Continued from last week’s post
Summons of Revelation: The Son’s Call & Promise (vv. 28-30)
With the foundation of His summons securely in place, Jesus now issues His summons to the onlooking crowds. This summons consists of two parts, the second fleshing out the first. There is remarkable similarity in these two parts as they both begin with a call (vv. 28a & 29a) followed by a promise (vv. 28b & 29c). Yet, because the second part (vv. 29-30) expounds upon Jesus’ first call (v. 28), it’s call is well defined (v. 29b) and is concluded by an explanation (v. 30). Thus, we read here first a summons to come to Jesus (v. 28) followed by a more detailed summons to follow Jesus (vv. 29-30).
Summons to Come (v. 28)
Many refer to this passage as an “invitation”, though that thought is not present in the text. While not a true verb, the interjection δεῦτε (come!) functions much the same way as an imperative (4:19). The call then is not so much an invitation that can be politely refused, but a command to come and follow Jesus alone.
The Call
“Come to Me all weary and loaded down.”
That Jesus beckons His listeners to Himself (πρός με) cannot be overstated. The third pillar of Jesus’ foundation (v. 27c) reveals Jesus as the exclusive being who can reveal the Father to man. Thus, to come to Jesus is to come to the Father (10:40). Yet, it is interesting that Jesus does not call any one and everyone to come to Him, but all who are weary and heavy laden. Both terms “weary” and “heavy laden” refer to the same individuals though it may not be clear to whom Jesus refers.
By referring to the weary (οἱ κοπιῶντες) Jesus uses a term that indicates one who has exerted himself physically, mentally, or even spiritually. The subject has worked hard and struggled to the point of exhaustion. This perspective should be taken into consideration, for Jesus does not offer a call to those who are simply tired, but those who have wearied themselves through much labor. Likewise, the heavy laden (οἱ πεφορτισμένοι) describe those who are under a heavy load. One might think of a mule whose packsaddle is overloaded and is now staggering under the weight. Perhaps this is an insight into the kind of labor that produced such weariness.
Given the immediate context, it seems appropriate to make a link between these loaded down and exhausted folks with the babes of v. 25 and the ones whom the Son desires to reveal the Father to in v. 27. Jesus cannot be calling those to whom the Father has not revealed “these things” to, for they would never come. This call strengthens the impression of their helplessness and need. Not only are they babes/infants, but they are overloaded and overworked. The next obvious question seems to be: in what way? This question will take on a texture of its own in the following verses, but it is enough to say now that their load was placed upon them by someone other than Jesus, as indicated by the coming promise.
The Promise
“And I, yes I will give you rest.”
While a good and honest translation, “and I” fails to bring the emphasis of the Greek where “I” is quite emphatic (κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς). Not only is Jesus the one who calls, but it is Jesus, and Jesus alone, who gives true rest. Just the sort of thing those who are tuckered and tethered so desperately need, but there is more to this “rest” than meets the eye.
The biblical storyline is a trajectory of anticipated rest. When man fell, the curse upon Adam was not a curse of work (vocation and industry) but of toil, hardship, labor, and pain (Gen. 3:17). The Hebrew noun עִצָּבוֹן (labor, hardship, toil) only appears three times in the OT. The first describes the pain of childbirth that the woman will now experience as her share of the curse (Gen. 3:16). The second describes the man’s toil of farming now that the ground will no longer yield up its fruit (Gen. 3:17). The third and final time comes in the explanation for Noah’s name (Gen. 5:29). Lamech decided to call his son’s name Noah (נֹחֵ) because this one will give us rest (נחם) from our labor, toil, and pain (עִצָּבוֹן). The anticipation of rest from the curse is in view in Gen. 5 as it is here in Matt. 11:28. The rest that Jesus refers to is not a temporal rest from daily labor nor even a nebulous and undefined spiritual rest, but a wholistic eschatological rest for the body, soul, and spirit after the undoing and reversing of the curse.
This eschatological sense of rest is reinforced when we recognize that Jesus’ words bear a strong similarity to Ex. 33:14: “And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest’” (NASB). These are the words Yhwh spoke to Moses after the nation of Israel rebelled at Sinai with the golden calf (Ex. 32:1-6) and after Moses twice made intercession on the people’s behalf (Ex. 32:11-14; 33:12-13). This is Yhwh’s promise not to forsake His promise to bring His people out of Egypt and plant the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob on their own land. Though more than three thousand died that day (Ex. 32:28), Yhwh preserved a remnant.
That Jesus would use these words as the promise behind His call is extraordinary and bursting with implications. First, the obvious sense is that Jesus makes Himself out to be none other than Yhwh Himself, the giver of rest. Rest is not something that a mere mortal can deliver. Rest is not simply a chance to catch one’s breath but is the banishment of what caused the need for rest. Even Noah failed to secure rest from labor. Jesus is clearly stating that He has the ability to deliver what only Yhwh can deliver. He is the one who reveals the Father as well as the one who executes the Father’s will.
Second, the context of rebellion and call perfectly fits the context of Ex. 32. The exodus generation received revelation from the mount via Yhwh’s spokesmen, promised to uphold it, and then promptly rejected all of it. The same is true of Jesus’ generation who received revelation through John and then Jesus, marveled at their teaching, and then promptly walked away from them both. The allusion to Ex. 33:14 is purposeful, fitting, and poignant. As Yhwh promised Moses to lead Israel into the Promised Land, so Jesus promises to lead those who come to Him into the rest that is found only in His eschatological kingdom.
Finally, if we take all that has already been addressed into consideration, this call is for the present generation not to make the same mistake as the exodus generation. This is the overarching point. The entire history of Israel is one of an unbroken cycle where the people live in godless rebellion, receive revelation from Yhwh, reject said revelation, and then are judged for their rebellion. Because Jesus is the climax of the Father’s revelation, this call is the climactic call to repentance. The stakes were never higher. Thus, the urgency of Jesus’ call and the reason why He goes on to make the call’s demands so very clear.
Summons to Follow (vv. 29-30)
This second summons is not a different call so much as it articulates the details that are only implied in the first summons. While the general patter of the call/promise remains, this summons includes additional details.
The Call
“Take up My yoke upon you and learn from Me.”
This call is a two for the price of one in the sense that Jesus uses two aorist imperatives, both of which build upon the initial command to come from v. 28. The command “take up My yoke” (ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου) is much more specific than a modern reader may realize, bring with it at least two nuances. (1) The image of a yoke (a wooden frame used to harness beasts of burden) clearly brings with it a sense of toil and labor. A yoke is used for draft animals. No animal under a yoke is on holiday. There is an obvious connection here with those who are weary and heavily loaded as Jesus now offers His yoke in exchange for the yoke they presently struggle under. (2) This imagery is not original to this statement by Jesus and was commonly used to describe one’s commitment, obligation, or duty. Several rabbinic writings speak of the yoke of Torah, the commandments, human government, and of God to describe one’s commitment to these entities and the various obligations that such a commitment would entail. That this yoke is identified as Jesus’ yoke would indicate that He calls the weary and weighed down to come under His authority, take up His agenda, and commit to Him.
The second command to “learn from Me” (καὶ μάθετε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ) is nothing less than a call to true discipleship. After all, a disciple (μαθητής) is one who learns (μανθάνω). This call to learn from Jesus defines the yoke as commitment and submission to Jesus. The whole of Jesus’ ministry has been defined as proclamation, instruction, and proof (4:23; 9:35). Jesus’ teaches with precision (chapters 5-7, 10), preaches with detail and intensity (4:17; 8:10-12; 9:4-6; 11:7-24), and validates Himself beyond any doubt (chapters 8-9, 11:5). This is a call to those who hear and see to believe and obey. It is not enough to come to Jesus on one’s own terms. To come is to submit to Jesus’ yoke of obligation and to learn from Him.
The Content
“That I am meek and humble in heart.”
Rather than only referring to previous examples, Jesus here explains what men are to learn and commit to. The called are to learn that Jesus is one who is meek and humble in heart. Meek (πραΰς), also translated as gentle or even lowly, is the same term that Jesus describes those who are blessed on account of their inheritance (5:5). This term carries a range of possible meaning (gentleness, courteousness, humility, and considerateness) that stem from the notion that the one who is meek is not overly impressed by himself. The adjective ταπεινός is almost universally translated as “humble” (Matt. 11:29; Lk. 1:52; Rom. 12:16; 2 Cor. 7:6; 10:1; James 1:9; 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5) and describes one who is subservient, undistinguished, and of no account. That Jesus is humble in heart (τῇ καρδίᾳ) drives home the point that this humility is not a façade which dresses Him externally but deep-seated conviction of His subservience.
Of all the things to learn from Jesus, this statement reveals the heart of discipleship. First, Jesus claims that He embodies what He demands of others. The beatitudes that introduce the SM are more than statements of fact but are a call for those who hear Jesus’ instruction to pursue these various qualities. By referring to Himself as one who is meek and humble, Jesus ensures that He is not calling others to become something that He is not. There is a strong sense of integrity here as Jesus models what He desires His disciples to learn from Him.
Second, Jesus does not demand submission of others for His own sake. The meek and humble one does not seek his own glory but is content to fulfill the role that is assigned to him. Thus, as the one who reveals the Father to whom the Father wills, Jesus is content to be considered unimportant and unassuming. He has not come to amass glory for Himself, but to glorify the one who sent Him.
Finally, there is a growing implication regarding Jesus’ opposition. In v. 28 there is a sense of an unspoken oppressor who works people to exhaustion and loads them down with heavy burdens. With this claim to humility, that implication grows to include the notion of those who are proud, conceited, and self-assuming. Jesus is offering Himself, His yoke, and His teaching as more than an alternative but the antithesis of that which the people are presently committed to. That antithesis is driven home by the promise Jesus attaches to the call.
The Promise
“and you will find rest for your souls.”
As before, Jesus offers the promise of rest in all of its Old Testament glory and anticipation. His statement in v. 28 alluded to Ex. 33:14 and the rest promised to Israel’s exodus generation. This statement is a quotation of Jer. 6:16: “Thus says Yhwh, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your soul.’ But they said, ‘We will never walk.’”. The oracle of Jer. 6:16-21 is an explanation of coming judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem for their refusal to submit to the ancient way (v. 16), refusal to listen to Yhwh’s warnings (v. 17) and their hypocritical offerings and worship (v. 20). Thus, the whole generation will perish, both fathers and sons (v. 21).
With this in mind, the promise of eschatological rest is given tremendous emphasis and urgency. Not only will a failure to come to Jesus, take up His yoke, and learn from Him not result in rest, but it will also bring judgment and destruction. This promise comes with the edge of a warning. The exodus generation died in the wilderness having never entered Yhwh’s rest. The generation to whom Jeremiah wrote also failed to enter His rest having been destroyed by the Babylonians and carried away into exile. Will Jesus’ generation repeat the failings of their fathers? Or will they break the pattern of rebellion and submit to Yhwh’s Messiah?
The Explanation
“For My yoke is kind and My burden is slight.”
Jesus does not leave this promise edged by warning hanging in the air but offers an explanation of His promise. The explanation is not necessarily expounding upon the larger call to come, take up, and learn but more specifically refers to the promise. “For” (γὰρ) answers the question “how?” by providing the basis or grounds upon which the promise of v. 29c is made. Unlike the yoke that wears the people out, Jesus’ yoke is kind. Rather than easy (NASB, LSB, ESV, NKJV) χρηστός describes something that meets a high standard or that is morally good. For this reason, it is generally translated as kind when describing righteous behavior of men (Lk. 6:35; Eph. 4:32) and of the righteous character of God (Rom. 2:4; 1 Pet. 2:3). Jesus’ yoke of obligation and duty is not oppressive but is benevolent and objectively good. Likewise, the burden of Jesus is unlike the one which weighs the people down, for Jesus’ burden is light. The adjective ἐλαφρός literally indicates something that weighs little and is thus not much of a burden at all. Submitting to Jesus is neither oppressive nor burdensome.
This explanation presents three observations. The first (as already stated) is the fact that this explains the promise. Jesus can promise rest because His yoke is kind and His burden is light. If it were not so, then rest would only be an allusion. Thus, there is attached to this explanation a sense of exclusivity. Jesus’ promise of rest is only for those who take up His yoke because all other yokes are attached to heavy and weary loads. There is rest only in Him.
Second, the explanation of kindly duties and light loads is not to mean that Jesus does not have high standards for His followers. Jesus’ yoke demands explicit obedience, unwavering commitment, and total submission. His standard is nothing less than righteousness. The difference lies in the fact that Jesus’ yoke submits to and trusts in His righteousness rather than relying on self-righteousness. Only Jesus’ yoke can promise rest, but it is a yoke nonetheless. This is not an offer of autonomy but a promise of blessing that comes with submission.
Finally, the larger context begins to point an accusing finger at those who place the people under oppressive yokes and load them down with weighty obligations. The crowds are seen by Jesus as oppressed sheep without shepherds (9:36). These same crowds are offered rest by Jesus as those who are over worked and overloaded (11:28). Very soon, Jesus will enter into open conflict with those who refuse rest to the weary (12:1-21).
The nation of Israel is at a crossroad. Their leaders are proud, self-serving, self-righteous oppressors of those who earnestly seek the rest which Yhwh has long promised. Their “righteousness” is insufficient to enter into the kingdom of heaven (5:20). They teach what is unlawful and have completely missed the point of Yhwh’s instruction (5:21-48). Jesus did not come to abolish Yhwh’s instruction, but to fulfill it (5:17). And in fulfilling Yhwh’s instruction, Jesus will expose the shame of His generation’s religiosity. To follow Jesus is to enter Yhwh’s eschatological rest. But to follow Jesus is to leave society, culture, and tradition behind.
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