Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon for 7-19-20

Dear friends in Christ, “You are invited.”  Have you received many cards, letters or digital messages proclaiming those words?  I know I have.  Yes, even during this time of physical distancing, I have discovered any number of invitations in my mailbox.  You see this month I turn 65.  Those of you who have already reached that age probably know what the invitations are all about.

Perhaps six months ago the invitations really took off.  “You are invited to a free luncheon.”  “You and your guest are invited to a delicious dinner.”  Of course, if I attend, that means I will need to listen to the sales pitch of some investment firm that wants to help me manage my retirement portfolio. I was not too excited to receive those invitations.

“You are invited.”  I can’t tell you how many flyers I received from health insurance companies.  Each one welcoming me to a free presentation on Medicare, complete with cookies and coffee.  I was not too excited to receive those invitations either.

Then there was the lone invitation to a graduation party.  It was from my niece. Finally, last weekend she was able to invite family and friends to help her celebrate a milestone.  That invitation put a smile on my face.  I was glad to be invited.

Invitations are like that, aren’t they!  Some you are not too excited about.  Others you receive with joy. Today another invitation is before us.  Let’s spend some time thinking about this most important invitation of all.  It’s one that is sure to put a smile on our faces.  You are invited. Who extends the invitation? Who is invited? To what? Those are the three things that we will ponder.

I

Whenever we receive in invitation to some event, we want to know who sent it. So it is with the invitation in our reading.  We heard the words “come to me.”  We wonder who spoke them. Who invites us to come?  Simply put it is Jesus. Our text tells us much about Jesus.  It says, “All things have been committed to me.”  All things have been committed to Jesus.  He is in charge of everything.

Things of this world are under his control. What things might those be?  Things like your and my health or wealth. Things such as world peace.  And yes even things like a pandemic.  Our times truly are in his hands.

But it’s not just material things that the Lord Jesus rules.  He is also in charge of things spiritual.  All the mighty angles, all the heavenly hosts that serve him and those who rebelled against him, must bow before Jesus.

Our reading proclaims that all things have been committed to Jesus.  The one who invites us is the rule of all.  What else can we say about Jesus?  The reading reminds us that Jesus is gentle and humble.  Oh, how important that is!  The one in charge is not harsh or short-tempered.  The one in charge is not arrogant or self-serving.  Instead the one in charge is gentle and humble.

Not too long ago we celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday.  At that time we rejoiced to know that Jesus cares for his people, with the same loving attention that a shepherd displays for the sheep. What a blessing to have someone in charge of everything who is gentle and humble.

What else do we know about the one who invites us to come?  He is the one who died for us. At the time of our reading the Lord was nearing the end of his second year of ministry. He was riding a wave of popularity.  The crowds swelled. But soon all that would change.  A little more than one year later the people would be calling for his death.

Jesus willingly allowed that to happen.  With full knowledge of the future, with total commitment to the plan, Jesus marched on toward Jerusalem.  There he took the sins of all people upon himself.  There he made full payment.  This is the one who says, “You are invited.”

II

What a gracious invitation!  What a compelling invitation! But to whom is it sent?  Who is invited? Let’s look again at our reading for the answer.  Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened.”  The people to whom Jesus originally spoke those words were weary and burdened.

Think of the life of the typical Jewish person in crowd. Like all human beings they lived under the direction of God’s moral law.  The Ten Commandments provide a good summary of those laws. You shall and you shall not.  Every day the law of God gave direction.  And every day God’s people would have to acknowledge that they had failed.  The guilt of sin would hang like a heavy burden over their shoulders.

Add to that the various ceremonial laws associated with Judaism.  You remember that God did call upon his people to live differently.  There were certain foods they could not eat.  There were certain types of fabric they could not wear.  There were certain ceremonies that need to be observed.  There was a Jewish way of life that without fail needed to be lived.  What a burden!

Then add to that the rules imposed by the rabbis.  There were some 613 different laws that governed the life of the Orthodox Jew.  And I am sure that each local Rabbi added his own interpretive twist.  Oh my goodness, these were weary people.  Every time they turned around guilt greeted them.  There was nothing they could do to rid themselves of that heavy load.

The Jewish people who crowded around the Lord were weary.  They were not the only ones.  The non-Jewish people, the Gentiles, they were burdened as well.  They may not have been bothered by the ceremonial laws, or the various rabbinical applications.  However, God’s moral law still called them to be holy.  And the conscience of the person who really took a good look at their life would feel burdened. To such people, both Jew and Gentile, to all who were burdened with a load of sin and guilt, Jesus called out, “You are invited.”

Do you see yourself in the crowd? Do you hear Jesus calling out to you?  Do you feel the burden of a guilty conscience pressing down heavily?  There are times when I know all too well how the apostle Paul felt as he wrestled with the sin in his life.  In Romans chapter seven Paul writes, “What I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing… What a wretched man I am.” (7:19, 24).  All too often fellow believers, I wrestle with that burden.  How about you?  Do you feel the heavy weight of sin?  If so, Jesus invites you to come to him.

But wait, what if a person does not feel the load of guilt and shame associated with sin?  If that is the case, the answer is to more clearly understand what God requires. God is not merely looking for folks to try their best.  God is not asking people to compare their behavior with the behavior of others.  God is not just suggesting that we try to offset our bad deeds with good ones.  No, the standard God has set is this: Be holy as I the Lord your God am holy.

The standard is nothing less than perfection. God requires that we live according to his moral law every moment of our lives. If people do not live in this way, they are destined to die physically and be separated from him eternally. When a person understands this truth, when the burden of a sinful life settles in, they might cry our “Woe is me.” To such people Jesus graciously says, “Come. Come to me all you who are weary and burdened.”

III

For what purpose? What is the Lord offering?  This is where the invitation really gets good. Jesus said, I will give you rest.  The rest Jesus offers is not just a good night’s sleep. Although that certainly may be a result of what he provides. The rest our Lord offers begins with that burden of sin.

Remember what I said about the apostle Paul crying out, “What a wretched man I am.”  We noted that Paul struggled with a guilty conscience.  Well in that same section of Romans, right after crying out, Paul went on to say, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Jesus gave Paul rest from his burden of sin. He did that by taking it to the cross and making full payment for it.

Jesus offered that same rest to the people gathered around him. Jesus offered the rest of forgiveness to a dishonest tax collector.  Jesus offered rest to a repentant prostitute.  Jesus offered rest to every sinner weighed down with guilt and shame. He took their burdens to the cross.

The rest that Jesus offers does not stop in this world.  No, it goes on into eternity.  Heaven is often called a place of rest.  That is so because in heaven, people will no longer struggle with their sinful nature. No longer will a person’s conscience bother them, for they will no longer sin. Imagine that, a place where sinful thoughts, words and action will be 100 percent absent. Wonderful!

Not only will a person never struggle with their own sin, but they will also never struggle with the sin of others.  Other folks in heaven will live a sin free life.  They will never say words that hurt.  They will never carry out evil actions, because they will never think evil thoughts.  Rest from sin and all its consequences, that is what Jesus offers.

Think of just a few of the implications. If there is no more sin, there will be no more wars or fights of any kinds.  It means no more injustice.  It means no more poverty.  It means no more weeds in the fields.  It means no more illnesses of any sorts, no more masks, gloves, hand sanitizer or stay at home orders.  The list goes on and on. Jesus invites all who are tired of those sorts of things to come to him.  He will give rest.  Oh, how we long for that sort of rest.

As I thought about this section of God’s word one thing did seem a bit strange to me.  In the same breath that Jesus spoke about rest, he also talked about a burden.  He said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” What did Jesus mean by that?  What is the yoke or burden connected to following Jesus?

Jesus spoke about this burden any number of times in his ministry.  He told the disciples to take up their cross and follow him. He said, “in this world you will have trouble.”  He added, “If they persecute me, they will persecute you.”

Those who follow Jesus will face struggles or endure burdens. The struggle could be an internal one.   For example, the sinful nature will want to disobey God. The born-again nature wants to live for God’s glory. There is a struggle. The struggles may be internal or they may be external.  Those who follow Jesus might experience the discomfort of persecution.  That discomfort is the burden.  Such burdens do come to all who follow the Lord. God’s people happily shoulder such burdens.

We happily shoulder that burden because it is like saying thank you for a gift.  Think of a time when you received a gift or many gifts. Perhaps it was your birthday, or Christmas or a wedding.  You sit down to write those thank you notes.  They are not easy.  By the tenth or twentieth note you are tired of it.  But you remember with joy the gift that was given, so you happily say thank you.  So it is with the burden of living for God’s glory.  It is our daily thank you to God for all that he has done.  That is a light burden.

There is one more thing spoken of in our reading that Jesus offers. It is the knowledge of things spiritual. Jesus said, “No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”  Through his ministry, and through his word, Jesus teaches people about God the Father.  By watching Jesus, and listening to Jesus, we learn about God’s love and compassion, his holiness and justice, his power and wisdom.  All this and so much more is made known to us through Jesus.  Come and learn about God the Father.  This is part of what the Lord graciously offers to us.

Dear friends the invitation before us today is one that puts a smile on my face. That Jesus, the Good Shepherd, should invite a sinner like me to come to him is beyond amazing.  How it fills my heat with joy, and moves me to praise his holy name.  I pray that this invitation brings you joy as well.  And I pray that you join me in heartfelt praise.  Amen.