Rest for the weary. We have here— I. A BURDEN . 1 . Some are laden with sin. 2 . Others groan under the distresses of life. II. A RELIEF . 1 . Christ offers pardon to the guilty. 2 . Christ offers purity to the unholy. 3 . Christ offers grace for the needy. III. THE MEANS . 1 . We must go to Christ. To this end we must seek him. In his house; at his table; at the footstool of his throne. 2 . W e must approach him humbly. ... read more
Yet freely invites all to him. Observe that, whether by "accident" or "design," Matthew 11:25-30 are a statement of the good news contained in the expression, "Jesus the Son of God," while Matthew 12:1-8 leads us to regard him as the Son of man. read more
In Matthew only. Verse 28: An invitation to all who need him, and an unconditioned promise of welcome. Verse 29: A summons to submit to his teaching, and a promise that those who do so shall find rest in it. Verse 30: For his "service is perfect freedom." Notice the sharp contrast between the width of this invitation and the apparent limitation of the preceding statement (verse 27). The truths of prevenient grace and man's free-will may not be separated. read more
The yoke of rest. It is a common mistake to divide these verses and to quote the first of them—the invitation to the weary—without the others, which are really essential to the practical comprehension of Christ's method of giving rest; because it is in the conclusion of the whole passage that we discover how we may obtain rest from Christ. We must, therefore, look both at the blessing offered and at the means by which this blessing may be obtained. I. THE BLESSING IS REST . 1 ... read more
All ye that labour and are heavy laden - The Saviour here, perhaps, refers primarily to the Jews, who groaned under the weight of their ceremonial laws and the traditions of the elders, Acts 15:10. He tells them that by coming to him, and embracing the new system of religion, they would be freed from these burdensome rites and ceremonies. There can be no doubt, however, that he meant here chiefly to address the poor, lost, ruined sinner: the man “burdened” with a consciousness of his... read more
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me Our Lord here shows to whom he is pleased to reveal the Father, and the things said above to be hid from the wise and prudent; to those that labour, or, are weary, as κοπιωντες may be rendered, and are heavy laden; namely, those that are weary of the slavery of sin and Satan, and of the love of the world and the pursuit of its vanities, and desire and labour after a state of reconciliation and peace with God, and rest in him; and who, till they enjoy these... read more
50. The judgment and mercy of God (Matthew 11:20-30)The Galilean towns of Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum, where Jesus did much of his work, were not as immoral as certain Gentile cities of the Old Testament era such as Tyre, Sidon and Sodom. However, because the Galilean towns had witnessed the ministry of Jesus then deliberately rejected him, they would suffer a more severe judgment than the Gentile towns that had never heard of him. Their greater privilege placed upon them a greater... read more
Come, &c. Here Christ refers, not to sins, but to service; not to guilt, but to labour; not to the conscience, but to the heart; not to repentance, but to learning; not to finding forgiveness, but to finding rest. all. Here limited to those seeking "rest". labour = toil. heavy laden = burdened. give. His rest is given. Ours must be found in His gift. We have none to give. read more
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 shalt find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.THE GREAT INVITATIONAgain we have in this place, and in Matthew 11:27 preceding, words from Christ which demand that we hail him as God Incarnate, or a fool. That only he knows the Father, that he will give all the weary rest, that only those may know God to... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 11:28
Come ( δεῦτε ); Matthew 4:19 , note. There is less thought of the process of coming than in the very similar invitation in John 7:37 . Unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden . The toilers and burdened ( οἱκοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι ). Our Lord purposely did not define in what the toil and burden consisted; for he would include all, from whatever quarter their toil and burden came. But since the spiritual is the central part of man ( Matthew 5:3 , note), the more... read more