We are in the middle of a series entitled "Short Sayings of Jesus." Jesus was a master teacher who employed many teaching forms. He also uttered short sayings that are easy to memorize and have wide application. He used two types of short sayings:
Aphorisms, which are short, pithy sayings that express a general truth. Proverbs are mainly aphorisms (read and explain Prov. 29:1).
Mini-teachings, which briefly develop an important truth. Today we will look at another one of Jesus' mini-teachings. It is found in Matt. 11:28-30 (read). Only three verses, but so attractive and profound! I have been drawn to (and at times haunted by) these words recurrently over the last four decades. As I have memorized them and prayerfully pondered them, they have changed my life. I hope that, as we ponder them together tonight, they will change your life also. Jesus answers three questions about rest – what it is, where it is found, and how to get it. Let's consider each of His answers in turn . . .
We often think of rest as physical inactivity (e.g., a nap), or as "vacation" from labor. These are legitimate forms of rest, but that is not what Jesus is talking about. This rest is deeper than bodily rest; it is rest for our "soul" – our innermost being. And this rest is a rest we can enjoy even while we are working ("yoke" is connected to labor; SLIDE).
Where is this rest found?
Jesus says that soul rest for each and every person, rest from each and every burden, is found in Him. What an amazing claim! Imagine if I said this to you this morning! No one could possibly offer this kind of peace to everyone but God Himself. 11:29b is an allusion to something God offered in Jer. 6:16 (read). So Jesus is claiming that He alone can give soul-rest to every person because He is God with us ("Immanuel").
You cannot find rest for your soul in a religious philosophy (e.g., Buddhism). You cannot find rest for your soul in a moral code (e.g., Confucianism; Islam). You cannot find rest for your soul in self-actualization (e.g., New Age; self-help). You can find rest for your soul only in a relationship with a Person, the living Jesus, who is willing and able to give each of us soul-rest. This leads to the key question . . .
How can we get this rest from Jesus?
Jesus is just as present here in this room as He was when He uttered these words to the original audience! His offer is just as good to you as it was to them. Maybe that's why you're here tonight – to hear His invitation to be reconciled to God, and to receive it. If you do this, He will enable you to experience this rest in the way that He knows will best assure you (e.g., relief from guilt; hope for the future; sense of coming home; etc.). And then, as you begin to walk with Him, He gives you a second invitation to receive ongoing and deepening rest . . .
"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me . . . and you shall find rest for your souls." Rabbis urged their disciples to "take up the yoke of the Law." In other words, they were to learn God's Law from their rabbi, and then work to obey it. But such work leads to soul-weariness rather than to soul-rest (quote Acts 15:10). Instead, Jesus urges His followers to "learn from Me." Jesus replaces the Law with His own instruction, and He promises that learning from Him will lead to the soul-rest that the Law could not provide. But now we come to an interpretive fork: what does Jesus want us to learn from Him that will enable us to find rest for our souls?
One interpretation is: "Learn everything that Jesus teaches, realizing that He is a gentle and humble Teacher." Because Jesus is not harsh and demanding like the Law, but rather gentle and humble and helpful, learning from Him will lead us to God's design for our lives, and to depending on Him to enable us to live this way (in "My yoke") – and to the soul-rest that results from living this way. This is certainly and wonderfully true, and it is taught elsewhere in the Bible (e.g., Jn. 15; Rom. 8:4,6).
Humility & Soul-Rest
Many biblical passages forge a connection between humility and rest/peace, and (conversely) between pride and anxiety/fear.
Isa. 57:15,19-21 forges this connection (read). The Lord dwells with the humble to revive them and give them peace. But the soul of the wicked/proud cannot be quiet and has no peace.
Zeph. 3:11-13 also forges this basic connection (read). If we want to be able to take refuge in the name of the Lord, it is our pride that needs to be removed, and a humble heart is what we need to cultivate.
Read 1 Pet. 5:5b-7. Casting all our anxieties on to God cannot be separated from the more foundational posture of clothing ourselves with humility toward one another and humbling ourselves before God. If I am unsuccessful in casting my anxieties on to God, it is probably because I am not humbling myself.
Read Ps. 131:1,2. 131:2 describes soul-rest (SLIDE), and 131:1 explains how David has composed and quieted his soul. A proud heart – i.e., a mind-set that revolves around self, especially self-aggrandizement, self-validation, etc. From a proud heart comes haughty eyes – comparing self to and competing with other people (lured in by positive comparisons, then made anxious by negative comparisons). From a proud heart also come feet that are selfishly ambitious – pursuing self-validating, self-aggrandizing projects/positions (Jer. 45:5). Prideful activity springing from a proud heart inevitably creates soul-disturbances like anxiety. Conversely, "A mature believer leaves the clamor of proud ambition and rests in the Lord." (Bible Knowledge Commentary).
How much of your anxiety, fretting, frustration, etc. is due to a proud heart, haughty eyes, and ambitious feet? While there are other reasons for anxiety, I have found that it is the main reason for mine ("With the credit comes the stress . . .").
Jesus is ready and willing to teach us humility so we can have soul-rest. Jesus has to teach us this, because we cannot manufacture it ("Self cannot cast out self;" it will only morph). But we can be receptive students, and there are biblical insights into what this receptivity looks like. Here are some that are helpful for me. I can only explain them briefly, so note which one(s) arrests you, and pursue it/them before God.
Ask God to reveal your personal pride style and sensitize you to it (Ps. 139:23,24). Pride comes with its own cloaking device; it's always easier to recognize in others than in yourself. Christian pride is even more subtle and easier to deny because we do so many genuinely good things. Ask God: "How do I boast, indulge in self-pity, etc.?" "With whom do I compare and compete?" "What are my self-coronation projects?" Get used to admitting your answers to others, because pride is like fungus – it grows in the darkness, but shrinks in the light.
Couple deeper insight into your pride (above) with increasing thanksgiving and praise to God, and to creatively appreciating and esteeming others. This helps you to grow healthily "small," while God grows "big" and others become "teammates."