Cast Away - Take Up

Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

For a very long time I could not empathize with someone who says that he or she could not sleep in the night, until I had the same experience, not for one day or two days but for several months. After retiring to my bed, I used to struggle throughout the night with sleeplessness. My body would be tired because of the arduous work at the office, but my mind would refuse to stay at rest. There were so many matters that were troubling me and that would not allow me sleep. It was a very painful and tormenting experience. After a long struggle every night, I slept only in the early hours of the day to, to wake up in another hour or two.

Even after praying day after day, I could not find any deliverance from my sleeplessness. Only then the profoundness of the above verse struck my mind. There could be so many issues that might be bothering us. In the context of the 11th chapter of Matthew, we see three issues that can burden us.

1. Befuddled Belief

“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11:3 (ESV)

The one who was filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15); who was to be called the prophet of the Highest, who was chosen to go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways (Luke 1: 76) – John the Baptist, he sends messengers to Jesus and asks of Him. The messenger doubts his message! This can happen to any of us as we go about proclaiming the gospel. An idea that we couldn’t counter, ‘cause of incertitude; a belief system that baffled us; a dogma that put our doctrine to doubt. And all of this could burden our minds.

Sometimes if we genuinely share these doubts to some of our spiritual friends or leaders, they might despise us or look down upon us. But that is not how Jesus reacts when we go to Him. Here is Jesus’ opinion of this John , the mazed messenger, who is doubting Him.

“What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Matthew 11:8-11 (ESV)

Jesus says that even the least is greater than John!

Jesus understands our burdens and our genuine struggles. He does not stop there. But clears our cares & concerns by taking us into His Word, that never changes, the absolute. In Matthew 11:4,5 “….and the poor have the gospel preached to them”Jesus takes John to a similar verse, the prophecy in Isaiah concerning Him in Isaiah 61:1-3 “……the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor….” Jesus takes John to the book which contains his call to confirm His call so as to cast off his confusion.

Confused of your call – Call unto Him;

Doubting the Doctrines – Direct to Him;

Confusions and Doubts, cast onto Him;

Confusions will be cleared and Doubts will depart;

As the Son speaks to us and the Spirit shows the Scriptures.

2. Peer Pressure / Conformance Concerned

“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Matthew 11:16-19 (ESV)

We could be bothered by those who want us to think and act as they wish. May be you are under a control freak in your workplaces – a person who seeks to control every move of his subordinates. Our boss or TL wants us to do the project in his/her own way and may not allow our uniqueness to evolve.

 

Or we could be burdened by those who are always critical of us. When we do certain things in a way, they want us do it another way and the next time when we we do it that way, they want us to do it the other way. We might very well notice the inconsistency in his/her statements and proposals and that might have set very heavy on our hearts and minds.

 

Jesus calls us to Him promising rest from the reproaches! Again Jesus does not stop here. Matthew 11:19b says, “Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by what she does (her deeds) and her children” (Amplified Bible). He gives us wisdom and our deeds will be proved right!

 

3. Few Fruits / ‘0’ Outcome

 

“Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.” Matthew 11:20 (ESV)

 

Even after putting in much effort we may not be seeing much results and that might weary us. Many missionaries see less fruits in their fields even after strenuous labour and that wearies them down.

 

In the movie ‘Beyond the Next Mountain’ an English missionary even after serving for many years among the Hamar people of Northeast India could not bring one man to the Lord and leaves a copy of the Gospel of John. Caroline Paint & Olive Jarvis were two unmarried missionaries who served in Bihar for more than 26 years and saw no results. All these missionaries were very much discouraged. The English missionary who served among the Hamar people would have never imagined what the Lord was going to do through that one gospel copy that he left. That was taken by a man by name Chawnga who passed it on to his son Rochunga Pudaite, who translated the Bible into the Hamar language which paved way for thousands to come to Christ! The missionaries who served in Bihar prayed to God to send a young man. Though they saw Bro. Augustine Jebakumar coming to Bihar as a missionary they never lived to see the great work of the Lord in Bihar.

 

But “in the day of judgment” (Matthew 11:22, 24) not only the un-repented will be judged, but Jesus also said, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay (reward) each person according to what he has done.” Matthew 16:27 (ESV)

 

Let us not loose heart seeing the poor results, but let us continue to do His ministry and fulfil His plans & purposes concerning us, not expecting an earthly recognition or reward, but an eternal one!

 

Whatever that might be which is burdening and bogging us down, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (ESV) But He does not stop there, He says, “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.” Matthew 11:29-30 (ESV)

 

It is a call for us to go to Him and cast OUR burdens upon Him and take HIS yoke upon us. Let’s check our lives today of all that which is burdening us – concerning our personal, family, work and ministerial spheres of life. If we would be bogged down with all of that, let’s go to Jesus and get rid of those thoughts. And receive His burdens.

 

"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God's heart" — Bob Pierce, World Vision founder

Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for...... the daughters of my people. (Jeremiah 9:1)

Cast your burdens onto Jesus, for He cares for you!

Take His burdens onto yourself, for He counts on you!!

Our burdens bog us down, His burdens build us  (& others) up!!!