“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.” ~Matthew 11: 28-29
The eleventh chapter of Matthew’s gospel leads off with people anxious about Jesus’ role as Messiah. This was followed by examples of those who, seeking any excuse to justify themselves, sought to tear down the righteous. Then Jesus, as the Son of God pronounced divine judgment on the cities that rejected Him. Because He does not condemn anyone without providing a peaceful means of escape, Jesus offered a seemingly simple solution. Come unto me.
Many people complain that the gospel is too simple. Those who do are usually those who have never tried to live it. Jesus summed up what coming to Him means in two easy-sounding sentences. Love God with all you have and all you are. Love your neighbor as yourself. Simple until you try it.
To come to Jesus is to make those two ideals the driving force of your life and your purpose on earth. That means all you say, do, and even think is to be in accord with loving God and your neighbor. Many modern people see this as conformity to an organization. That is not so. Christianity is not conformity, it is transformation.
Transformation from anxiety, doubt, self-righteousness, and being an object of God’s wrath into being at peace with God by coming to Jesus. To willfully do less is to refuse to postpone the journey to Jesus. I say postpone because every living soul will have a come to Jesus meeting at some point in their existence.
What occurs at that meeting is up to us as individuals. Not everyone will meet the same Jesus. Some will meet the Jesus who gave Bartimaeus his sight or rescued Peter from the storm. Others will meet the Jesus who drove the moneychangers from the Temple or pronounced a worse doom on Capernaum than Sodom.
Come to Jesus now.
Maranatha
Comments