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Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

The Great Invitation? Or The Great Command?

Word Study: Jesus said “Come unto Me”. Some have declared that this section of Scripture is the Great Invitation. But that’s not what Jesus said. Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people when He uttered these words. The word “Come” is the Greek plural adverb δεῦτε (deute) used as an IMPERATIVE. The Imperative makes a command, not a suggestion. The plural means it is addressed to a group of people, not just one. As Jesus says it, it has the force of:

You All (or Ya’ll) Come Here Right Now!

When Jesus stood in front of His friend Lazarus’ tomb He used the singular form of this word: “Lazarus, Come Here {δεῦρο (deuro)}!” When Jesus speaks and people respond, the dead are raised, the leper healed, the blind given sight, and the deaf can hear. When Jesus walked this earth, He quoted the Bible, and gave 50 specific commands to those who would listen. Jesus told His disciples:

(John 14:15, 21 LSB) IF YOU LOVE ME, YOU WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. … [21] HE WHO HAS MY COMMANDMENTS AND KEEPS THEM IS THE ONE WHO LOVES ME; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.

The one who loves Jesus will keep His commandments. The one who loves Jesus will realize that His commandments are given because He loves us, and wants the best for us. When we neglect His commandments, we do so at our peril. Before Jesus uttered this command, He spoke on the dangers of worldly peer pressure.

Neglecting Jesus As Lord Leads To Destruction

Matthew 11:16-19 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But WISDOM IS JUSTIFIED OF HER CHILDREN.

One of the most divisive things in our world today is the misuse of social media. People do silly things on social media hoping to get a large following, hoping to “go viral”. They are not doing this to glorify God nor to bless our society. They are doing this to inflate their own ego.

Don’t this sound like social media. “Dance to our music. Agree with our assessment. We mourned, but you wouldn’t mourn. We celebrated, and you refused to celebrate with us”. Where is God in it? Where is Jesus Christ in it? He isn’t there.

John the Baptist “went viral” following God. Thousands flocked to hear him preach the coming of the Messiah. Many saw John baptize Jesus. Yet there were many more unbelievers who rejected Jesus as Messiah. They rejected the messenger, saying “John is demon possessed. He’s crazy. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about”.

And Jesus. Jesus can’t be the Messiah, because He eats with tax collectors and prostitutes. They said “Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.”. But Jesus said:

WISDOM IS JUSTIFIED OF HER CHILDREN

Those who hear the Word of God and live as children of that Word will always be proved right in the end. You may not have many “followers”. But if you love Jesus and do as He says, you will be blessed of God.

People mocked Jesus when He walked the earth, just as people minimized the God of the Scripture and killed His prophets. Why did nations cease to exist? Why are cultures erased from history? Why do people groups vanish?

The Pathway To Destruction Is When Peoples
Will Not Repent And Come To Jesus

Matthew 11:20-24 Then began {Jesus} to UPBRAID {oneidizō, reproach or revile} THE CITIES WHEREIN MOST OF HIS MIGHTY WORKS WERE DONE, BECAUSE THEY REPENTED NOT: 21 Woe unto thee, CHORAZIN! woe unto thee, BETHSAIDA! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in TYRE AND SIDON, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say unto you, It shall be MORE TOLERABLE for TYRE and SIDON AT THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, THAN FOR YOU. 23 And thou, CAPERNAUM, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in SODOM, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say unto you, That it shall be MORE TOLERABLE FOR THE LAND OF SODOM in the day of judgment, than for thee.

When Jesus went into the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum He did great and mighty miracles in those places. In the Old Testament, God called on the wealthy Phoenician port cities of Tyre and Sidon to repent, and they would not. God promised their destruction if they did not repent, and turn to Him for salvation. Jesus ministered in the Galilean cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida,calling on people to REPENT. He did mighty miracles in Capernaum, a fishing village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus told Capernaum “it shall be MORE TOLERABLE FOR THE LAND OF SODOM in the day of judgment, than for thee”. Sodom was infamous for gross immorality, whereas Capernaum was a quiet Jewish fishing village. But Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida’s sin was that they saw the miraculous works Jesus did, but rejected Him as Lord and Savior. Their spiritual state was actually worse.

Failure to repent, to come to Jesus, to take His yoke upon you will eventually bring about the destruction of a people group.

The Bible – both Old and New Testaments – is about Jesus. There are 300 specific prophecies that point to the identity, birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus told the Pharisees and Sadducees:

(John 5:45-47 ESV) Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. [46] For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; FOR HE WROTE OF ME. [47] But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

The Father is the Planner of the Trinity of God, but Jesus is the Mediator between God and man. Jesus tells us:

Matthew 11:27 All things are DELIVERED (paradidomi, to put under direct control) unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; NEITHER KNOWETH ANY MAN THE FATHER, SAVE THE SON, and HE TO WHOMSOEVER THE SON WILL REVEAL {apokalupto, to uncover that which was veiled} HIM.

When God sent the Prophets to the nations, the Prophets were the servants of God – but they were not the Son of God. The Father has placed all things in Jesus’ hands. When Jesus came, He did not come just as a Prophet. He came as the only One Who can show us the Father. The Bible says:

(John 1:18 ESV) No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, HE HAS MADE HIM KNOWN.

Jesus is the fulfillment of what the Old Testament prophets spoke of. The Way to God is only through Jesus. Jesus manifests the will of the Father to us. He said:

(John 14:6-7 ESV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. [7] If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. …

Jesus is the only Way to the Father. In the Old Testament, God spoke through the Prophets – but now speaks directly to humanity through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-3). Those who come to Jesus, come to the Father.

The Most Beautiful Command Of Jesus

Matthew 11:28 Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

By speaking to the crowd, Jesus is giving a general call to salvation. The problem I have with Reformed Theology or Calvinism is that they teach a thing called Limited Atonement, that Jesus died only for the “elect” or the chosen of God. Yet Jesus offers a general call to salvation. The Bible says that when Jesus died on the Cross,

(1 John 2:2-3 ESV) {Jesus} is the PROPITIATION {hilasmos, that which appeases or pleases God} for our sins, and not for ours only but ALSO FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD. [3] And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

And again in 1 John 4:14 (ESV) And we have seen and testify that the Father has SENT HIS SON TO BE THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.

When John the Baptist declared Jesus the Messiah, he said “Behold, the Lamb of God, WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD” (John 1:29).

Jesus is speaking to the crowd. Now we know that God knows all things. This is called the Doctrine of Omniscience (“God knows all things”, 1 John 3:20). God knows who will be saved, and who will not be saved. But the Omniscience of God does not negate what Jesus did on the Cross. The Scripture is clear:

(2 Peter 3:9 ESV) The Lord is … patient toward you, NOT WISHING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, but that ALL SHOULD REACH REPENTANCE.

(1 Timothy 2:3-4 ESV) This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, [4] WHO DESIRES ALL PEOPLE TO BE SAVED and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

When Jesus died, He died for the sins of the whole world, not just for those who would repent. When Jesus called out His Beautiful Command “Come unto Me”, He issues this to all.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto Me, all ye that LABOR and are HEAVY LADEN, and I will give you rest.

We bring our broken lives to Jesus. We bring our struggles. We bring our darkness, our inabilities. When you come to Jesus, you come surrendered. When you do, Jesus gives you rest. Salvation is a rest, a selah. When King David was being chased by his son Absalom, who wanted to kill his father and assume his throne, this was one of the darkest moments of his life. In Psalm 3 David wrote:

(Psalm 3:1-2 ESV) O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; [2] many are saying of my soul, “There is NO SALVATION FOR HIM IN GOD.” SELAH

The world said “If David’s son hates him so, he must be evil! There is no hope for David. David cannot be saved by God.” Oh, how horrible this was for David. But then he says SELAH.

SELAH means pause.
SELAH means reflect.
SELAH means stop.

David doesn’t listen to the world. He doesn’t listen to the discouragement. SELAH. He puts his emotions on hold, and runs to the arms of Jesus.

(Psalm 3:3-4 ESV) But you, O LORD, ARE A SHIELD ABOUT ME, MY GLORY, and THE LIFTER OF MY HEAD. [4] I cried aloud to the LORD, and HE ANSWERED ME from His holy hill. SELAH

David “LABORED and was HEAVY LADEN”. He ran to the Lord. SELAH!

SELAH means rest.
SELAH means surrender to God.

How many sleepless nights did David have before he came to the Lord. But once he gave it to Jesus,

(Psalm 3:5-7 ESV) I lay down and slept; I woke again, for THE LORD SUSTAINED ME. [6] I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. [7] Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

The enemy has no force on us when we give it to Jesus. We let the Lord take care of it. We give it to Him. We rest in the Lord Jesus.

At the beginning of the Psalm David was terrified and hopeless. But giving it to Jesus, he is now blessed.

(Psalm 3:8 ESV) SALVATION BELONGS TO THE LORD; your blessing be ON YOUR PEOPLE! SELAH

David understood that which we must all understand. “SALVATION BELONGS TO THE LORD”. If you want to be saved, you must, too, belong to the Lord.

A Proper Salvation Brings A Yoke
An Improper Salvation Is A Joke

There are some who profess Christ who believe the free gift of salvation comes with no obligation to God. In other words, I can be saved, then live my life any old way I please, without regard to my Savior.

That’s not Biblical.

Salvation begins with REPENTANCE. Repentance means to surrender to God, to give yourself to Him. Salvation brings with it a delightful yoke. Jesus said:

Matthew 11:29 TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

A “YOKE” is, according to Webster’s,

“A piece of timber, hollowed or made curving near each end, and fitted with bows for receiving the necks of oxen; by which means two are connected for drawing. From a ring or hook in the bow, a chain extends to the thing to be drawn, or to the yoke of another pair of oxen behind.”

A yoke was placed on an animal so that someone walking behind that animal could control it. A yoke symbolizes domination or subjection of the will. An animal in a yoke was not free to do as it would – it had to walk as the Master directed it. If you want to find rest in Jesus, you must surrender to Him. You must allow Him to put His yoke around your neck. You kneel before Jesus, and let Him be your King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Those who are saved are saved to Christ’s yoke. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He says,

learn of Me

Listen to the Master’s Voice. Do as He says. Love one another. Jesus commanded us:

John 13:34-35 (KJV) A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE UNTO YOU, That YE LOVE ONE ANOTHER; AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, that ye also love one another. {35} By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

As children of the King, we are to love sacrificially as He loved. We do not love the world nor the things that are in the world (1 John 2:15). But we do love our neighbors, and want the best for them.

We LEARN of Christ by studying His Word. We LIVE Christ. We walk where the Master directs. We are yoked to Him. We do as Jesus did. We hear His Words, then we put His Words in action. We DO what His yoke directs us to do. We do not walk and live blindly like the heathen, following the whim of the flesh, but we walk in the Word of our Master. We put on His yoke, and walk differently than the heathen. We walk as God’s own children, for we are God’s own children, born again by faith in Christ Jesus.

When you walk with Jesus, you find that His yoke is not difficult. Jesus said:

Matthew 11:30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

What does Jesus expect of us? To learn of Him. We learn of Him through the Scripture, then we do what He tells us to do. We pray, we love, we serve, we tell of Him, we glorify Jesus in our lives. We are to be overcomers. Jesus has overcome the world. We overcome the world by hiding in Him, by doing as He tells us to do. The Apostle wrote:

(1 John 5:4-5 ESV) For EVERY ONE WHO HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD OVERCOMES THE WORLD. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. [5] Who is it that overcomes the world except THE ONE WHO BELIEVES THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD?

Take Christ’s yoke upon you … and He will give you rest. Amen.