Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) Those gentle words never fail as a balm for our souls. But have you ever considered how disruptive they really are? Jesus is telling us that what we’re doing — and the way we’re doing it — is not enough.
This month our nation celebrates the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness proclaimed 247 years ago in the Declaration of Independence. Then I hear Jesus, and he seems to promise something more — and different. We hear him and wonder whether our sense of freedom is too small.
Most of us would define freedom as being able to do what we choose to do, when we choose to do it. But freedom to do what we want can really be a big problem. We are tied up in knots by our worries: having enough money, enough good health, being secure and safe.
In America, we have zealously guarded many freedoms at great price. In his poignant 1919 letter to his father, Franz Kafka wrote, “You are free and that is why you are lost.” That’s a striking way to describe the difficulty we face. While we are free to do what we want, we’re not given a clear vision of what is good to want.
Jesus promises rest and freedom. He turns our world inside out by telling us that rest and freedom come by taking on another burden — a yoke on our shoulders. It’s a paradox. But this is a different kind of yoke, a different sort of burden. It is a yoke that promises rest for weary souls and worn-out lives.
Taking on Jesus’ yoke means growing in Christlikeness by walking with him. It means being a student, an apprentice, a pupil, a disciple. When you say “yes” to Jesus, you’ll find him in a most surprising place. He does not stand over you driving you along the path. Neither does he wait for you at the finish line. He shares our load and leads the way.
To walk with Jesus is to learn a new way of living. It is to discover that freedom comes in wanting what God wants — what Jesus called seeking the kingdom or reign of God. It is finding that we are free because we are first dependent upon God’s grace, God’s provision, and the gift God has given us in one another.
For those who believe, for those who trust in the work Jesus is doing in and through us — every day with him can be a true Independence Day.
Grace & Peace,