"Come unto Me!" Matthew 11:28
A few years ago, I did a study on Matthew 11:28-30 because I just had never studied this passage before. At least not to the level that I wanted. WOW! I learned so much and am still learning.
I did a personal study, then a group one and you would think that in my personal one (less than a month from each other!!!!) I would have pretty much covered everything.
Well, as is true every single time one studies God's Word, it is alive and active! And when one looks, studies, meditates and prays through, much more is learned.
What I hadn't studied on my own was the audience. In looking at Matthew 10:1 we see that Jesus assembles His disciples because He is sending out the 12:
Jesus called the Twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.
He gives instructions which we find in the rest of Matthew 10; then in Matthew 11:1 Jesus finished instructing them. The disciples go out and He goes to the towns and villages throughout the Galilee region - which is where He hangs out for the first part of His ministry.
At this point in the ministry of Jesus on earth, it was nearing the end of the Year of Popularity going into the Year of Opposition. We are told in Matthew 11:7 that Jesus began talking to the crowds:
As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him (John the Baptist) to the crowds.
I had assumed that this passage ("Come unto Me all who labor and heavy laden......") had His disciples in the mix with the crowd. They weren't there. They were out in the region telling others of Jesus.
Jesus is addressing people who had been living under the burden of not only the Mosaic Law but the hundreds of other man-made laws that the Pharisees, scribes, priests and elders were demanding strict adherence.
While we might find ourselves under these same set of circumstances, we can have similar ones. Ones which cause us to doubt ourselves, our walk with God, our motives. We might have rules we follow which we created in which we think demonstrates a 'correct' walk with God:
But Jesus looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7), He looks for and gives us faith (Hebrews 12:2), as well as belief (Mark 9:14-29).
Right before Jesus gives this imperative (a command) in Matthew 11:28, He had cursed many of the surrounding towns because of the people's unbelief - Jesus had been in their midst, performed miracles and given teachings, yet they still settled in their unbelief. I imagine people started to get a little nervous.
Belief, unbelief, faith, trust are all very personal, not meant for the crowd to hold, but the individual.
Then He gives this command - because that's what this is, "Come here! Come now!" He is telling them to come to Him. Not to the Mosaic Law, but to a person. To Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ.
Today, that command has not shifted nor changed. It's still the same. Jesus is saying to us to come and to come quickly. To come to Him, who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith, so we won't squander our faith, get lost in unbelief or get lost all together.
To go towards Jesus. Where are you going or running? Running to or away from Jesus?
PRAYER
Father, I want to come to You because I am tired of man-made laws, societal beliefs, and a to-do list created to please man, not You. Forgive me for leaving You on the shelf. I now run to You, ask forgiveness and turn towards You for teaching, yoke-learning and I submit to You fully and completely. In the Name of the Teacher - Jesus. AMEN
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