In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus says, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" (v. 28).
This is one of my favourite verses in the Bible.
I was thrilled when I came to Waverley and
discovered that this verse was written across the beam above the sanctuary.
Jesus is not talking about sleep or R & R,
He calls it “rest for your souls”
That deep longing in our heart for God.
Do you need that “rest for your soul”?
Jesus offers to give us that sort of rest.
“Come to me” he says.
But it's interesting to look at what came before that –– before the part where Jesus promised rest.
What came before was Jesus expressing his frustration with the people of Israel –– with the Jewish leadership.
He said something that sounded like a proverb:
"We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn" (v. 17).
That sounds mysterious, doesn’t it?
Flutes and dancing were appropriate for weddings.
Wailing and mourning, for funerals.
In Jesus' proverb, it didn't make any difference whether the game was happy (such as a wedding) –– or sad (such as a funeral).
The children refused to play.
These images of weddings and funerals showed the differences between Jesus and John the Baptist.
John's preaching was harsh, and the Jewish leaders didn't like him.
Jesus was kinder and gentler, but they didn't like him either.
They called Jesus "a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (v. 19).
So when Jesus said, "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn,"
he was talking about some of the frustrations that he had encountered.
The scribes and Pharisees didn't like John,
John’s ministry was too harsh for them ––
and they didn't like Jesus,
his lifestyle was not strict enough for them.
Both John and Jesus were doing God's work,
but the scribes and Pharisees rejected them both.
But, who Jesus was, and what He came to do,
Wasn’t rejected by everyone.
Jesus prayed,
"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent
and have revealed them to infants" (v. 25).
Jesus didn't let it bother him that the Jewish leaders didn't believe in him.
He took comfort in the fact that ordinary people listened gladly
Ordinary people sought out his healing
Ordinary people brought their children to see him.
That still happens.
Ordinary people still find it easier to accept Jesus,
than people who are super-rich –– or super-smart –– or highly gifted in some other way.
Especially gifted people often become the centre of their own universe.
Their own egos fill up the God-space in their hearts,
Making no room for God.
Stephen Hawking was in the news a little while ago
because of some comments he made that were,
at their heart, religious, not scientific.
For many years now, Stephen Hawking has been celebrated as a great scientist.
His story is very compelling.
He has done amazing scientific work in spite of his disability.
When Stephen Hawking speaks, people tend to listen.
What he said recently was this:
"I regard the brain as a computer
which will stop working when its components fail.
There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers;
that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
We have to respect Stephen Hawking for his scientific work ––
and for overcoming his disability ––
but when he starts talking about life after death, he is in over his head.
Stop and think about it.
Stephen Hawking is a scientist.
What we call "the scientific method" begins with gathering data ––
observable, measurable data ––
“scientific method” follows the data to its natural conclusion.
That's what a scientist does.
Good science starts with good data.
When Stephen Hawking says that there is no heaven,
he is not being a good scientist.
He has not collected measurable data ––
and has not followed the data to its natural conclusion.
He is just making a pronouncement based on no data at all.
Stephen Hawking is a scientist, and working without data is bad science.
The interesting thing is that we do have data to support our belief in Jesus and his resurrection.
It is not rigorous enough to constitute a scientific proof ––
we continue to make our religious beliefs on faith ––
the point is though,
we have more evidence for Jesus' resurrection than Stephen Hawking has against it.
• Our evidence starts with the apostles,
they went into hiding after Jesus' crucifixion,
but became brave as lions after seeing the resurrected Christ.
It was their encounter with the resurrected Christ that resurrected their courage.
• The evidence of Jesus' resurrection continues to the present day in the lives that Christ has changed.
Remember our motto “CHRIST, TRANSFORMING LIVES”
That is what Jesus does.
One of my favorite stories has to do with an alcoholic who became a Christian and was able,
by the grace of God, to stop drinking.
Some of his old drinking friends were making fun of him.
One of them said, "Do you really believe that Jesus turned water into wine?"
The new Christian thought for a moment ––
and then replied, "I don't know whether Jesus turned water into wine ––
but I do know that, in my house, he has turned beer into furniture."
The stories of lives transformed by Jesus are many,
And in these stories we have the evidence to support our belief in Jesus –– and in his resurrection.
All this falls short of scientific proof,
but it is nevertheless evidence in favor of Jesus ––
in favor of his resurrection –– and in favor of our future resurrection.
Skeptics have no evidence to prove that there is no heaven or afterlife.
In Jesus’ day the intellectual elite were the Pharisees, the Sadducces, the priests, the Kings and Governors,
Because these people had power,
they thought they had the answers too.
They were not open to hearing what Jesus had to say.
In fact, they were committed to stopping Jesus from saying anything at all.
And so Jesus says:
"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent
and have revealed them to infants."
Jesus was thanking God for revealing Himself to those who would listen,
rather than to those who were too proud to listen.
Are you one of the ones who listen?
If so, Jesus was thanking God for you
And others like you - ordinary people
people who would listen
people who would believe
people willing to serve where God called.
Then Jesus switches gears.
He has been praying to God, but now he turns to address his followers.
He says to them:
"Come to me, all you that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest" (v. 28).
We must be careful not to misunderstand Jesus.
He does not promise to make our lives a bed of roses.
Christ sent his disciples on a mission that would be frought with difficulties.
From the very beginning, Christians have been confronted by huge obstacles in their way.
Albert Schweitzer, who gave up a glamorous life in Europe to establish a medical clinic in Africa, put it this way.
He said:
"Anyone who proposes to do good
must not expect people to roll stones out of his way,
but must accept his lot calmly
people might even roll a few more stones in your way."
When Jesus promises rest, he is not promising us easy lives.
a diamond can’t be polished without friction,
a Christian life cannot be perfected without trials.
Jesus promises to give us strength and courage to persevere when the going gets tough.
When we commit our lives to Jesus,
we will no longer be like a small fishing boat––
tossed about by the storms of life.
We will, instead, be like the great ocean liner,
able to make our way through the storms intact.
That is “rest for the weary”
The storms might rattle our teacups.
They might cause our plate to slide off the table.
They might cause us discomfort.
But they will not sink our ship.
When Jesus promises rest,
he is promising the kind of settled,
calm spirit that comes to those who know that God is with them.
Do you know the presence of God in your life?
The apostle Paul, who suffered all kinds of hardship in his work for Christ, put it this way.
He said, "If God is for us, who is against us?" (Romans 8:31).
In other words, if God is for us, it doesn't matter who is against us–– because God will prevail –– and God will help us to prevail.
As active followers of Jesus,
we can sleep soundly,
knowing that our Heavenly Father is with us day and night.
Then Jesus went on to say:
"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.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (vv. 29-30).
I wonder how many people understand what Jesus is talking about when he tells us to take his yoke upon us.
Most of us have never seen a yoke.
What registers with us are the words "easy" and "light."
But stop to think for a moment about yokes.
A yoke was a wooden beam used to harness two oxen in tandem so they could pull a load together.
When a farmer would put a yoke on oxen, it was like saying, "Let's go to work!"
A couple of things come to mind when Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me."
• The first is that Joseph was a carpenter, and would have trained Jesus in carpentry.
Among other things, the carpenters of that day made yokes.
Much depended on the skill of the carpenter.
A yoke made by a bad carpenter would rub and chaff.
Oxen wearing a bad yoke would be miserable by the end of the day.
But a good carpenter would tailor the yoke to fit the oxen.
He would carefully polish the finish until it was smooth.
A good carpenter would make the yoke strong enough to last,
but not an ounce heavier than necessary.
A well-crafted yoke was a blessing to the oxen.
Jesus the carpenter says, "Take my yoke upon you."
He says, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
• Secondly, when Jesus calls us to take his yoke upon us,
he is inviting us to team up with him to go to work.
To work in the world – not rest in the pew!s
Sharing a yoke with Jesus is like working alongside an experienced mentor,
someone who can be depended on to pull his share of the load,
someone who will look after us and show us the ropes.
Many blessings await those who commit their lives to Jesus.
One of the great blessings is that Jesus has crafted yokes especially tailored for each of us.
Another of the great blessings is that,
when we take his yoke upon our shoulders,
we can be assured that he will be with us wherever we go –– helping us ––encouraging us –– loving us.
He says:
"Come to me, all that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest."
He says:
"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.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Come to Jesus.
Take his yoke upon yourself –– and you will open the door to a lifetime of blessings.
Jesus could well be calling someone here today to “come to Him”.
Is it you that He is calling?
Are you going to respond to His calling?
This might be a last opportunity,
Meant exactly for you.
All you have to do is to say, “Yes Lord, I come”
Amen.
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