How Matthew 11:28-30 Invites Us to Come to Jesus
By Sarah Frazer
Bible Reading
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (ESV)
Growing up in church, Jesus was a familiar name. I never remember a time when I didn’t know what the name of Jesus meant or who Jesus was. My heart is burdened to know that there are people in this world, even today, who don’t know the name of Jesus. Whether you have been reading the Bible for a long time or are new to the faith, Jesus is the central figure.
Although we might love studying our Bible to see who Jesus is and what He is doing, we might wonder, what does that have to do with us today? Other than knowing about Jesus’ life and His teaching, what more is there?
Jesus is more than just a real Man who lived thousands of years ago. Jesus is more than the One who took our place and paid the penalty for our sins. Jesus is God and sits on the throne in heaven and intercedes for us. Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, and work today are all relevant to each of us.
Knowing about all of this in the Bible is vital to our Christian growth. Pursuing more and more the knowledge of Christ surpasses all that we could strive to do in our faith. Paul said it was something he wanted to do more than anything else in this world (Philippians 2:8-10). Is knowledge enough, though? Knowledge of Christ, although valuable, is not all that Jesus offers you and me.
More than knowledge, we have been invited to have a relationship with Jesus. God uses the analogy of a family throughout the Bible to compare our relationship with God, the Father, and Jesus, the Son. We are called brothers and “heirs” (Romans 8:16-17). We are related to Jesus as siblings. This type of relationship is more than just a knowledge of Someone.
One time, while on a short-term mission trip, a native girl found out we were from the United States. She asked us if we knew Michael Jordan. We all laughed. Of course, we knew who Michael Jordan was, but she was asking if we knew him in the sense of having a relationship with him. We explained to her that we knew of him, but we didn’t really know him.
Can the same be said of us and Jesus? Do we know about Jesus but not truly know Him? Even if you feel as if you have a relationship with Jesus, maybe something is keeping you from deeper intimacy with Christ. Let’s look to Matthew 11:28-30 to see how Jesus invites all of us to come to Him.
First, we come to Jesus with heavy burdens. You might imagine that you have to get rid of the things that are within you before you come to Jesus. Maybe you carry the guilt of past sins or the shame of choices that you have made. That burden does not disqualify you when you come to Jesus. Come as you are, knowing that the person you are now is not the end of the story.
Next, we come to Jesus, knowing we will never be the same. Come as you are is a common phrase in our world today, but the beautiful thing about Jesus is when we come to Jesus as we are, we don’t stay that way. When we come as we are, we acknowledge our past and our sinful hearts, but we also come willing to be someone different. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden…” But then in Matthew 11:29, He says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me….” We must also come to Jesus willing to change. We come to Jesus knowing that our old selves have been destroyed and our new hearts are now inside of us! (1 Corinthian 5:17) We are a new creation, and we come to Jesus so He can clean, heal, and make us beautiful.
Finally, Jesus says we can come to Him expectantly. In Matthew 11:28-30, we see one word repeated twice. That word is “rest.” We can expect that Jesus will accept us and that we will find rest. I don’t know about you, but the worries and stress of this world can overwhelm my heart. Coming to Jesus means we lay down our burdens, learn from Him, and expect rest.
Come to Jesus, friend. He is waiting and willing to accept you. His heart is already turned toward you. No amount of sin can keep us away from Him. If you are His child, through grace, you are saved (Ephesians 2:10), and through grace, you are already accepted as a child of God. Jesus is waiting to have a relationship with you. Come.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you’re struggling to feel worthy enough to come to Jesus, what about today’s verses in Matthew 11:28-29 encourage you to put aside your shame and run to Him in prayer right now?
Further Reading:
James 4:8
Jeremiah 29:13
Proverbs 8:17
Psalms 27:4
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/GordonImages
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