Matthew 11:28
NCV: Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. KJV: Come unto me, all ye that labour and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
First, Jesus talked to the people of Israel from Matthew 11:16a “But whereunto shall I liken (compare) this generation?” From Matthew 11:16b-19 Jesus compared the kind of generation, the people who were not responsive to God’s call, but when John the Baptist and Jesus came, the generation criticized them. From Matthew 11:20-24 Jesus prophesied judgments against this generation for their unbelief and not willing to change their lives and stop sinning. Still Jesus encouraged them to “Come to Him” for salvation. He was the Messiah. It brought a whole new light when I read from Matthew 11:16a and come to the end of Matthew 11:28-30.
The great invitation to this generation is “Come to Me.” The question is why? What did Jesus noticed about what people were going through? During that time, Rome Empire ruled most part of the world. They had millions of slavery. Rome was powerful. In the land of Israel, many were slaves for Romans. Slaves worked hard and carried a lot of loads. Some of the Pharisees and Religious leaders were not always kind to the people. This caused many souls to become despair. They felt empty and lonely as if God was so far away from them.
Jesus noticed the weary and burdened people. They were exhausted, very tired, weighted down, ready to stop and collapse. Jesus said, “Come to Me.” The question was why those who are tired and have heavy loads should come to Christ? Very simply, Christ will give them rest. What kind of rest is Jesus talking about? Christ is offering salvation, companionship, life-changing attitude, refreshment for body, mind and spirit, encouragement, motivation, new enthusiasm, new endurance, and new strength.
Jesus is saying to us, Come to Me. I want your friendship. I want to be with you. I want to talk to you. I want to share everything I have with you. Remember Rev. 3:20 if you will open the door, I will come in and have supper with you.
