What is the significance of Jesus saying, "I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)?

Rest is spoken of under different aspects in Holy Scripture. We are all familiar with the evangelical invitation given at the close of Matt. 11. First, our Lord says, "Come to Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This is manifestly rest of conscience. Many labour under the burden of realised guilt; others groan under the yoke of religious ordinances by means of which they hope ultimately to obtain salvation. To all these the Saviour offers rest as a gracious gift. His atoning sacrifice has so perfectly satisfied all the claims of divine holiness in regard to sin that none need carry the burden of guilt for a single hour; so completely, too, has He finished His work that none need toil on their own account. Both the guilt laden and the ordinance-laden are thus tenderly invited to be at rest. Believers having been purged once for all have "no more conscience of sins" (Heb. 10:2). On the ground of the Saviour's work their consciences are in rest and peace before God for ever.

Our Lord proceeds thus in Matt. 11:29: "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest to your souls." This goes beyond rest of conscience. It is rest of heart in the circumstances of daily life. Many who enjoy the one blessing know little of the other. Yet the condition is a very simple one. It is the abandonment of self-will, and the hearty acceptance of the authority of Him whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. Nothing is more disquieting than thwarted self-will. The Saviour knew no such painful experience. In meekness He ever bowed to the Father's will; it was characteristic of Him to say, "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight." He alone is the Christian's perfect pattern. In measure as He is imitated so the heart finds perfect repose whatever befalls. Abraham is the Old Testament type of the restful believer, as Jacob is of the unrestful. The stories of these two men are highly instructive in this connection.

Observe too, that in Matthew 11, the perverseness of the generation that had rejected John's testimony, and that of the Son of man come in grace and associating Himself in grace with the Jews, opens the door to the testimony of the glory of the Son of God, and to the revelation of the Father by Him in sovereign grace — a grace that could make Him known as efficaciously to a poor Gentile as to a Jew. It was no longer a question of responsibility to receive, but of sovereign grace that imparted to whomsoever it would. Jesus knew man, the world, the generation which had enjoyed the greatest advantages of all that were in the world. There was no place for the foot to rest on in the miry slough of that which had departed from God. In the midst of a world of evil Jesus remained the sole revealer of the Father, the source of all good. Whom does He call? What does He bestow on those who come? Only source of blessing and revealer of the Father, He calls all those who are weary and heavy laden. Perhaps they did not know the spring of all misery, namely, separation from God, sin. He knew, and He alone could heal them. If it was the sense of sin which burdened them, so much the better. Every way the world no longer satisfied their hearts; they were miserable, and therefore the objects of the heart of Jesus. Moreover He would give them rest; He does not here explain by what means; He simply announces the fact. The love of the Father, which in grace, in the Person of the Son, sought out the wretched, would bestow rest (not merely alleviation or sympathy, but rest) on every one that came to Jesus. It was the perfect revelation of the Father's name to the heart of those that needed it; and that by the Son; — peace, peace with God. They had but to come to Christ: He undertook all and gave rest. But there is a second element in rest. There is more than peace through the knowledge of the Father in Jesus. And more than that is needed; for, even when the soul is perfectly at peace with God, this world presents many causes of trouble to the heart. In these cases it is a question of submission or of self-will. Christ, in the consciousness of His rejection, in the deep sorrow caused by the unbelief of the cities in which He had wrought so many miracles, had just manifested the most entire submission to His Father, and had found therein perfect rest to His soul. To this He calls all that heard Him, all that felt the need of rest to their own souls. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me," that is to say, the yoke of entire submission to His Father's will, learning of Him how to meet the troubles of life; for He was "meek and lowly in heart," content to be in the lowest place at the will of His God. In fact nothing can overthrow one who is there. It is the place of perfect rest to the heart.

Jesus knew man, the world, the generation that had enjoyed the greatest advantages of all that were in the world. There was no place for the foot to rest on in the miry slough of that which had departed from God. In the midst of a world of evil Jesus remained the sole revealer of the Father, the source of all good. Whom does He call? What does He bestow on those who come? Only source of blessing and revealer of the Father, He calls all those who are weary and heavy laden. Perhaps they did not know the spring of all misery; namely, separation from God - sin. He knew, and He alone could heal them. If it was the sense of sin which burdened them, so much the better. Every way the world no longer satisfied their hearts; they were miserable, and therefore the objects of the heart of Jesus. Moreover, He would give them rest. He does not here explain by what means; He simply announces the fact. The love of the Father, which in grace, in the person of the Son, sought out the wretched, would bestow rest (not merely alleviation or sympathy, but rest) on every one that came to Jesus. It was the perfect revelation of the Father's name to the heart of those who needed it, and that by the Son - peace, peace with God. They had but to come to Christ. He undertook all, and gave rest. But there is a second element in rest. There is more than peace through the knowledge of the Father in Jesus, and more than that is needed; for even when the soul is perfectly at peace with God, this world presents many causes of trouble to the heart. In these cases it is a question of submission or of self-will. Christ, in the consciousness of His rejection, in the deep sorrow caused by the unbelief of the cities in which He had wrought so many miracles, had just manifested the most entire submission to His Father, and had found therein perfect rest to His soul. To this He calls all that heard Him, all that felt the need of rest to their own souls. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me"; that is to say, the yoke of entire submission to His Father's will, learning of Him how to meet the troubles of life; for He was "meek and lowly in heart," content to be in the lowest place at the will of His God. In fact nothing can overthrow one who is there. It is the place of perfect rest to the heart. J. N. D.

Our Lord when here spoke of "rest," but not "the rest of God." God had hallowed the sabbath from the beginning, the type and pledge of His rest at the end; but Jesus invited all that labour to rest meanwhile in Himself. Never was there a prophet that did so, least of all did John the Baptist, the greatest of all; for he called the people of God to own their sins; it was no question of calling them to himself, but of pointing them from everything done to Jesus, as he did when he proclaimed Him as the Lamb of God, and the two disciples that heard John speak followed Jesus. But our Lord could say to the most heavily laden one, "Come unto me," and this too when His work seemed to have been in vain, Himself rejected, despised, about to be slain and crucified, but His resurrection would prove that nothing was really fruitful for sinful man short of His death. His coming was even then showing what God is, and not merely what man ought to be. He the rejected Messiah but the Son, Emmanuel, Jehovah, He was the first and only One who could say on earth, "Come unto me, and I will give you rest." Yes, a present soul rest, in the fulness of divine grace; a rest He was entitled to give to anyone, no matter how burdened or how labouring; no matter what, no matter who, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He was entitled to say so — He did say so — He loved to say so. No doubt there was more He had to say then, there was also the call to take His yoke on them and learn of Him and they should find rest to their souls. (Matt. 11:29-30.) But I speak now, as the Lord does first, of the gift of rest in His own grace. (Ver. 28.) Then follows the government which He exercises, which never allows His sovereign grace to be slighted, so that for a season at least, some restive under His yoke find not rest but restlessness, even though He may have given them rest.

The "labour" and "heavy laden" correspond to the "yoke" and the "burden." Animals draw, in places, with the yoke, but a burden is carried on the back. We must connect this with what precedes. If the Lord here is rejected as the King by the people among which He had been pleased to dwell, yet is there blessing for an even wider circle than Israel — "Come unto me all ye that labour," etc. He has rest, blessed be His name, for any who will but come to Him. "I will give you rest." It is all of grace.

What a blessed thing to be bound up with Him. "Take my yoke" (ver. 29). Naturally, the very opposite to Him, yet if His meekness and lowliness be produced in us, this is how we get it; and the one in whom it is produced will be himself unconscious of it.

The Gentiles are brought in here. The Father is revealed as the source of all blessing. "Come unto me. … I will give you rest." The poor Gentile as well as the Jew; are you weary and heavy laden? "Come unto me." It is pure grace now. No qualification required, save that you are weary and heavy laden. Come, just as you are, just now; "I will give you rest." The blessed Lord does not here say by what means He will give us rest, but we must trust Him. He can no more trust man, man must now trust Him. There is no other way of blessing now. There is only one question: Is He fit to be trusted? This is all. Trust Him. "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." Psalm 2:12.

Before the eyes of those who were so burdened the Son of God stood, inviting them to come to Himself. The law could not give rest to the troubled heart, but Jesus could, He had come with grace from the Father, and all that man needed to do to receive rest of conscience was to come to Him in whom were all the divine resources that had been given to Him by the Father. All that was required was reliance on the Person of the Son. The work of the cross was not yet accomplished, but the Person was there who was about to complete that great work, and faith in Him would bring rest to the troubled and weary heart.

The burdened were also invited to take the yoke of the Lord upon them, that is to be under His control in service, and to learn of Him. Although so great, the Son of God was serving in this world, and we are to learn from Him so that we can serve Him aright. How different were His traits to those of the men of this world, He was “meek and lowly in heart,” and we are to learn from Him so as to come out like Him in these lovely features of grace. Likeness to Jesus will bring to us the rest of soul that marked Him, as we seek to serve Him who perfectly served His God and Father here. His yoke is not burdensome, but rather a delight to those who in coming to Him have learned something of His deep perfections.

“Come to Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and l 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 to your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

In this precious and well-known passage we have two points which are very distinct and yet intimately connected — Christ and His yoke. First, we have coming to Christ and its results. Secondly, taking His yoke and its results. “Come to Me and I will give you rest.” “Take My yoke and ye shall find rest.” These things, being distinct, should never be confounded, and being intimately connected, they should never be separated. To confound them is to dim the luster of divine grace; to separate them is to infringe upon the claims of divine holiness. Both these evils should be carefully guarded against.

Many there are who hold up before the eye of the “heavy laden” sinner, the yoke of Christ as something which he must “take on” before his burdened heart can taste of that blessed rest which Christ gives to “all” who simply “come to Him” just as they are. The passage before us does not teach this. It puts Christ first and His yoke afterwards. It does not hide Christ behind His yoke, but rather places Him, in all His attractive grace, before the heart as the One who can meet every need, remove every weight, hush every guilty fear, fill up every blank, satisfy longing desire. He is able to do as He says He will, even to “give rest.” There are no conditions proposed, no demands made, no barriers erected. The simple, touching, melting, subduing, inviting, winning word is “Come.” It is not “Go,” “Do,” “Give,” “Bring,” “Feel,” or “Realize.” No, it is, “Come.” And how are we to “Come?” Just as we are. To whom are we to “Come?” To Jesus. When are we to “Come?” Now.

What a most blessed connection is there then between Jesus receiving "all things" and His asking us to come unto Himself. He does not say "come unto me" as the despised and rejected One merely; no, "come unto me" as the One, "despised and rejected" indeed "of men," yet having in Himself all that men eagerly seek after, all that they count estimable, every thing that is an object of human ambition. "He is worthy to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, blessing." There is in Him whom the world has rejected, not only every thing that is suited to our need as sinners, but that also which can satisfy the utmost desire of our hearts, therefore it is, "Come." This is most blessed; it shows forth the grace of the heart of Jesus. When we find Him as the "rejected" One turning round and saying "come unto me!" "come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," we learn grace indeed!

Coming unto Him, believing on His name, is all the great secret of the rest He offers. The self-righteous multitude, the scribes, the Pharisees, the lawyers, had rejected Him, but Jesus knew that there were some standing around weary, heavy-laden ones, trying to get rid of their burden of guilt in vain. The law could never give them relief; the law could never take away their sin. To these He turns, "Come unto me, and I will give you rest." Again: there were those who had had the experience of trying to find rest in society, in friends, in the world, and to them He says, "Come unto me." Rest, true rest, is received in simply coming to Jesus. What is it that my soul wants? "Come unto me" is the invitation; all that it needs is in the hands of Jesus - pardon of sin, eternal life, rest, whatever it may desire, all is provided for it there.

"Come to me … and I will give you rest" were the words of the Lord Jesus, and as the context shows that rest is in the knowledge of the Father, of His love and purposes. It is available for our hearts today. Presently He will bring rest to a weary earth after the execution of the inevitable judgments of God. He will fill the earth with rest and contentment when the knowledge of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Then He will minister to His people the good of the millennial earth, just as He now ministers to His saints of the good of heaven.