“Finding Rest for Your Soul”
July 16, 2023
Matthew 11:16–19, 25–30
‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.”
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’
At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘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, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” This verse fits well on the wall art for sale at Hobby Lobby. Its comfort and promise reach out to provide a feeling of reassurance that the Divine cares about our weariness.
We are all weary from time to time. Three out of five U.S. adults say they feel more tired now than they have ever been.[i] Across the nation, the American Psychological Association finds that people’s weariness stem from a barrage of stressors that are mostly out of personal control. Concern for the future. A battered American psyche. Disheartened by government. Political divisiveness. Dismay from widespread violence.
How nice it appears, that God is concerned about our weariness. But, like all scripture, this verse needs to be put in context lest we miss the real point.
The words of comfort we all like in this passage comes at the end of Jesus’ words of judgment after the arrest and imprisonment of John the Baptist. People had criticized John for his asceticism — that practice of rigorous abstention from self-indulgence, strict self-denial as spiritual discipline. John, some thought was all gloom and doom. He preached messages that some did not want to hear. Remember back in Advent, John condemned the Pharisees and Sadducees saying, “You brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come.” (Matthew 3:7).
I remember my first year of college and the final exam in the class “Introduction to the Old Testament.” The professor was known to greet students with pointed words and this day was no exception. During the week prior, the professor had been fielding questions about whether certain things would be on the exam, things that he viewed as nit-picky and small.
“In the end,” he said, “I’m glad that I’m going to be judged by God, and not by you people.”
Just like the professor, Jesus is clearly exasperated with the people who are judging him. He has been preaching and teaching in bigger population centers. He has been doing the same work that John had been doing earlier. Tragically, John has been imprisoned for rebuking King Herod for divorcing his wife and marrying his niece Herodias, who had been his brother Philip’s wife. Herod’s marriage to Herodias was a violation of God’s law (Leviticus 18:16; 20:21). Herodias seethed with anger toward John the Baptist because he dared to speak out, and, to appease his wife, Herod had the prophet thrown into prison.
No doubt this stressed Jesus. Then messengers from the John reach Jesus to ask why, if he is the Messiah, he is not acting like a Messiah should and see to John’s release. One can almost read John the Baptist’s thoughts: “If he is the Messiah, why am I still in jail?” We hear the frustration in Jesus’ voice as he talks to the crowd about John’s true identity, and as he fulminates about who ought to be catching on to his kingdom agenda, and who is not.
Then, suddenly Jesus sees anew the people who had come to him and he thanks God for their presence. They are not the movers and shakers, nor are they the religious teachers and leaders.
In a dramatic tone change, Jesus says to them, “Come to me, all you who are weary, and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. This was not simply a matter of being weary over heavy workloads or personal responsibilities. Rather, he was talking to people who were tired because of religion. Tired of having to keep up with the rules the Pharisees fiercely enforced — do this, do not do that and when you do this you have to do it exactly this way. Following the rules had become the primary focus of religion and a source of guilt.
Jesus’ comforting words about rest is directed to those who are weary of being judged, who are burdened by religions rules and of being picked apart for falling short. These are the people who want to know one thing, Jesus.
“I will give you rest.” It is a promise.
Then Jesus said: “Take my yoke upon you…for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” After offering rest, this sounds like a literal burden to bear.
Notice that the offer of a lighter burden is not extended to the powerful and the self-sufficient. It is offered to the weary and the burdened. It is offered to those who recognize that when it comes to faith, they cannot fulfill all the rules and they cannot make it on their own, no matter how hard they try.
In some countries of Eastern Europe and Africa I have visited over the years, farmers still use a yoke to connect cattle to plow the fields. Spanning the shoulders of two animals means the work is shared. It cannot be done alone. To “take my yoke upon you” means the yoke is borne with Jesus and by his invitation. Good news?
So, what is the work to be done with Jesus? It is the work, the mission of sharing the Good News of God’s reign of justice come to earth. It is not to be undertaken alone, but yoked with Jesus and others in community. It entails a shift from thinking we have to measure up to all kinds of religious rules in order to participate in the mission.
Your participation in a religious community today is important. How you choose a church is very important. Take up the yoke with Jesus and listen for the good news. If you do not hear it or you encounter barriers to full participation, head for the door. But when you hear good news, take it into your weary soul and pay attention to the invitation from the gentle and humble heart of Jesus to join his work, to be yoked with him and others, making known his life-giving, merciful justice for all.
“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.”
