Do you want a place to rest? Do you want to have a quietness and peace that permeates your being all the time—even while working hard? If so, Jesus tells us in the book of Matthew just how to receive such rest.

Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.”

To get more understanding of this verse and rest for our souls, we need to look at Matthew in chapters 10 and 11. This verse in Matthew chapter 11 takes place after Jesus sent out his disciples to teach and heal. They were in the surrounding cities and byways preaching the Kingdom of God and doing miracles of healing and deliverance. Some people certainly welcomed the disciples, and some didn’t.

It must have been a very grueling time to manage where to be, where to sleep, and personal safety. Teaching would be difficult when those who heckled the disciples tried to disrupt the crowd. There must have been tremendous internal and external pressure on the disciples as they forged ahead with their work. This work was not their usual profession either. It was new territory for them.

Matthew 10:1. Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.

Right at the first, Jesus gave them authority. What kind of authority? Spiritual authority from Yahweh to cast out demons AND to heal every disease and sickness. That is some authority for sure! There were no parameters on this. He did not say, “some demons now and then”, or only colds and influenza” would be healed. They were to heal EVERY disease and EVERY sickness. Nothing was too big for them because of the spiritual authority given to them. Each disciple’s “suitcase” of what
was needed for the trip was all packed. Now, where do they go and what do they do…and not do?

They were told not to go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans; rather, they were to go to the Jews. Jesus gave them suggestions of things that they could accomplish like heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons (Matthew 10:5). Matthew 10:7 advises them to preach as they go along and to specifically preach about the soon coming Kingdom of God. He reminded them to give freely of what they experienced. Jesus’ very specific instructions of what to do and not do
gave them parameters for their journey.

When some people are healed, they are so thankful that they want to bless the person who laid hands on them. The one healed might want to give monetary or other gifts to the disciples. This kind act could be a temptation for the disciples to look at the rewards given now and not on their mission—to preach, teach, heal, and deliver. They were not even to take a change of clothes or extra items such as money or an extra walking stick. Jesus tells them they are worthy of being tended to when
in need. Maybe someone needs a new tunic, and Yahweh through Jesus would provide for them those needs. They were learning to trust in Yahweh for every need.

They have instructions now to go to the Jews only, not to depend on their own supplies, and to refrain from receiving gifts such as money. The last thing they were instructed to do was to find a place to stay in a city and bless that home. If it proved a worthy place, they were to give it a blessing, and if not, no blessing was necessary. Then Jesus told them not to worry about retribution for those who treat them badly because Yahweh would take care of those who were against them (Matthew 10:11-15).

Matthew 10:16. Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves.

They all experienced seeing the ravages of wolves on animals; the sneaking, slithering serpent camouflaged by the sandy soil on the paths; and the doves who are humble and certainly not aggressive or harsh. What a mind picture it was for these men. A lone or even several sheep among a pack of wolves were doomed for sure…unless there was a shepherd to rescue them. The next verses give harsh information no one going on a journey wants to hear, but Jesus gave them hope.

Matthew 10:17-20. But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings on My account, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking in you.

The disciples were being told by Jesus what could happen, now and in the future. The words of Jesus told them that jail time and being in trouble with authorities was to be expected. Expect pressure, trouble, and reviling. This will happen even in the synagogues! He warned there would be those of the “wolves” that would be in a pack and try to destroy them, and they could be Jews, authorities, and common folk. He was telling them to be on the alert, be wise. But, when these things happened and they would need to testify for themselves, they were not to worry about what to say. Jesus said that they themselves will not be speaking, but the spirit within them would give them the words to say. They would be speaking the Words of Yahweh while  they were preaching, teaching, healing and delivering, even when in trouble. Jesus covered all their needs.

Again, Jesus informed them not to be concerned that people would revile and hate them. They were to just keep moving ahead (Matthew 10:21-23). This is quite the charge to just keep moving. It was difficult to not worry about those who would cause trouble for them. Jesus encouraged them to keep preaching the Word and healing others. This must have been exciting, yet very scary to do.

Jesus reminded them that a slave and disciple can be like their master and teacher. He wanted them to go boldly as he did and not to fear anything Satan would try to do. Jesus reminds them:

Matthew 10:29-31. Are two sparrows not sold for an assarion [1/16th of a daily wage]? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

The disciples were given more encouragement about who they represented and the power they had and not to let evil dismay them. They were told there would be rewards now and later. Jesus knew his disciples well. He understood the pitfalls of discipling others because he lived this way and did not sin with the pressures. That is who we want to be counseled by! In the following verses, we see how it is that we can accomplish these lofty charges.

Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, 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 comfortable, and My burden is light.”

These words must have comforted the disciples. Let us look at how these truths apply to us today.

Come to me = John 14:6. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” We accept Jesus as our Savior, and we have access to him at all times. We need to go to him with humility. He is calling you to himself.

All who are weary and burdened = For us that are sick, diseased, plagued by evil thoughts and deeds, and tired of the rat race of life, this is for you.

I will give you rest = Jesus gives us a place of rest. He does the heavy lifting so to speak. We do our part which is to trust and obey with love, humility, and compassion. Many today look to the world to give them rest. Drugs, gambling, amassing worldly goods, etc. do not give us rest, quiet and peace. Jesus is the answer.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me = Jesus was so gentle and kind to those 12 disciples as they were sent out. He armed them with all they needed to be ambassadors for him. They were given holy spirit and all directions as to what, where, and who as well as what to watch out for. He has laid this all out for us today.

For I am gentle and humble in heart = These characteristics of Jesus are the antithesis of the world. He is this way with us. We are not beasts of burden to be overused and abused. We are precious to him, and he is gentle with us when we are in need. We are to emulate these qualities.

You will find rest for your souls = We need a place of rest. Even when we are in the midst of problems, Jesus is there for us to rest in and to receive help.

My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light = The word “yoke” is used in different contexts in the Bible. Here Jesus is telling his disciples that his yoke is one that fits each person perfectly, but there is still the responsibility of doing the work at hand. A good yoke made the work much lighter. There would not be any rubbing. The wooden yoke had some heft to it, but it was not overbearing. The oxen, while working with the yoke on, had to plow fields, pull heavy wagons, and grind grain. They had to do the work. They were not unnecessarily burdened, and the yoke was needed to help them get the job done. Our work becomes
light when we are yoked to the Master. The plowing may be hard because of rocks and heavy roots, but as we are yoked with Jesus, the work becomes lighter.

We can place ourselves in the shoes of these twelve disciples. All the encouragement, admonitions, and wisdom Jesus gave to them, he gives to us. Rely on Jesus, listen to his words, and do them; get up and speak the Word, not fearing anything while also being cautious and careful. When we are yoked with our Master, we find a resting place. He takes care of our needs. No worries. We keep moving ahead being happily yoked and in step with our Savior, Jesus.

Where in your life are you yoked with Jesus, and where are you yoked with bondage? What keeps you from accepting help from Yahweh and His Son, Jesus? Pray for these answers, and be open and humble to receive healing and deliverance where needed, and have courage to continue in your strengths.