The Invitation to Greatness
28. Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy ladened 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 you shall find rest for your souls.
30. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus’ Invitation is for Better
You and I will receive a number of invitations in life. You will receive wedding invitations, birthday invitations, and ceremonial invitations. There is something common about each invitation you receive. It is from a real person. They want you to spend time with them doing something. Their desire is that you share an event or a celebration so that you my enjoy time together. The reward for attending is that of shared fellowship and mutual benefit. While that may not seem like much to some, imagine not getting an invitation. Imagine not being invited to something. When others get invited to something and you are left out, there is an immediate sense of being devalued, and in some case disrespected. Invitations mean something.
In the Gospels, our Lord Jesus gave some tremendous invitations. Each invitation was to join Him and be enriched, involved, and empowered. Our Lord gave the invitation to the Disciples to “Come follow Me.” What was He asking. He asked them to give up their occupations and to be with Him as He introduced people to the Kingdom of God. O yes, they would have continued to live had they not accepted Jesus’ offer. Yet, they would not have witnessed the miracles, the Truth spoken, and the very presence of the Messiah. His invitation and their acceptance made life better.
When Jesus walked on the water, a Disciple named Peter asked the Lord if he could join Him on the water. Jesus invited Peter to come. There is always something to be gained when we respond to our Lord’s offer to come.
Why does Jesus want us to come to Him? Is there a benefit that we receive when we are in His presence? The answer is a resounding “yes.” Jesus came that we might have life, not just any life, but the life of God. The Greeks referred to this as “zoe” or the life of God. It was something that they could only refer to in their mythology and stories about the gods living among mankind. With Jesus, this was the reality. He came not only to show us the Kingdom of God, but to give us the Power of God’s Kingdom. Today, there are many who profess faith in Christ but they are living without the Power of Christ. When anyone responds to Jesus offer, their life radically changes and is enriched by His presence.
Please Respond to Jesus’ Invitation
Of all the RSVPs that you receive in life, this is the greatest. Jesus, Almighty God in the Flesh, gave the personal request for you to join Him in an activity. By the way, an RSVP is a French phrase “repondez s’il vous plait” meaning please respond. The first thing we note about Jesus invitation is that it is not selective. His offer is not to the elite nor is it just for the poor. It is not just for the Jew nor is it exclusively for the Gentile. Jesus’ offer is for everyone. Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy ladened. The Lord was calling everyone to come to Him and did not leave anyone out. For this reason, we need to respond because this is for those who are burdened with the cares of this world. The picture you get from this invitation is someone who is broken down and bent over and trying to carry a load that is too heavy.
While serving in the military in South Korea, I watched many of the citizens of that country carry loads on bicycles. One man had a stack of building materials on his bike and when he turned a corner the entire load tumbled over including him. He got back up, restacked the load and went a little further and the same thing happened. We are the same way with our lives. We carry a heavy load and think we can maneuver safely through life but end up tumbling over or even being crushed by the heavy weight. There is a better way to make it through life. There is a more effective way to live. It is found by taking the burden to Jesus. Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy ladened. We all have a load to carry. We all face heavy situations. The good news is that Jesus knows about it and wants us to bring the burden to Him.
Perhaps your heavy load is a broken or suffering relationship. Does Jesus offer you anything? Yes, He offers to take your burden but you must accept His yoke. The heavy load may be stressful situations or difficult family problems. Does Jesus want you to bring that heavy burden to Him? Of course He does. Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy ladened. There is no sickness, no financial distress, no grief or sorrow, or any other problem in life that Jesus will say, “I will not take that burden.” The Truth is, He has always accepted the struggles of people from all walks of life, for all times, and no matter what the circumstance. The only burden that Jesus will not take is the one that you don’t bring to Him. So, do yourself a favor and bring the cares to the Savior.
Who Wants to be Great?
Believe it or not, Jesus is offering to everyone the means to become great. Let me qualify that statement. This greatness is not measured by the amount of land someone owns, or the income they receive. This greatness is not a result of the acquisition of goods, investments, or stock holdings. This greatness is measured in “God terms.” It actually comes from the Hebrew word for peace. In that culture, people would greet one another with the word, “shalom.” It is more than just rest and relaxation. This shalom was a result of the peace that only God can give. This was Jesus’ offer and by accepting that offer anyone can lay down their own burden and follow the Lord into a state of greatness. What is greatness? In the Eyes of God, greatness is that state of being that gives someone complete rest from all cares. It is the life of “no worries” but it is also the life of knowing that everything will result in the very best outcome.
Have you any idea what people would pay for peace or the rest from God? The online source called Statista ©, reported the cost of mental health services from 2009 through 2020. Just after the recession of 2008, people spent just over $147 Billion. After the recovery in 2010-2011, the cost of mental health did not go down, it climbed from $155 Billion to $163 Billion. By 2020, this cost had climbed to well over $238 Billion. In light of the cost of peace of mind, Jesus offers peace to everyone and the only requirement is that you take His yoke upon you. I would say that is quite a savings!
Let’s unpack these verses and discover how we can possess this wonderful peace of God that will bring us greatness. First, Jesus makes an unmistakable promise that He will give rest. Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy ladened and I will give you rest. While that rest will certainly not end all the threats in life, it will give you peace of mind through every situation in life. This rest is described in Psalm 23. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want … He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. That is the rest that people seek. That is the rest that Jesus gives. His unmistakable promise is that He will give rest. My wife and I purchased a Sleep Number© bed and we have discovered one thing. While that bed has many health features and controls, it will not give you a good night sleep if you go to bed with trouble on your mind. That’s why I say my prayers every night and ask Jesus to give me rest from all cares.
Jesus also provides those who seek Him with a position to obtain rest. In the offer of come to me, the Lord does not treat the person who needs rest but gives them a position to accompany Him. Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy ladened and I will give you rest … take My Yoke upon you and learn of Me. Why is that? This position is critical to my peace and rest so that if I lose my rest and peace I immediately know that my life is out of position with Christ. We know something about that. Most everyone owns a cell phone these days and the number one question we ask on the cell phone is “where are you.” We do that because that position helps us in our relationship with one another. When that position is altered or has shifted, the rest changes to restlessness. Once you have tasted of Christ peace and joy, your position automatically tells you to get back into place and find the rest you need. By the way, it is interesting to note that Americans are spending nearly $170 Billion to know the whereabouts of others and use over 1.9 trillion minutes on communications devices. How much time do we spend talking to God? Here is the offer: Take My Yoke upon you and learn of Me.
Here is the wonderful thing about Jesus. He shares with us His Personal Care. The Lord does not give some generic brand of rest or shalom. Jesus gives to every believer His personal methodology of rest. For I Am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. How do you know when you have that peace, Jesus calls it being meek (self-controlled), lowly in heart (not boastful or proud hearted). That peace does not just come into your mind – it floods the soul. As it states in Psalm 23, the Shepherd gives His sheep complete rest. It is that point where the soul overflows and the cup of God’s rest runs over. This does not mean that it spills, it means it overflows with such joy and peace that problems have no chance to overwhelm the heart. This follows a rule in nature. The greater force will dominate the vessel. Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world.
The final note about Jesus invitation to greatness is that this rest is not produced by the power of man. Jesus gives the believer power to maintain this rest. To the child of God, this rest is easy and the burden is light. The reason for the lightness of the burden is due to Jesus taking upon Himself, the weight of our cares. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us that we must cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us. The power to maintain the rest is solely in God’s Hands. We all have a choice to make when it comes to finding the great Gift of God’s Rest. We can either trust God or go about our own way to find the peace. Either we can maintain that relationship with Jesus Christ by taking His Yoke, or we can walk away and pull the weight on our own. As for me, I choose to accept Jesus offer.