Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the King of Kindness, extending a continuing invitation to each one of us. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus offers Himself: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy [well-fitting], and My burden is light.” We all know what it is like to be exhausted. In Jesus’ day, most people worked hard (using basic tools), walked everywhere they went, and had to carry water from a communal well. Even simple tasks were fatiguing. Thus, Jesus’ offer of rest immediately grabbed His listeners’ attention. Moreover, He invited them to receive spiritual, eternal rest. The farming imagery of verse 30 is consistent with the agricultural background of Israel. The “yoke” is shared with Jesus, Who is doing all the heavy pulling! Being yoked to Jesus is the best position in which we could possibly be, for He will keep us going in the right direction. His invitation to us, then, is ongoing: our work will one day be completed, and we will rest in our heaven-home.