“轻松的枷锁” 马修11:28-30 are easily some of my favorite verses in the 福音s. The invitation to cast off burdens and find true soul 休息 from 基督 whose heart is gentle and lowly is one that I will RSVP to time and time again. The labor and burdens of life are exhausting, but they were never intended to be borne on our shoulders. I love 基督’s call to Himself and that it is open to us whether we create our own burden (labor), or the burden is foisted upon us by someone else. 无论哪种方式, 基督 is not the source of the burden, but rather He has acted for us to relieve us of the burden upon us.
首先，我们必须看一下背景. The preceding verses address the unbelief and the unwillingness of those to whom much was given and to whom much was demonstrated. He states that their burden of judgment will be great, in fact greater than some of the most wicked people known in biblical history, 轮胎, 西顿, 和所多玛. Jesus states that had they seen what was shown to Capernaum, 伯赛大, and Chorazin they would have believed early on and still be standing today. Jesus further speaks to these cities that they could not believe because of their own self-righteousness and because He would not reveal Himself to them. Then, His very next words are His invitation to come to Him and find 休息. 来向他学习吧. 来发现他的心. 来负他的轭. If we refuse His beckon call, we will surely bear our burden to the end, even to Hades (vs. 23). This “coming to 基督” requires a response of desperation, dependence, and humility. We acknowledge we must come because of our helplessness.
回到他的邀请. 我想重点讲几个词. 他向……发出邀请 所有 谁在劳动和沉重的负担. Who is not laboring under some burden? 你今天背负的重担是什么? Burdens, in part, are the ways in which we attempt to fix ourselves and world that is around us. We do this to ourselves as we try to straighten out our lives and its surroundings. Others do this to us as they add to our burden with tips for living successfully and how to gain control. 你如何描述你的负担? Is it physical weakness, relationships, children, parents, job, ministry, anxiety, etc.? The load for each of us varies, but the load for each of is great. We work under these burdens attempting to do what we were never intended to do. So, He invites 所有 of us to come to Him.
基督 发出这个邀请. He does not push this off onto some other individual, but He calls us to bring it to Him. 他是我们负担的保证金. He is the One who has satisfies the demands of the burdens that we vainly carry. 他是那赐人安息的. He exchanges our unmanageable burden for His yoke, His heart, and His burden. 我们以自己的重担换他的轭. He is already managing the load and we are invited to join with Him as He carries the weight. We join with Him, trusting His finished work. In 基督 we find 休息 in exchange for our weariness.
学习 我的. Part of the reason we are laboring so much and bearing so much is because we do not know Him. His lifting our burden from our shoulders is done so with the loving revelation of Himself to us. He is telling us that we were not designed to carry these burdens let alone carry them alone. He does not say He will carry our burdens for us, but rather He is teaching us that our burdens are not really burdens to be borne by us. He is teaching us a new way to live that involves learning about His heart. 我们知道他是温柔和谦卑的. He comes in kindness for those who receive Him rather than judgment. He comes to serve rather than to be served. He is not looking to get something from us, but He is looking to give to us. He is 休息oring wholeness and oneness with Him and the Father. But we must be willing to give up our precious cargo in exchange for 学习ING of Him.
休息 为了我们的灵魂. This is my favorite phrase in this passage. Just speaking it seems to reach down to the innermost part of my being, the part 我的 that seems to always be longing and craving. It is the part 我的 that never seems to truly 休息. Jesus is committing to meet our deepest cravings, desires, and 休息lessness. He is the one that truly satisfies us because in Him the Father is fully satisfied with us. It is only in Him that we find 休息 for the 休息less soul.
There is one thing we must do to find this soul 休息. 我们必须到他那里去. We come in faith trusting that He will do as He says in His invitation to us. Will you come and find 休息 in Jesus today? Will you give up on your efforts to 休息ore what is broken because in 基督 all is already 休息ored? 到耶稣这里来.