesus isn’t binding…it’s
freeing. Jesus shows us how to truly live. Will we accept his invitation? Will we go to him? Are we willing to trade our burdens for what
Jesus has to offer?
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