28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Rest In The Lord – Matthew11:28-30
Jesus has just declared that He is the only one who knows God the Father (Matthew 11:25-27), and now He offers to reveal the Father to anyone He chooses. He then invites all who are laboring and heavy laden to come to Him.
All who labour and are heavy laden will find rest in the Lord if they will take His yoke upon themselves and learn to follow him as committed disciples. The yoke of discipleship is easy and light, and it comes to those who put their faith in Jesus.
The yoke of discipleship is light and easy to carry because it is the yoke of repentance and faith followed by a single commitment to follow Christ. It is the yoke of following Jesus as He reveals the fullness of His love, joy and peace to those who will come to Him in faith.
When we look at this passage in light of the other biblical teachings on discipleship, we can see that Jesus is calling all who have come to Him in faith to a relationship with Him as His committed followers. As they are able to do so, their lives will become more and more a reflection of the Kingdom of Heaven, producing a deep existential peace, shalom, and well-being with respect to their relationship to God and his commandments.
In the end, this rest comes to those who have exercised a simple act of faith in Christ; but it is always a gift from him who purchased it for them with His precious blood. It is a gift that is available to all who would receive it and it will continue to be available to them as they grow in sanctification.
