Day 4: All in to Rest in Jesus

“You look so tired.” “You look so exhausted.”

Have you ever met a Singaporean who is not worried, not stressed, or not kancheong? If you have, that person is most likely Malaysian.

But seriously, we live in a world where holidays and hotels combine to be a trillion-dollar industry. We live in a world where mental unwellness is ballooning. We live in a world where we get on the relentless treadmill of life, and then we’re looking for rest, paying for holidays, only to experience endless restlessness and turmoil in our lives.

That is why Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 is so radical.

He says:

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

3 things Jesus offers us from Matthew 11:28-30

1. Come to Me

Jesus meant Come to Him – literally. Come to Him to know God. Notice He didn’t say, “Go find God yourself.” That would have been so unkind. This statement reveals Jesus’ heart and love for us.

Are you looking for God? Or is God looking for you?

At the deathbed of a well-known figure, a spiritual man, a relative inched up to him and asked, “You have been searching for God all your life. Have you found Him?”

The dying man answered, “No, not yet.”

Are you looking for God? Or is God looking for you?

The lesson of the story is this: It is terrifying to look for God on your own terms and not find Him after searching Him your whole life.

On the other hand, it’s completely liberating to be found by God. And that is Jesus’ offer here.

2. Take My yoke

Jesus offers next: “Take My yoke.” The yoke is a block of wood that is placed on two oxen for ploughing the field. If their master is cruel, the yoke will cut into the flesh of the poor oxen.

Jesus was probably referring to young Jewish men at their coming-of-age ceremony called the bar mitzvah, where they pledge undying loyalty to keep the Mosaic Law.

But by the time Jesus arrived 2000 years ago, the Pharisees’ take on the law had become so oppressive – almost sadistic – containing hundreds and hundreds of bylaws that made the 10 Commandments impossible to keep with joy. The Pharisees were heartless religious policemen who destroyed the faith of their countrymen.

3. Learn from Me

In the third part of Jesus’ invitation, “Learn from Me”, He is inviting them to a whole new kind of coming-of-age ceremony. Don’t pledge yourself to that law; instead, keep coming to Jesus.

Why? Because Jesus is now the fulfiller of the law. When we come to Him, we don’t come to a heartless religious policeman but to Jesus, who is strong and kind. He doesn’t lessen the burden of the law-keeping; He keeps it on our behalf. He fulfils it to God’s glory and invites us. He is gentle and lowly in heart.

Here is the meaning of true rest. The rest that Jesus talks about is not simply the end of work but the beginning of God’s shalom, God’s peace in our life. What was first offered to Israel in the Old Testament is now fully offered to all of us.

So, be yoked to Jesus. He doesn’t lessen God’s demands upon us, but He fulfils it.

He carries it for us as our most loving Master. So let’s pledge our lives to Him.

When my children were young, we lived at the back of the church, which had cast iron gates. Every night, my kids – four and seven years old then – would come and help me. They would be pushing with all their might as if they were doing this work. But little did they know that it was their dad who was doing all that heavy lifting. As the Bible tells us, it is Jesus who has done all this heavy lifting for us.

Be yoked to Jesus. He doesn’t lessen God’s demands upon us, but He fulfils it.

Come to Him. You do look so tired. You do look so exhausted. They said that the Jews looked exhausted because they were trying to keep the law. They said that Greeks were exhausted because they were always looking for religion or philosophy, something to be found to make them rest.

What about us? What about you? You don’t have to be exhausted. You don’t have to be tired anymore. Throw off your yoke! Come to Jesus and find true rest in Him.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, forgive us when we find rest by ourselves. It is elusive – we will never find it. Thank You for sending your Son. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for your gentle and loving heart. Thank You that you have fulfilled the law, thank You that You have brought us back to the Father. Help us to humbly come to You and find true rest. We ask this in Your mighty name, Amen.