"COME TO ME"
Matthew 11:28-30

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The Lord Jesus Christ came to men; now He calls men to come to Him. His purpose in coming to men was to save lost sinners: "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10); "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). He now calls lost sinners to come to Him for salvation: "Come to Me, all you 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."

I. The persons here addressed: "all you who labor and are heavy laden".

1. Jesus addresses "you who labor". These are the weary toilers. The Greek word (kopos) refers not so much to actual exertion as to the weariness that results from extreme straining. Christ speaks in particular of those who strenuously toil to the point of weariness in legal ways of righteousness. They labor to be righteous by their own works. Paul says "they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God" (Romans 10:1-3). They labor in their religious duties (e.g., fasting and tithing, as in Luke 18:12), and then labor more because they know all these have not been enough. If you labor to be righteous, you are seeking the wrong righteousness, and will never obtain the righteousness for which you weary yourself.

2. Jesus addresses "you who ... are heavy laden". These are the excessively burdened, and this explains why they are weary toilers. Christ here speaks of one class of people in particular. But His words are applicable to men in general. We will here consider the second group first.

i. Some are "heavy laden" with sin. Every man is heavily laden with sin, for his wickedness is great and his iniquity is boundless (Job 22:5). But few men are sensible to their load. These are those who will say, "My iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me" (Psalm 38:4) – "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" (Luke 18:13). Jesus here has good news for such heavily laden sinners.

ii. Some are "heavy laden" by religion. Religious leaders have heavily laden them with sectarian laws and human traditions purported to merit favor with God (as in Matthew 15:2). Sectarian lawyers delight to "load men with [legalistic] burdens hard to bear" (Luke 11:46), and "bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers" (Matthew 23:4). Some such burdens are negative, involving "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle" (Colossians 2:21); others are positive, involving duties that must be performed. Although the laws and traditions vary widely from sect to sect, they strictly govern what must or must not be done. Some are "commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth" (1 Timothy 4:3) – usually pork, or perhaps any meat but fish on Fridays. Some forbid certain drinks (Colossians 2:16) – especially "wine that makes glad the heart of man" (Psalm 104:15). Some forbid eating and drinking in a church building – but ironically provide toilets in which one may relieve himself of what he ate or drank before entering the building. Some forbid modern conveniences - such as electricity and automobiles. Some who permit automobiles forbid adorning them with chrome. Some forbid jewelry – even that like Jesus commended for the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:22). Some forbid women to wear cosmetics - and it does not surprise us that some of their ministers run off with women who do. Some forbid men to trim their beards and women to cut their hair. Some forbid the use of mirrors – claiming they cause one to be vain. Some forbid blood transfusions. Some forbid inoculations against disease – even in "life-or-death" situations. Some forbid seeking remedy from any practitioner of medicine. Some forbid military service of any kind – and some forbid even saluting their country's flag. Some are "forbidding to marry" (1 Timothy 4:3a) – as does one sect for its priests, and another for all its adherents. (It does not surprise that this last sect is now extinct.) Some require the "clergy" to dress differently from the "laity", and the "laity" to defer to the "clergy". Some require the observance of religious days and festivals (Colossians 2:16). Some require Sabbath-keeping (Colossians 2:16) – and perhaps forbid preparing a meal or heating a residence on such days. Some require circumcision (Acts 15:1). Some require adherents to confess their sins to their priests – and claim their priests have power to absolve their sins. Some govern very stringently what women may wear – sometimes upon pain of death for non-compliance. Some require women to defer to men - perhaps even to be their chattel. Some govern how often and at what times to pray, and in what direction to face. Some require hands to be ritualistically washed before eating (Matthew 15:1f). Some require fasting. Some require tithing – and some even demand written proof of income so they can ascertain compliance. I could cite more such burdens, but it would weary me too much to say such a heavy burden, and weary many of you too much to hear such a heavy burden. Pity the poor sinners who weary themselves to fulfill such a heavy burden. Truly they "labor and are heavy laden", and are excessively burdened weary toilers. Jesus here has good news for them.

3. Jesus calls "all you who labor and are heavy laden". He will freely receive any burdened toiler who comes to Him. He will reject none who comes to Him.

II. The promise here given: "I will give you rest."

1. This "rest" is a cessation from labor. But it is not the cessation from all labor, for those who enter this rest at the same time put on the yoke of Christ (v.29). Rather, this rest is the cessation of all labors that never satisfy, including those thought to establish one's own righteousness and those under the burdens of religious duties imposed by others.

2. This "rest" is spiritual, not physical. The curse for man's sin includes no promise of physical rest in this earthly life (Genesis 3:19). But Christ here in His gospel promises spiritual rest, saying "you will find rest for your souls" (v.29).

3. This "rest" is both negative and positive. i. Negatively, this rest is the absence from uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and despair. This is good news for those who wonder if Christ is capable of relieving them from their excessive burdens - for "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" (Romans 5:20). ii. Positively, this rest is peace for mind and heart - truly "rest for your souls" - for they are assured that "the God of hope [will] fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

III. The action here required: "Come to Me."

1. Coming to Christ is believing in Him unto salvation. This we know from the other instances in which Jesus called men to come to Him, and in which He equated coming to Him with believing in Him: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37f); "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). He who has savingly believed in Christ has savingly come to Christ.

2. Coming to Christ involves submitting to Him as Lord: this Christ requires when He says "Take My yoke upon you." One cannot believe in Christ as Savior without also submitting to Him as Lord. Physically, the "yoke" is a wooden frame designed to make a burden easier to bear. Spiritually, the "yoke" is the sum-total of obligations one must take upon himself. To take the yoke of Christ is to perform the service Christ requires. But there is a vast contrast between the yoke of legalistic religious leaders and that of Christ. The former are "putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear" (Acts 15:10). Christ says "My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (v.29). Serving Christ is therefore a "work and labor of love" (Hebrews 6:10) – such as is performed in glory (Revelation 4:8).

3. Coming to Christ involves following Him as Teacher: this Christ requires when He says "learn from Me." This we do initially when we receive His teaching that salvation is through coming to Him. This we do afterward in following His example when He says "I am gentle and lowly in heart" (v.29). To this end we will confess "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8) In all things Christ is our Exemplar (as in 1 Peter 2:21).

Have you come to Christ?

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