Three Questions
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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.” -
What Jesus is like
What Jesus asks
What he does
If I were to say to you come all you weary and burdened and I, Kelvin will give you rest, you would think who does he think he is? If I was a psychotherapist or a counsellor or a guru of some sort, you would still take some convincing if I were to point to myself and say ‘I will give you rest.’ This very statement I will give you rest invites us to look at the one who is making the invitation. And that's a good place to begin this session we will ask three questions that will set up our series, a weekend of rediscovering Jesus. It's not a character study of the son of God, the person of Christ and yet he is saying to us this morning come to me the person. Jesus is inviting you to come. So these are the three questions connected to this invitation
Three Questions
Jesus - what is he like - what does he ask - what does he do?
What is he like?
The risen Christ here now says ‘come’ - but what is he like if I do come to him?
These are not the words of a Christian leader of the past, we must hear them afresh today.
Jesus speaking directly to you, this minute. He is risen, he is our advocate in heaven and he makes a personal invitation that requires a personal response from us from you here and now.
This weekend is called ‘Come all you weary’ - words of Jesus and there's a part of me that thinks if we get a lot of weary people and people with burdens into the auditorium it's not going to be a barrel of laughs but that's a me perspective. If I am the one who is saying ‘come all you weary and heavy burdened,’ I'm going to disappoint you.
(a) But here's the first thing, the very invitation tells us what he is like even before he says ‘I am meek and lowly of heart.’ An invitation to ‘come all you weary’ implies if we get all these complexities into this ‘Octag’ - complexities of hurt, labour, sadness, betrayal, lostness, burdens of sin, sickness, financial issues, substance abuse drink/drugs, porn – weary-heavy burdens we would need a special kind of counsellor - a wonderful counsellor a peace Prince, everlasting Father mighty God - and friends he is here and it is he who says ‘come to me’. Here today the invitation tells us what he is like.
(b) Secondly, the invitation contains a self-description. This is the only place in the Bible where Jesus tells us what he is really like. He doesn't say he's joyful and generous of heart, not unselfish nor servant-hearted, not unconditionally loving-hearted, not compassionate nor caring – he is all of the above but Christ’s self-description is this “I am gentle and lowly of heart” (meek and humble).
The core of who I am, Jesus says to you today - I am gentle and humble this is my raison d'etre. In the one time, Jesus self-reveals, and self-defines his innermost being he says ‘gentle and lowly’
Gentle - meaning not harsh, not reactionary not judgmental not impatient - gentle.
Lowly - meaning humble, not as a virtue but unimpressive, ‘of humble beginnings’ - lowly
Not the ‘life and soul’ type of person, in this context, lowly means accessible. We read in Matthew 11:27 that he is unique, He has all the authority of the Father but here today he is saying a triple AAA: ‘I am approachable and accessible and accommodating to you, come as you are.’ This is what our Lord is like today.
Personal Story – The Lake of Tears (Psalm 56:8)
For those who come, Jesus cannot be anything but gentle…. That’s what he is like.
Come with your doubts, quirks, failures, fears, worries and sinfulness. It can never outweigh his gentleness
What does he ask?
This is is what he asks – ‘take my yoke and learn from me.’
It could well be that this is an illustration from the Carpenter shop - working with his father Joseph in the family business he would have crafted yokes - the harness between two oxen. ‘My yoke is easy’ may have been a slogan. Farmers would often tie a younger ox into an older one to learn from the older about ploughing a field and the older and larger would take most of the load. It is not such a familiar illustration for today, but it is important to follow the invitation to come with - what Jesus asks of you. And here it - is ‘take my yoke’ upon you.
In the context of Jesus speaking to a crowd, these same people had the yoke of the Pharisees on them - burdens of rules and regulations. On top of the commandments in the scriptures, they had added another few hundred yoke of rules and rituals that they had to keep or perform to please and appease God before he will except you. Such a heavy yoke - a crushing burden.
If you are from a religious background, you may have similar burdens – how holy you must be to be acceptable to God – ‘be ye holy as I am holy.’ Christians here today may feel that yoke of ‘doing stuff’ to be a good Christian or the yoke of guilt from failing - but remember the meaning of grace is that Jesus has done it all already.
If you were not brought up to be religious then the burden of being good and nice and the crush of failure is also a reality - turning to tablets, drink, drugs or some kind of escape which is just another yoke that will weigh you down sooner or later.
What does Jesus ask of you? ‘Take my yoke learn from me.’
Ye,s there is a yoke…. You are no longer of the world, but his yoke is easy and light because by faith we rely on Jesus for everything. He is not calling us to slave labour, not burdening us with loads of things to do that will lead to our salvation. He is our saviour - yoking up with him will relieve your burdens.
Story of Roger. Roger was not religious, he had carried a lifelong burden of being responsible for the death of his father. After we prayed, I asked how he felt now. He said just one word ‘lighter.’ (His burden had been lifted).
I'm not saying life will be easy or easier, Matthew 7:14 says ‘the way is hard,’ John 17:33 says ‘in this world you will have trouble,’ Matthew 5:11 says ‘blessed are you when people revile and persecute you.’ The comforting thing is Jesus Christ invites us to be yoked with him in the midst of trials and turmoil. Take my Yoke is what he asks.
What does he do?
Thirdly, what does he do - I will give you rest – and that's a promise!
When I was coming up to retirement, I sensed the Lord saying to me, ‘You may rest from your labours.’ It was on the 2nd April 2018, Sheldon Retreat Centre, Exeter. I realised I had been driven to labour, to do, in these forty years since my accident. On rare occasions I experienced the discipline of rest, being, Ignatius meditating, resting in art, in worship and adoration. It has not been the norm for me – it is good to remind ourselves of the Rest we find in Christ – a,b,c
(a) the rest of grace trusting in Jesus, trusting that Jesus has done it all. Nothing I can do to gain my salvation or forgiveness or peace - he has done it all. That's the grace of our LJC. In answer to all of my striving to be good, to serve, to please - Jesus says rest, as the army Sergeant says to his troupe ‘at ease,’ that's the rest of grace.
(a2) There is the rest of forgiveness - knowing he has taken our sin and shame perhaps you can’t believe he has really forgiven you. Still feel condemnation. Hear it again – ‘there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ,’ that's the rest of forgiveness freedom from condemnation. (Romans 8:1)
(a3) there is the rest of forgiving others – ‘forgiven people are forgiving people.’
Context: The three cities mentioned in Matthew 11:20-24, failed to repent, ‘woe to you.’
Repent can mean turning back to God, Repent also means acknowledging that what you've done is sin. Maybe it's not such a big deal to you - no major falls or failings In your life - if you have been forgiven a little you may only love a little.
(b) Physical rest. Think about it, Adam’s first day on earth was a rest day. His first lesson was about work and life balance. Adam was created on day six and the seventh day was a Sabbath. Adam and Eve got to spend some time together.
(c) There is rest for your souls – interesting, ‘for your souls’ the very part of us that will survive our last breath and go onto ‘eternal rest’ or ‘eternal unrest’ is the most neglected part of our being.
In the last 30 years, there has been a real upsurge in spirituality. Chaplains in hospitals are now called Spiritual Carers and their departments are Department of Spirituality and Pastoral Care. But don't you dare mention the idea that a soul could be heading for a state of unrest (where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth).
Then along comes Jesus and he says come to me a personal invitation and what will he do for you?
You will find rest for your souls. Death is not the end but the only way to find rest for your soul is by coming to Jesus.
Have you come to him will you come to him? Do you need to come back to him - this is the right place and the right weekend for you to do just that.
Holy Space
Take time to be quiet and attentive to God’s presence and small voice here for you right now.
Hear his invitation – Come to me…. Imagine your response, what do you want to say to him?
Weary ….. Why are you weary, tell the Lord
Burdened …… What are your burdens, tell the Lord
I will give you Rest … What does Rest look like for you? Receive his rest.
Be in prayerful, spacious stillness. Do not rush – not everyone finds reflection easy
Stay where you are or go for a walk, find some personal space
Three Questions
