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Learning

Jesus calls on me to learn. ”Disciple” means to learn. I am to learn from Jesus. Jesus is my Master. Jesus is the Master Teacher.

And, I have a lot to learn.

Some days I like to pretend it is hard. Jesus corrects me. It isn’t hard. It is easy He affirms.

Of course, Jesus is correct. I am learning that.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Master of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” | Matthew 11:25-30 (CSB)

Why did the religious elites rebel against John and Jesus? Because they (the leaders) were intellectually and spiritually proud and would not become little babes in humility and honesty. There is a vast difference between the spoiled children of the parable in Matthew 11 and the submissive children of this statement of praise. The Father reveals Himself to the Son, and the Son reveals Himself and the Father to those who are willing to come to the Son in faith. These verses indicate both the sovereignty of the Father and the responsibility of the ones who miss God’s goals.

Three commands summarize this invitation.

  1. “Come.” The Pharisees all said “Do!” and tried to make the people follow Moses and the traditions. But true salvation is found only in a Person, Jesus the Messiah. To come to Him means to trust Him. This invitation is open to those who are exhausted and burdened down. That is exactly how the people felt under the yoke of pharisaical legalism.
  2. “Take.” This is a deeper experience. When we come to Jesus by faith, He gives us rest. When we take His yoke and learn, we find rest, that deeper rest of surrender and obedience. The first is “peace with God”; the second is “the peace of God”. To “take a yoke” in that day meant to become a disciple. When we submit to Jesus, we are yoked to Him. The word “easy” means “well-fitting”; He has just the yoke that is tailor-made for our lives and needs. The burden of doing His will is not a heavy one.
  3. “Learn.” The first two commands represent a crisis as we come and yield to the Messiah Jesus; but this step is into a process. As we learn more about Him, we find a deeper peace, because we trust Him more. Life is simplified and unified around the person of Jesus. This invitation is for “all”—not just the people of Israel.

Sources:

  1. Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 11:1–30). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
  2. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 41). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.