Come unto me, all ye that labor 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, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
"Dissect, investigate, and weigh the Master's teaching word by word, and each syllable will repay you.
But now you have reached the house of mercy, you sit and listen to each distinct note of love's perfect peal, and wonderingly feel that even angelic harps cannot excel it.
I. Let us begin at the beginning with the first REST, and here we will make divisions only for the sake of bringing out the sense more clearly.
1. Observe the person invited to receive this first rest: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden." The word "all" first demands attention: "Come unto me, and I will give you rest." A gift is not of merit but of grace; wages and reward are for those who earn, but a gift is a matter of charity.
2. Notice next, the precept here laid down: "Come." It is not "Learn," it is not "Take my yoke"—that is in the next verse, and is intended for the next stage of experience-but in the beginning the word of the Lord is, "Come unto me,"....Let your minds consider him who from his cross hurled the enormous mass of his people's transgressions into a bottomless sepulchre, where it was buried forever.
3. Notice next the promise spoken, "I will give you rest." "I will give." It is a rest that is a gift.
II. We must now advance to our second head—REST. It looks rather strange that after having received rest, the next verse should begin: "Take my yoke upon you." "Ah! I had been set free from laboring, am I to be a laborer again?" Hence in the text you will be pleased to see that
--there is something said about a yoke,
1. We will consider this second rest, and notice that it is rest after rest. "I will give you rest" comes before "Ye shall find rest."
--It is the rest of a man who is already at rest,
--the repose of a man who has received a given rest,
--and now discovers the found rest.
It is the rest of a learner—"Learn of me, and ye shall find rest."
After awhile the happy owner begins to examine his treasure. It is all his own, but he has not yet seen it all, for one day he detects a secret drawer...Have you found out the secret drawer yet? He has given you rest, but have you found the innermost rest which he works in your hearts?
2. Further observe that the rest in this second part of our text is a rest in service. It is coupled with a yoke, for activity—"Take my yoke;" it is connected with a burden, for endurance—"My burden is light." He who is a Christian will not find rest in being idle. There is no unrest greater than that of the sluggard.
3. The rest before us is rest through learning. ...you must go to school to Christ. "Learn of me," saith he, "for I am meek and lowly in heart." Now, in order to learn of Christ it is implied that we lay aside all prejudices of the past.....please to note what is to be learned.... learn from his example to be "meek and lowly in heart," and in learning that you will "find rest unto your souls." To catch the spirit of Jesus is the road to rest."
Charles Spurgeon
Matthew 11:28-30
"Dissect, investigate, and weigh the Master's teaching word by word, and each syllable will repay you.
But now you have reached the house of mercy, you sit and listen to each distinct note of love's perfect peal, and wonderingly feel that even angelic harps cannot excel it.I. Let us begin at the beginning with the first REST, and here we will make divisions only for the sake of bringing out the sense more clearly.
1. Observe the person invited to receive this first rest: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden." The word "all" first demands attention: "Come unto me, and I will give you rest." A gift is not of merit but of grace; wages and reward are for those who earn, but a gift is a matter of charity.
2. Notice next, the precept here laid down: "Come." It is not "Learn," it is not "Take my yoke"—that is in the next verse, and is intended for the next stage of experience-but in the beginning the word of the Lord is, "Come unto me,"....Let your minds consider him who from his cross hurled the enormous mass of his people's transgressions into a bottomless sepulchre, where it was buried forever.
3. Notice next the promise spoken, "I will give you rest." "I will give." It is a rest that is a gift.
II. We must now advance to our second head—REST. It looks rather strange that after having received rest, the next verse should begin: "Take my yoke upon you." "Ah! I had been set free from laboring, am I to be a laborer again?" Hence in the text you will be pleased to see that
--there is something said about a yoke,
which is the ensign of working,
--and something about a burden,
which is the emblem of enduring.
It is in man's mortal nature that he must do or endure, or else his spirit will stagnate and be far from rest.1. We will consider this second rest, and notice that it is rest after rest. "I will give you rest" comes before "Ye shall find rest."
--It is the rest of a man who is already at rest,
--the repose of a man who has received a given rest,
--and now discovers the found rest.
It is the rest of a learner—"Learn of me, and ye shall find rest."
After awhile the happy owner begins to examine his treasure. It is all his own, but he has not yet seen it all, for one day he detects a secret drawer...Have you found out the secret drawer yet? He has given you rest, but have you found the innermost rest which he works in your hearts?
2. Further observe that the rest in this second part of our text is a rest in service. It is coupled with a yoke, for activity—"Take my yoke;" it is connected with a burden, for endurance—"My burden is light." He who is a Christian will not find rest in being idle. There is no unrest greater than that of the sluggard.
3. The rest before us is rest through learning. ...you must go to school to Christ. "Learn of me," saith he, "for I am meek and lowly in heart." Now, in order to learn of Christ it is implied that we lay aside all prejudices of the past.....please to note what is to be learned.... learn from his example to be "meek and lowly in heart," and in learning that you will "find rest unto your souls." To catch the spirit of Jesus is the road to rest."
Charles Spurgeon