Matthew highlights for us the fact that Jesus brings true rest in utter contrast to what the religious leaders offered. Having told us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light, Jesus now confronts religious legalism and shows us that his Lordship overrules such pettiness and brings true healing and gospel freedom.
I recently asked a room full of Christian leaders to share the Gospel as they would to a 10 year old child 3 minutes before they fell asleep. Then I asked them to share the Gospel as they would to a complete stranger on the subway who was getting off at the next stop. The results were a little disappointing to everyone involved. Most of us prefer to warm up to such things. Most of us would rather share the Gospel gradually, in snips and bits, over an extended period, within a safe and stable relational context. In general, I...
