Take it Easy

There are many blessings in life that we enjoy. Things that we are blessed to do and experience. For example, my family are avid movie goers. That’s a blessing, just to spend quality time with family. I know some enjoy their favorite foods. That’s a blessing to have options beyond your daily bread. Some may have the opportunity to be employed doing what we love. That’s a blessing. Many of us take pleasure in serving other people and being a help. That’s a blessing, to be a blessing to someone else. But, church let me testify, out of all these blessing and things that we enjoy and experience, not to many things can compare to the sacred blessedness of the “after church nap”. (elaborate) Its so good because in most cases you can’t rest during the week. Nor on Saturday. But, Sunday you can rest.

Rest is an essential component in health. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood institute without rest its difficult to focus, recall memory, control your temper, recover from injury, grow. Lack of good rest contributes to High Blood Pressure, Heart disease, strokes and a long list of other physical and psychological problems. Your body needs rest or you will suffer. Your body needs rest. But so does your soul. (Elaborate)

Catch up from chapter 10 & 11 until v.25

Relationship

Jesus, above all else offerers relationship. This invitation to “come to Me” is a direct counter to the disbelieving described of Chorazin and Bethsaida. Jesus maintains the exclusivity of the gospel. In verses 25-27 Jesus explains the order of operations for knowing God(Exegete). He did not say, “Go to the God”, because you can’t get there to God on your terms. He says, come to me. And with these three words, “come to me” Jesus gives the solution to all of the demands, complaints, problems, and frustrations of humanity. (Preach) And how awesome is it to have someone we can go to for help.

And what I love about the this relationship with Jesus is that even though its exclusive in application, its universal in invitation. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden. The implication is that everyone carries some type of weight or burden, and if you are unaware, if you haven't accepted Jesus you are currently carrying the weight and burden of your own sin.

Rest

In order to know the significance of the rest is lets first discuss the issue of Jesus yoke. (Talk about the yoke) So, in Jesus first of all you cease from any work. Rest shows up twice in the text but what you can’t see in our English translations is that two different but similar words are used in the original language. The first is rest that involves ceasing from work and/or continued rest. Someone today might know this as retirement. Or even in our history, the joy our ancestors must have felt that they no longer had to get up with the sun to pick cotton because their work had ended when we received our freedom.

So, in Jesus we no longer have to work in carrying the burdens that life places on us. And here are the two definitive burdens and yokes that we give up working for, sin and the law. Matthew 23:4, burden on shoulders, Acts 15: 10 Peter “yoke of the law” Galatians 5:1 yoke of slavery. So, the soul is always at work towards a goal that through the law and pharisaic legalism that Jesus wishes to rest us from permanently. Imagine walking up a downward escalator and the escalator is moving faster than you are. That is what its like working your way to God, no matter what you do eventually you are doing down.

And Jesus’ yoke is still a yoke. You replace one master for the Master. He says make me your master and I will show you a better way. learn from me. The learning of from Jesus is the work of discipleship. The way of Jesus is better than that of the world and better than the law. Now, if you have accepted the rest in knowing and receiving Jesus we are not to return back to the bondage of the law or do things that Jesus does not require nor command us to do.

Relief

Here is your shout church. Jesus’ yoke is easy, and his burden is light. I l love how Jesus teaches us about grace through what appears to be contradictory statements. Because Yokes are never easy, and burdens are never light. These things are oxymorons. If I’m yoked then i’m pulling or laboring some heavy, if its easy its not a yoked. If i’m carrying something light its not a burden.

Pushing a car downhill, that’s easy. Pulling a car (Yoke work) uphill, that’s hard. Carrying one sheet of paper, that’s light work. Hauling a stack of books, that’s a heavy burden.

The question then becomes how is the yoke easy and the burden light. The answer is in in who your yoked with and the amount of work they do.

Past semester I was in a group and this guy, who I’ve still never meet, was in my group for a final project. I did all of the work, he reaped the benefits.