Banwell Methodist Church

25th January 2009

Rest & Recruitment

Matthew 11:28-30

It always used to seem to me that this gracious invitation appeared to

come out of the blue in Matthew XI – but in fact that isn’t the case it is
firmly in its context.
28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light.”

It is important for us to read the beginning of this section in v 25

25
At that time Jesus said, . . .
Jesus is here confronted with varying degrees of doubt and disbelief of His
message. It must have been hard to face up to His cousin’s imprisonment
and doubts.
He points out how He was received in comparison to John the Baptist – and
clearly Jesus is upset about the lack of faith in those cities where He had
worked many miracles.
The cities that Jesus marked out for criticism were not particularly evil –
but they had seen the miracles He did – and greeted Him with indifference
In our own day the Lord is not known, and where He is known he is
rejected in favour of materialism and humanism.
How does the Lord react? His reaction – and His gracious invitation will
provide us with a suitable passage for the first Sunday of 2009:

• Jesus responds to the situation in the early verses of the chapter.

• In verses 25-26 Jesus thanks His Father for revealing the truth not to
the wise and learned – but to little children. (Truth for young
minds)

• In verse 27 He sets out the rules for knowing God (How to know
the Truth)

• In verses 28-30 He invites the weary to find rest and recruitment.

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Jesus coping with indifference vv 1-24

• John’s doubts in prison (1-6)

• The peoples’ attitude to Him (19)

• The unrepentant cities (20-24)

He does respond with condemnation for unbelief and indifference – but His
response is notable for the way it is shown in 25-30

• In a word of praise to God

• In a reflection on God’s ways

&

• In a gracious invitation

Truth for young minds vv 25,26

25
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned,
and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good
pleasure.

Will the Lord call down fire on those cities – no! Their judgement time will
come. Instead He speaks to His Father and marvels at the greater mystery
of God’s ways. He does not make Himself known to those who are wise
and learned – but instead to those who are unschooled in the ways of an
indifferent world – to young minds known for their openness.

How do we react to indifference and hostility? By resentment, by

retreating into ourselves – by turning away from active witness?

The attitude of Jesus Himself is, as always, instructive – and it leads to a

reflection on HOW GOD’S WORDS WILL BE RECEIVED.
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It is a seeming contradiction – but what a source of encouragement. I

may not understand the wonders of the Law or the Prophets – especially
not the traditions of the elders – but if I come to God with the directness
and openness of a child it will be the Father’s good pleasure to share them
with me!

The reaction of Jesus shows us how we are to measure the response to the
Gospel. He shares with His Father praise that the Father’s good pleasure is
being worked out – even when the world is indifferent and materialistic.

Do we praise God that He is working His purpose out?

Or do we dwell on difficulties of communicating His Gospel?

Many folks think that finding God is a complicated and long process – best
suited to people who are already “religious” and maybe know lots about
the Bible. The religious leaders of Christ’s day qualified for that description
– but usually missed out on any meaningful relationship with the Saviour.

Jesus reminds us that the truth about God can be grasped by “little
children”.

Being open-minded and having a simple faith is much more effective. How
easily we grow out of that! Here the criterion is helplessness rather than
knowledge.

Having reminded us of that principle, Jesus moves on to give some lessons

about:

Rules for knowing God v27

27
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the
Son except the Father, and no-one knows the Father except the Son and
those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

The one essential truth here is: KNOWING JESUS

Knowing Jesus, who explains the relationship He has with the Father – an
utterance that caused His hearers to conclude that He was claiming deity –
and so He is.
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God has committed all things to His Son – all understanding of God’s
nature is revealed through Jesus.

This is an exclusive claim – similar to that in John:

I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father but by
me!

Jesus does not “adjust His teaching to accommodate doubt – but He

reinforces His authority!”

You want to know God – you must know Jesus!

And so, in the light of these things we come to the famous words of 28-30:-

Rest and Recruitment vv28-30

28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light.”

There are four parts to these memorable words:

1. A two-fold invitation “Come… take. . .”

We are back with our central theme COMING and GOING

Jesus does not only offer comfortable words – He gives a NEW PURPOSE.

He wants to replace one burden with another – one troubling concern

with a life’s ambition, one puzzled view of the way things look – with a
new horizon full of exciting challenge!

2. A Person “I am gentle and humble in heart. . .”

The leaders of Our Lord’s time were often demanding and strict – He offers
us a teacher and role model of an altogether different kind.

One not diverted from the truth – but gently persuasive and humble in
outlook.

3. A promise “you will find rest for your souls”

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There is a match with Isaiah 55 where we are offered that which satisfies
and does good to the SOUL! A deeper more spiritual rest than any that
the world can offer.

Rest for the weary! And at a deeper level.

It seems suggestive to me as I read these familiar words again how Jesus

is describing not a once for all moment of change – but a steady, indeed
progressive “finding rest for your soul. . .”

And that is linked with the final point:

4. A responsibility “take my yoke upon you. . .”

“This is coming and going – coming to Him, coming alongside Him and
accepting His task in this indifferent world.”

What does my Lord offer me for the year to come?

He reflects upon the difficulties faced by those who seek to share His truth
and His gospel – not by complaint but by praise
Not by compromising the truth but by reasserting it
Reminding us that His word is received by “children”
Reassuring us that He is the centre of God’s truth

And so He invites us to COME to Him – and to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

It is a GENTLE RESPONSIBILITY as befits the One whose yoke is easy and
whose burden is light.
We come alongside Him who takes the weight – in the same way as He has
purchased by His own blood all that is needed for our salvation.
We take His yoke – share His task, ambition, desire, resolution. . .
We come in order that we may go:
Go into the world of gentle steady but authoritative witness.
“This is coming and taking – coming to Him, coming alongside Him and
accepting His task in this indifferent world.”
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God give us the grace to accept both the REST and the RECRUITMENT!