Hump-Day Hallelujah!: All Are Welcome

In the 29th chapter of Matthew, we see Jesus in a fairly common predicament. Curious individuals have approached him asking who he is, and why he is here, the people who should be most likely to accept him have rejected him and he has extended an invitation of grace to people en masse.

What is interesting about his invitation (Verse 28, 29), is the fact that he invites people to a yoke and burden. For most, the invitation to a yoke (a weight we carry for others) and burden (a weight we carry for ourselves) is not a delightful proposition, but a rather dreadful one. But in Jesus's invitation, he concludes that when you accept this invitation, you will find rest for your soul.

This contrast of rest and labor makes his statement sound like an oxymoron, but I can assure you it is sound. You see, when Jesus invites us to come to him, it is so that he can remove the weights and fetters of the world and replace them with an easy yoke and a light burden. The weight of the world includes things like pain inflicted upon us, oppression, abuse, poverty, stress etc. But Jesus desires to lift that weight for you, and give you a peace that only he can give in return.

So as the school year begins, and as you may be stressed about what your schedule looks like, what friends you will or won't make, or whether you'll be able to afford another semester, know that Jesus is calling you to him, so that you can lay those burdens down, and walk in the freedom, peace and Love that only he can give, and nothing you can do can rescend that invitation.