Scripture reading: Psalm 145:8-14.

Sermon text: Matthew 11:25-30.

Introduction

When’s the last time you felt fully rested? Modern American society looks suspiciously on those who rest. Researchers tell us that few Americans sleep for the recommended 8 hours a day. Most Americans operate on a sleep-deprived schedule for most of their lives in spite of the verified medical benefits of a full night’s rest.

Spiritually, we also desire activity. Personally, I have great trouble with the verse in Psalm 46 that commands us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In the American church, “being still” holds no value. Our Christian bookstores have more devotional books for us to read; our churches more spiritual programs for our participation; and our television stations more programs for us to watch than we can count. Anyone who actually tried to rest and know God would quickly find himself facing a guilt trip from the more “super-spiritual” among us.

None of this fits the lesson of Jesus’ words in the passage from St. Matthew today. However, we need to know what Jesus meant when He said “rest for your souls.” Jesus didn’t mean a good night’s sleep. Instead, Jesus intends for us to live godly lives without all the stress most of us put on ourselves. When we live as Jesus intended, with the power of the Holy Spirit guiding us, we find that living the salvation lifestyle comes far easier than we imagined.

Sermon

Jesus had just spoken with the disciples of John the Baptist before telling His disciples about true life in Him. John had preached repentance to all who came to him, baptizing those who truly repented of their sins and sought to live godly lives.

“Godly living” had taken on a whole new aspect in the two centuries preceding Jesus and John the Baptist. The most strict sect of Judaism, the Pharisees, had attempted to help the people live by the Mosaic Law by eliminating any discretion from interpretations of the Law. Rather than expect the people to abide by the Law itself, the Pharisees had spent the past 150 years or so developing an oral tradition of additional rules to help people keep the Law.

Over the course of time, the Pharisees’ attempt had gotten away from them. By the time of Jesus’ birth, the Pharisees had added an additional 613 rules to the Mosaic Law, covering everything from washing hands to proper shaving for men to how far someone could walk on the Sabbath day. The number 613 didn’t come accidentally; there were 365 negative rules that stood for the 365 days of the solar year, and 248 positive rules that stood for the number of bones and organs in the human body.

Who could keep 613 laws on a daily basis? Even Jesus often found Himself on the wrong side of the Pharisees’ traditions. Look at the times the Pharisees quizzed Him about the disciples’ hand washing or castigated Him for healing on the Sabbath! If even the Son of God couldn’t keep these laws, who could?

This, perhaps, is the wrong question. Jesus could have kept the laws if He so chose; however, Jesus saw the 613 additions for their true value. These 613 additional rules were merely a way for the Pharisees to claim some sort of “super-spiritual” status in Judaism. For the most part, it had worked until Jesus arrived on the scene.

We shouldn’t think too badly of the Pharisees; we shouldn’t think, for instance, “we wouldn’t do anything of the sort to burden the people.” I’ve yet to see an American Protestant Christian that didn’t have an additional list beyond the 2 greatest commandments Jesus gave to us. If you’re an American Protestant, especially someone of the Baptist tradition, you know exactly what rules I mean.

Jesus recognized the real problem with the additional laws and rules we impose on ourselves and others in spiritual matters. Every extra-biblical regulation we impose reveals the true problem: We need God, but we’re too proud to admit we need Jesus to find Him.

Therefore, in the previous verses to our passage today, Jesus could rightly condemn those villages in which He had worked. The people of these villages boasted fine synagogues, upright citizens, and loads of Pharisees to help keep everyone in line. Sadly, the people of these villages were so caught up in trying to work their way into God’s favor that they refused to recognize Him when He appeared in their midst. These people had heard Jesus’ teaching and witnessed His miracles; yet they refused to confess Him as the Messiah because He didn’t keep their man-made laws.

Thus, Jesus could pray, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” The Pharisees and synagogue rulers who collaborated with them considered themselves wise because of their knowledge of Scripture and tradition. However, these people knew everything about the Law but nothing about God. The “little children,” those who simply trusted God at His word, would know Him and recognize Him. This should remind us of Jesus’ teaching, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Mark 10:15).

How could the people of Jesus’ time be so blind? Jesus stated a difficult truth: “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.” This should eliminate any notion that we can find God on our own; this should obliterate any possibility that we can earn God’s favor. We cannot find God unless we first find the Son. In the Son, we find life; without the Son, we will never find God, much less find forgiveness for the sins that separated us from Him in the first place. We must know the Son to know the Father.

Do we need God? Ask the people who try to find rest in every other way: through drugs, through sex, through possessions, through thrill-seeking. People will do almost anything  to fill the God-sized hole in their hearts: everything, that is, but come to Jesus, from whom they would find rest.

On the other hand, we should find comfort in Jesus’ words. When we come to Jesus for forgiveness — when we confess Him as Lord of our lives, believing in His resurrection — we know that He will “reveal” the Father to us. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him” (1 John 5:1).

Then, Jesus stated the real answer to our restless souls. “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.”

First, those who labor under the strain of life — who are “heavy laden” with the sins and guilt they’ve accumulated — will find “rest” in Jesus. We find relief from guilt when we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus alone for our salvation.

Next, we take Jesus’ “yoke” upon us. We do this by following Jesus’ commands rather than those of humanity. Jesus gave us 2 commands: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). When we keep those commands, we will by extension keep every other commandment in Scripture.

How do we keep these 2 commandments? We cannot keep them by ourselves. Anyone who tries will find it impossible. Instead, we keep them by the power of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus told His disciples of the “Comforter” in St. John’s Gospel, He gave them the clue to how His people would love God and others. We cannot keep Jesus’ commandments, but the Holy Spirit empowers us and guides us to love others as God loves them.

“Learn from me,” Jesus said. When we read His words in the Scriptures, we find His example of love for others. Jesus loved humanity to death!  Jesus loved us enough to die for us on the cross; He loved all humanity enough to die on the cross and face death. We learn that His love helps eliminate many of the temptations we face daily. We cannot remain angry with someone Jesus loves. We cannot lust for someone Jesus loves; we cannot treat anyone as an object if Jesus loves them. We cannot show envy toward others’ good fortune if we realize that Jesus loved them enough to bless them.

“I am gentle and lowly in heart.” These words would never enter our minds when we think of Jesus, but they should. Do you realize the power Jesus possessed as the Son of God? He could have ended history with only a word; He could have ended the crucifixion with only a muttered command to the angels. Yet, He gently persevered the dirt and crud of this world for our sakes. If Jesus can endure suffering for us, we can endure suffering for Him.

“You will find rest for your souls.” Jesus gives us rest through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As Saint Augustine so eloquently stated in the Confessions, “ Thou movest us to delight in praising Thee; for Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” We find rest from guilt, because we know Jesus has purchased our forgiveness with His blood. We find rest from fear, because we know Jesus loves us and has planned our futures with our good in mind. We find rest from the fear of death, because Jesus has conquered death for us and has promised us eternal life at our resurrection.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Unlike the yoke of sin, or the yoke of tradition, or the yoke of man-made rules, Jesus’ yoke is easy to bear because the Holy Spirit bears the burden for us. With the Holy Spirit’s aid, we realize that the “burden” of serving Christ is no burden at all. We experience our souls lifting in joy and praise as we serve Christ through our service to others.

Conclusion

Do you seek rest today? Do you seek to lay down the burden that weighs on your heart today? Jesus alone can give you peace and rest. Today, through His words in Scripture, He has revealed the Father to you. He has brought you to this moment in your life so you may see the Father through the Son and find rest for your soul. Come to Jesus, confessing Him as Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead. Rest is within your grasp, if you’ll only confess and believe.