25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25–30 (ESV)
Matthew 11 concludes with a prayer by Jesus. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. We now can observe how, and for what, did Jesus pray?
First, He addressed the Lord of heaven as Father. God’s transcendence and immanence are both in view. Second, Jesus acknowledged God the Father revealed Himself to those who are His elect. Thirdly, Jesus affirmed that God the Father is sovereign overall. God’s sovereignty involves the following areas.
Fourthly, Jesus prayed for sinners to come to Him to find rest for their souls. Jesus addressed individuals who were burdened down with the reality and guilt of their sins. To achieve a self-salvation or a works based righteousness was a heavy laden labor.
Labor (κοπιάω; kopiao) is a present active participle. It means to continually toil to the point of weariness because of a hard and difficult endeavor. To be heavy laden (φορτίζω; phortizo) is a perfect passive participle. It describes a past completed action with continuing results of carrying a heavy load with no relief. To labor in a works righteousness system of religion is a wearisome labor that offers no relief from the sinner’s guilt and no assurance of salvation. What hope does the sinner have?
Jesus said that those who labor and are burdened down with sin are the ones to come to Him for relief. Jesus taught that all God the Father gives Him will come to Him (John 6:37-39). Jesus also explained that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). For sinners to come to Jesus the Father must give them as a gift to the Son.
God the Father’s will to give sinners as a gift to the Son is solely by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. The result is rest (ἀναπαύω; anapauo). This is a future active rest. It is a relief and refreshment from the toil of working for justification. Jesus applied it to the soul who rests in the completed work by Him on the cross on their behalf. Jesus has done the work for the sinner’s salvation. The believing sinner finds rest for their soul in that work of Christ alone.
“There is an echo of the first beatitude (5:3) in this passage. Note that this is an open invitation to all who hear—but phrased in such a way that the only ones who will respond to the invitation are those who are burdened by their own spiritual bankruptcy and the weight of trying to save themselves by keeping the law,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
“The stubbornness of humanity’s sinful rebellion is such that without a sovereignly bestowed spiritual awakening, all sinners refuse to acknowledge the depth of their spiritual poverty. That is why, as Jesus says in v. 27, our salvation is the sovereign work of God. But the truth of divine election in v. 27 is not incompatible with the free offer to all in vv. 28–30.”
Soli deo Gloria!
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