Matthew 7:28-29, 11:28-30 (NIV) 28 When Jesus had
finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught
as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. 28 “Come to
me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take
my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and
my burden is light.”
Our real education is more than our formal education. It is what we
learn and the way we grow and develop because of the influence of other people.
We are talking about what we commonly call our outlook or mind-set on life.
Who are we learning from? “Learn
from me,” Jesus says. The invitation is specific and asks for a specific,
deliberate decision to do that. We decide that we will seek to hear and heed
the voice of Jesus in the many voices that are speaking to us.
“Learn from me.” What kind of teacher was
Jesus? His authority was not overbearing, but compelling. He did not try to
convince people that they ought to follow His teaching. He left the matter of
acceptance and rejection to the mystery of divine will and the working of human
freedom.
Those who heard Jesus were astonished at His teaching for He taught as
one who had authority. Yet, Jesus said, “learn
from me … for I am gentle and humble.” Have you known a teacher like that?
Some teachers have to push us to get the best out of us. Others inspire it. “Take my yoke,” Jesus said. The yoke was
a symbol of the discipline required for learning – devotion time, coming to
Sunday School or to church, or participation in some other group that helps us
learn of Jesus – and, as the Living Bible paraphrases it, “my yoke fits perfectly.” The yoke fits. When we learn from Jesus we are and we do what
fits. It is what we want to do and it is the right thing to do rolled together
in a life of fulfillment and satisfaction.
“Learn from me,” Jesus says, “and I will give
you rest.” Note the promise that comes with the invitation. He does not say
we had better learn from Him, or else. He does not say learn from Him and we
will be happy and successful. “Learn from
me and you will find rest for your soul.” Jesus says that “rest” is not a matter of place, nor a stage
in life, nor something we achieve by any dreams that drive our life. Rest is
something that happens in our soul. If that rest does not come to our soul, it
does not matter where we go or what we do. We will still feel deprived because
we have not found “rest for our soul.”
Rest comes when we learn from Jesus. When we learn from Christ our
life begins to fit, the good parts and the bad, the ups and the downs. We find
ourselves doing what we are supposed to do and being who we are supposed to be,
regardless of what is going on around us.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope March 13, 1994
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell
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