When Jesus was here on earth, He observed many who were forsaken and alone. His reaction in Matthew 9:36-38 was telling: “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”
The multitudes were weary, despaired, depressed, distressed, without hope, exhausted and harassed—also because of the lack of true and meaningful teachings from true shepherds. They were fatigued, resulting from being burdened. They were abandoned and neglected.
It is no different today. Most people are truly alone and under a terrible yoke which is wearing them down. But there is a way out of such predicaments. Christ told His disciples to ask the Father to provide laborers for a plentiful harvest—laborers who would teach and manifest the way of compassion, peace and rest. Christ came to find who was lost (Luke 19:10), and His disciples are to follow His example—to care for, tend and lead His sheep (John 21:15-17); and not to behave like unprofitable, uncaring shepherds (Ezekiel 34:4-5).
That way towards rest can only be found in Jesus. He told all of us in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Christ told us to lay down the crushing yoke of sin, and receive His yoke instead. It reflects submission to His authority, His guidance and teachings, as well as partnership with Him—and to learn from His example of compassion, humility and gentleness. His yoke is easy and light because He carries its weight with us—we do not have to carry it alone.
Christ was not talking about heavy burdens which are hard to bear; especially those burdens inflicted on us by wrong teachers (Matthew 23:4). Rather, His commandments are light—not burdensome (1 John 5:3). This might perhaps not appear to be the case at first, as we are burdened by lifelong habits of sin. At the beginning, the road to life may be “difficult” (Matthew 7:14). But it will become more and more a “light” affliction in comparison with the “eternal weight of glory” to be revealed in us (2 Corinthians 4:17). Taking up our cross and following Jesus (Matthew 16:24) is so much easier than carrying our cross alone. The cross which we will have to carry is our separation from our sin and wrong priorities (Mark 10:21). The cross which we all carried in the past was our cross or heavy burden of our sinful conduct.
With Christ, our walk will be so much easier. Isaiah 41:13 tells us: “For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’”
We walk hand in hand with God, as it were, in partnership and agreement, because two cannot walk together unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3). We walk or better LIVE with God. We follow Christ wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4).
If you have not found the true God in your life, but really want to live with Him and be freed from your burdens and fears, seek God with all your heart, as He tells you in Jeremiah 29:11-13: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
When you really want to love God and seek Him diligently, seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness, then you will find Him (Matthew 6:33; Proverbs 8:17). And He WILL give you rest for your souls.
For those of you who once knew the Truth, but slipped away and fell, lost interest, but still have the underlying and somewhat suppressed feeling that you ought to return to Him in order to be freed from your burdens and unhappy lives, sensing that you are missing out, it is not too late:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls…’” (Jeremiah 6:16).
Do this; return to God! And He WILL give you rest for your souls.