Matthew 11 Devotional

Rest Offered to the Burdened

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”Matthew 11:28 (BSB)

Matthew 11 opens with a question from prison. John the Baptist sends to ask whether Jesus is the one they have been waiting for (11:2-3). Jesus does not scold him. He points to what is happening: the blind see, the lame walk, the dead rise, and the poor hear good news (11:4-5). He honors John (11:11) and rebukes towns that saw his miracles and still would not repent (11:20-24).

Then Jesus thanks his Father for hiding these things from the learned and showing them to little children (11:25). Only the Son truly knows the Father, and the Son makes him known to whomever he chooses (11:27). That could sound like a closed door, but the next words throw it open. He calls everyone who is weary and weighed down to come to him for rest (11:28). He says his heart is gentle and lowly, and that his yoke is easy to carry (11:29-30). You can bring your burden to him today, without waiting until you feel strong enough to come.

To think about: What burden are you carrying today that you have not yet brought to Jesus, and what keeps you from coming to him with it?