Weary? Enter Christ's Rest

October 31st, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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.”

Having made clear that He has all authority, Jesus gives a universal call to “all who are weary and heavy laden,” or more literally, “all who are exhausted under the heavy load placed on you.” Jews felt the burden of the Mosaic Law, as they should have. It was arduous! Paul spoke of the Law as a burden, or “yoke,” upon the neck of the disciples that neither their patriarchs nor anyone else was able to bear (Acts 15:10; cf. Gal. 5:1; 1 Tim. 6:1). Likewise, Jesus spoke of a tiresome burden as a “yoke.” Literally, a yoke is a wooden bar that allows two or more animals to be coupled so that they might work in unison (cf. Num. 19:2; 1 Kings 19:19; Job 1:3).

Metaphorically, the “yoke” signifies bondage under some cruel authority. From man-made rules and regulations that keep people from serving God joyfully to carrying a burden of guilt, Jesus welcomes “all” to abandon that burdensome yoke for His light yoke. Although Jesus was not proposing less from those who followed Him, His yoke was of service based on thankfulness, not feeble attempts at meritorious works to earn salvation.

Jesus desires to “give you rest”—to refresh the downtrodden soul that desires to please God. The verb does not promise a complete cessation from all labor but an exchange of burdensome labor for restful labor. Throughout the OT, rest is a common theme. The Israelites who hardened their hearts at Meribah and Massah (Exod. 17) were condemned to not enter into God’s rest (Ps. 95:7-9, 11). The author of Hebrews quotes this passage 1500 years later then warns professed believers to not make the same mistake of doubting God: “Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God” (Heb. 3:12).

Rest comes as a positive consequence of heeding Jesus’ teaching to “learn from Me” (v. 29). Of course all true disciples of Christ submit themselves to His authority. They learn from Him by listening to Him through studying Scripture. When one commits himself to Christ, he commits himself to learning from Christ, to growing in the knowledge of Him with the goal of being like Him. In fact, the verb “learn from Me” is actually “become My disciple” with an emphasis on “My” in order to exhort the listener to move away from any and all other authorities.

Welcoming the weary-hearted to Himself while reminding them that He is “gentle and humble in heart” was not something any other rabbi did. Unlike the rabbis, Jesus left His eternal throne in heaven and took the form of a servant on earth among men (Phil. 2:7). He did not pretend to be lowly; He became lowly. Those who wish to learn from Him learn lowliness, meekness, and gentleness. They learn to work hard, but they rest in the eternal gift Christ gives them for being His disciples. They no longer carry the burden of worrying about their souls, whether they are good enough to earn salvation, or whether the guilt of their sin is remembered by God. They find rest in Christ, both now and for eternity. The yoke of Jesus is “easy” and His “burden is light” (v. 30). His followers no longer serve God wondering whether He will accept them; they serve Him with joy based on the rest He gives to them.

Food For Thought
All who hurt and feel the burdens of life are invited to fall into Jesus’ arms for rest. They will cease striving to please our holy God based on their merits and will rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross who paid the full penalty for their sin—death. For the Christian, every day is a Sabbath Day of rest, having laid aside our efforts to earn God’s favor. We are now free from fear, uncertainty, guilt, insignificance, and emptiness. We rest today and forevermore!