Come to Jesus for a Change (Matt. 11:28-30)

This sermon was preached on 27/1/2013

This is a well-known passage to any who are familiar with the teachings of Jesus. It was said about halfway through his three years of public ministry. The first year had been one of popularity as people wondered if Jesus would set them free from their various troubles. Now, in the second year, opposition was rising against him and, as we can see from the context, rejection of his message was becoming frequent. The background to the passage is at least twofold. 

First, there is the rejection of Christ by the cities in which he had done many gracious acts, cities such as Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum. This feature has two important lessons for us. (i) Jesus indicates that there will be degrees of punishment, that those who receive more blessings, and rejected them, will be judged more severely than those who did not receive any. (ii) Although a community may reject Jesus, he yet offers blessings to individuals who will receive him. This aspect is also seen in his letters to the seven churches of Asia, for in five of them he appeals to individuals to come to him out from the backsliding and sinful churches.

Second, there was the onerous teaching of the Pharisees that demanded rigorous implementation of extra-biblical requirements and which became heavy burdens for people to carry. Jesus rebuked those who required more of people than God did. The Pharisees imagined that with their extra rules they were helping people to fight against sin. Of course, the reality is that mere external change is not of any value unless there is also a more vital inward change of heart. So Jesus is addressing those who have been given heavy burdens to carry by their religious leaders but who have not received rest of heart. If we are religious, it is a question worth asking ourselves, does my religion give me inner peace?

I would like to meditate on three pictures that are described in this passage: (i) a picture of those seeking life outside of Christ; (ii) a picture of what faith in Christ means; (iii) a picture of what the Christian life is.

1. A description of those seeking life outside of Christ

At first glance we might think that a great variety of lifestyles exists among those who hear the gospel. Yet, if we focus more closely, we will see that those who the gospel reaches can be divided into two kinds of people. There are those who are religious in their outlooks and there are those who are not but who focus on others ways by which to practice their interests. The same was true in Jesus’ day as well. Some people were religious and others were not. We can even see such differences in the previous lifestyles of those who formed his close band of disciples. Some of them, such as Peter and Andrew who were followers of John the Baptist, were very religious. In contrast, Matthew was indifferent to his religious background and worked for the political power that had conquered his people. Yet although people can seem so different, in fact they are very similar because both types of person are looking for something that can satisfy their inner longings. The need is the same even although the applied remedies are very different.

We can think first about those who are religious without knowing Jesus. Today there are many religions on offer and it is impossible to deal with all of them. Yet it is fair to say that most religious people are like those hearers of Jesus who wanted to please God and they had listened to the teachers whom they had regarded as most reliable and most likely to help them. Some had engaged in such activity for years. But what was wrong with their practices?

First, their religion was one of works. They were trying to please God by their own actions and initiatives and achievements. We see an example of this type of person in a story Jesus told about a Pharisee who was praying alongside a despised tax-collector in the temple – the Pharisee assumed he was acceptable to God because of his obedience to God’s law. He had no idea that he was a sinner, indeed he looked down on the tax-collector. The Pharisee in the story had not realised that by the works of the law, by obedience to God’s commands, no-one can be accepted by God. James tells us that if we fail in obeying only one of God’s commands, then we are guilty of breaking the whole law, for it is a unit. So no matter how accomplished we might be, it is inevitable that we will fall short of God’s requirements.

Second, their religion was one that was weary. Instead of bringing a sense of liberty and joy, the religious life they followed only increased their sense of frustration and disappointment. Their religion was making life difficult instead of setting them free. Of course, we can see that the problem was what is called legalism, and legalism always results in weariness because it all depends on us. In effect, these people had two burdens to carry: their burden of sin and the additional burden of wrong religious requirements.

Third, their religion would only lead them to endless woe. Instead of preparing them for heaven, the path they were on would lead them to hell. Of course, the idea of a place of endless punishment is very unpopular today. Yet we have to acknowledge that Jesus taught it very clearly. He said that there is a broad road that leads to destruction and on this broad road will be found many religious people. Jesus gives many warnings to dissatisfied religious people about the reality of hell. But he also says to them to come to him for forgiveness.

In contrast to, yet similar to, the religious person is the type of individual who looks for self-fulfilment in other ways. Usually this kind of person pursues various forms of pleasure, and such things are provided for all age groups. Now there is nothing necessarily wrong with the desire for pleasure because we were made to enjoy life. It is possible to define pleasure in all sorts of ways, but the gospel would just divide them into two. One kind is covered by the title ‘Temporary Pleasure’ and the other kind has the title ‘Lasting Pleasure’. Temporary pleasures, whatever they are, will inevitably bring disappointment and frustration. As the writer of Ecclesiastes points out, such pleasures eventually become vanity. To such, who have tired of drinking at broken cisterns, Jesus speaks with an offer of love and grace.

2. A description of what faith in Christ is

The term ‘come’ is one of several used in the Bible to illustrate how a person comes in contact with Jesus. Each of these terms helps us understand what faith in Jesus means. The imagery of coming tells us three things.

First, to come to Christ means to leave something behind. When I came here to take this service, I had to leave somewhere else. This is a picture of repentance as a change of direction, which is the primary meaning of repentance. It will be accompanied by sorrow for sin, but unless there is a change of life such sorrow is only remorse. Jesus tells his hearers to leave their religious attempts to win God’s favour and turn to him instead. And he also tells those who are looking for satisfaction in other things to leave them and to come to him.

Second, coming to Christ results in a relationship. It is important to note Jesus’ stress on the personal contact – he says, ‘Come to ME.’ It is like a marriage, for repentance can be described by the word ‘leave’, and the contact with Christ by the word ‘cleave’. It is a permanent bonding with one whom we love because of what he did for us.

Third, coming to Christ means discovering the immense grace of Christ, his limitless resources. If repentance is explained by ‘leave’, and faith by ‘cleave’, then the outcome is summarised by ‘receive’. The grace of Christ is full of what we require to meet our needs, be it pardon for our sins, peace with God, purpose for life, and the prospect of heaven.

3. A description of the Christian life

The Christian life means to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. To be a disciple meant two things: instruction from one’s teacher and imitation of his lifestyle. Jesus here identifies two features of the way he teaches, of the way he acts, and what he wants to see reduplicated in the lives of his followers. The two features are humility and gentleness.

The humility of Jesus was seen in his humble birth and background as he lived and worked in Nazareth. He was content to be a nobody. His humility is also seen in his behaviour, for example, when he refused the opportunity to be made a king or the occasion when he washed his disciples’ feet. What a wonderful example of humble service!

Many Christians have imitated Christ in this way, and let me mention three examples. John Bunyan is famous for his writings. One lovely aspect of his character was his willingness to do anything to help other believers, and in fact it was one such errand that caused his death because he went to heal a dispute between two believers and was caught in a downpour on his way to London, as a result of which he took ill and died. We may say, ‘What a waste!’ but as Bunyan and his friends in heaven today think of that incident and know of Jesus’ pleasure in Bunyan’s action, then they see the value of humility.

A second example is Henry Martyn, a brilliant scholar, who achieved a double first at Cambridge but discovered that he had grasped a shadow and humbled himself and went to Persia where he used his mighty intellect to translate the New Testament into local languages. One day he heard a Moslem insulting Jesus Christ and Martyn said that it went through him like a sword, and commented that he could not live unless Jesus was glorified.

A third example is a high-ranking civil servant that I knew in Inverness. Every Monday morning at 6am he went to the railway station because he knew that prisoners would have been released from Porterfield and would probably be lonely and perhaps afraid. He did this because he was a Christian who humbled himself to do what Christ had done for him.

Many of the stresses and problems we experience in life arise out of our failure to be humble. This was the case in the Bible, even in regard to the situation in the Upper Room when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet – they were arguing which of them should be the greatest, and what burdens developed out of that! This was the situation too in Philippi, as Paul reveals in his comments in his letter concerning two ladies, Eoudia and Syntyche.

A lot of our concerns are caused by our preoccupation with our position or with our rights. But Jesus models for us and desires for us an outlook that is totally different, in which we put others first.

The second feature of Jesus’ school is gentleness. We can think of his responses to the woman of Samaria, to children, to lepers, to the helpless. Isaiah depicted him as the one who would not bruise a reed or cry out in the streets. When he was reviled, he threatened not. 

Gentleness is not weakness, for it involves the courage to be different. It includes acceptance and forgiveness, sensitivity and consideration of the feelings of another. If we all did this all of the time, how wonderful church life would be and Christ would be honoured.

Conclusion

First, we have already thought of two background details – the rejection of Jesus by the cities and the burdensome rituals of the Pharisees. But there is a third background detail, which is Jesus’ claim to understand the Father. This means that the Father too wants those with heavy burdens and those who rejected Christ to come to Jesus for salvation.

Second, there is the futility of legalism. But in rejecting legalism, we are not to imagine that God’s law is not important. Jesus said that his yoke was easy and his burden was light, and there he is referring to God’s commandments. The apostle John says that God’s commandments are not grievous. These commandments are like a suit of clothes: legalism is a suit that is too tight, antinomianism is like a suit that is too loose, but obedience to God’s law fits our nature perfectly. It is what we were intended to wear. But we must believe in Jesus first.