“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Jesus invites all those who have become weary from toiling in sin and its consequences to come to Him personally: “Come to me,” He says. When we receive salvation in Jesus, He will take the burdens from us and “give us rest” (Matthew 11:28). The only requirements are to believe in Him and then to learn from Him how to live the abundant life He provides (John 10:10). Taking on the yoke of Jesus’ discipleship results in our finding “rest for our souls” (Matthew 11:29).

When we come to Jesus, He doesn’t abbreviate our account ability to God. He gives peace to our restless souls by providing us a new and less burdensome way to live in Him. He gives us true rest.

Daily Questions

1. In what ways do you feel weary and burdened right now?
2. What’s it like to experience the promised “rest” Jesus offers?

Daily Thoughts

Jesus, let our restless souls find peace and rest in You alone.

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Bonus Information

Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-29 are among the most comforting in the Gospels. The thought of finding deep, soul-rest in Him is certainly appealing in our turbulent times. The context for these words, however, might be surprising. The chapter opens with John the Baptist seeking confirmation that he’d rightly identified Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus affirms John’s previous confidence before telling the audience of the unique greatness John and displayed. Christ would then go on to declare a judgment upon cities where His work hadn’t been received before then turning to the Father in prayer. This leads into Jesus’ offer of rest-perhaps the very kind of rest that John needed as he followed events from prison. Christ’s recognition of our personal fragility-even in one as profound as John-seems to be behind His powerful offer of true rest.