Rev. Debbie Cato
Isaiah 40:25-31 and
Matthew 11:25-30
Manitou Presbyterian
Church Spokane
July 5, 2026
Rest for the Weary
This passage in Matthew tells us a lot about Jesus. “Come all who are weary and I will give you
rest.” That sounds nice, doesn’t it?
(pause) How many of you feel weary from life’s burdens? (pause) To each one of
us, Jesus says, “Come and I will give you rest.”
Jesus says it is He who isthe supreme representative of the Father. He comes from the Father; He is equipped with the Father’s power; and He displays the compassion of the Father’s heart. Jesus fully represents God and He comes with God’s own claim on our human hearts. Only the Father fully understands Jesus, whose mystery is unknowable this side of heaven. Theologians have spent centuries trying to reconcile Jesus’ divine nature with His human nature. We argue with one another about Jesus, as if somehow we actually know. But, with the limited understanding of the human mind and heart, it cannot be done. It takes God to know God. Only the Father knows the Son!
And likewise, 0nly Jesus fully understands the Father! No one has known God with the intimacy of Jesus, who can call Him Abba, dear daddy. Jesus absolutely knows God.
These things make up the most astounding claim that has ever been heard on human lips; that the way to know the Father is through Jesus. It reminds us of other words of Jesus: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” :No one comes to the Father, except through me,” and “anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If you want to get through to God, come to Jesus. If you want to discover the epicenter of God’s self-disclosure, you will find it in Jesus. As Eugene Peterson says, “God became flesh in the person of Jesus and came and lived in the neighborhood.”
That is the claim Jesus makes in this passage. And with that claim comes the rescue we hold our breaths for. After making the claim that He is the revelation of God, Jesus offers the most wonderful, warm invitation to all of us who feel in need of rescue by God. “Come to me.” “Come to me, He says. I have come to seek you out.” You. What amazing grace, that God does not come with condemnation, but rather an invitation, “Come!” That one word shows us the very heart of God. It shows His attitude to us sinners. Come! (pause) Jesus can offer us rest because of who He claims He is.
“Come here to me, all of you who are struggling and carrying too much, and I will refresh you!” This is who Jesus invites. Those who are having a hard time; those for whom life is hard work and those who feel overwhelmed. Jesus’ invitation goes out to all us who find life has become a grind, for whom existence is difficult, to those, in a word, from whom the juice has gone out of life and all that’s left is the rind. Jesus’ heart goes out to them. Those of us who are discouraged. Those of us who want to be good, to please God, and to help people. Those of us who feel selfish, not up to the task; quite inadequate, and maybe even like failures. To those of us burdened with guilt and inadequacy, Jesus now offers – NO. He promises both refreshment and equipment for carrying future burdens and duties.
The refreshment is “I will give you rest.” I will set you in quietness. You will experience refreshment deep down in your soul from me.
When I read this passage, I think of the drive I would make between my church in Fairfield and Spokane. I made that drive often, several times a week,; traveling to visit folks; get groceries ; errands; visit family. I always loved the drive because it was so pretty. A couple of years ago – it was spring, I was driving home from the Valley, and suddenly I was overwhelmed by the beauty all around me. It took my breath away. I had to pull over. The green of the rolling fields, the brown wheat fields that were growing taller, and the gorgeous yellow canola fields surrounding me as I drove down highway 27. I marveled at how the colors contrasted and yet, also blended together. The sky was bright blue and the sun was out. I was totally overwhelmed at the beauty of God’s creation. I had to sit there in my car for a bit and just sit in the beauty. I realized I felt so at peace, and I was awed as I thought about the goodness of God.
I had been feeling so weary. A weariness deep in my soul. You see, I was struggling with my health and I was so tired of being sick. Tired of having no energy. Tired of not being able to do what I wanted to be able to do. And at that moment, driving home on 27 like I had done so many times, I was at peace in a way I hadn’t felt for a long time. And this very verse came to me. “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” I was fully aware that this peace I was feeling came from Christ. My circumstances had not changed. My health had not improved. My energy was still low. I still could not do all the things I wanted to do. But in the midst of it all, I was at peace – a peace deep in my soul. Noticing the beauty of my surroundings and fully recognizing all that God created, had brought me a peace and a restful spirit that could only come from Christ. I felt very close to God at that moment. I’ve never forgotten that sense of perfect peace while I drove home that day.
“Come to me all who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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.” What beautiful words spoken by Jesus to each of us. This passage almost makes me cry. Who among us does not carry heavy burdens? Who of us does not get weary? A weariness deep in your soul? Whether it’s health like me, or relationships or finances or employment or big decisions you are facing or just life in general, sometimes it all gets really heavy. It weighs you down. It makes you weary. It’s hard to believe you can feel peace and restfulness in the midst of these kinds of heavy burdens. And honestly, I don’t think we can on our own.
People who feel self-sufficient in their lives have no need for God. The call of God is not addressed to them. Jesus is addressing the weary, the overburdened; those who suffer from the frustrations and burdens of living in an imperfect world; to those who long for deliverance and long for the help of God. Those that know they can’t do this alone. Only those who are willing to surrender everything to God, and, depend on God for everything can hear God’s call and respond. Jesus is the bearer of the perfect knowledge of God and the inaugurator of his kingdom and its salvation. Jesus is both the presence of God and the interpreter and fulfiller of God’s commandments. Those who come to Jesus experience the rest promised to those who live in God’s presence and walk in his ways.
Come unto me, all who are weary and burdened, I will give you rest. George Whitefield said, "And if Jesus Christ gives you rest, you may be sure it will be a rest indeed; it will be such a rest as your soul wants; it will be a rest which the world can neither give nor take away."
Jesus offers rescue and He offers the equipment we need to take him up on his offer – “Here, take my yoke upon you.” Jesus realizes that the most restful gift he can give the tired is a new way to carry life; a fresh way to bear responsibilities. For in the final analysis, life is a succession of burdens; we cannot get away from them. So, instead of offering escape, Jesus offers equipment.
A yoke is the wooden collar that sits across the shoulders of a pair of oxen and enables them to jointly pull enormous weights. A yoke is used to train a young ox to plow. The farmer has the young ox harnessed to the same yoke as the mature, more experienced ox. The younger animal, dwarfed by the mature ox, doesn’t pull any of the weight. The young ox is just learning to walk in a field under control and with a yoke around its neck, the mature ox pulls all the weight. It is the same when a believer takes Christ’s yoke. As the Christian learns, the yoke is easy and the burden light.
Here in this text, Jesus is telling us that His yoke fits us well. It does not rub our neck or shoulders. It is tailor-made for you, for whoever will take it. Jesus who himself is meek and lowly in heart, extends an invitation to all who know we are burdened and in need of salvation. Come to me, Jesus says. Get yoked to me. This is an invitation we shouldn’t resist.
We don’t have to carry our burdens alone. In this passage Jesus is saying: “Become my yoke mate and learn how to pull the load by working beside me and watching how I do it.” Jesus’ simply being there, carrying most of the yoke’s load, helps us carry the rest!
With my yoke, Jesus says, you will find a deep peace and satisfaction that you could never find elsewhere. I have come for you. Come to me.
In Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God has come. He is calling us - all of us who are overburdened with sin and sorrow, burdened with struggles of this life; all of us who are anxious about life. He is calling us to Himself so that He can relieve us of our anxiety and refresh and strengthen us for our responsibilities in this world. The question is; will we respond to His invitation? Amen.
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