Discuss Matthew 11 Page 8

He's inviting us to drop the heavy burden (sinful life) and take up a much lighter one (righteous life).

James, that's a good observation, for in a quick reading of those verses, it would appear as a conflicting message from Jesus. However, when we look at what Jesus was referring to when He said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (vv 28,30), He was speaking about what the Jews had placed upon them. All Jews were subject to the Pharisees' & Scribes' teaching & interpretation of the Law. However, in their zeal & desire to keep the people subject to them, they added their own 'extra' requirements to the Law making the burden the people had to bear far too heavy. ( Mt 23:4)

This was particularly evident concerning observance of the Sabbath. The religious leaders opposed Jesus & His disciples for plucking ears of corn to satisfy their hunger ( Mt 12:1-8), or when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath ( Mt 12:10-14). The Pharisees imposed their own laws onto that one to condemn Jesus for what He did but He gave them an appropriate reply.

We all have to pull our yoke through life with its burdens. The Jews had the Law to obey, which was burdensome in itself with all its regulations, obligations & ceremonies, but these leaders wanted to make it more so. When Jesus said that "His yoke was easy & His burden light", He was trying to get them to see that it was, for example, "The sabbath that was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" ( Mk 2:27); He wanted them to see the spirit of the Law rather than the letter. His requirements were always for our blessing & comfort & for the Christian (after His resurrection), the apostle Paul wrote about the liberty we have: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." ( Gal 5:1). And this liberty was not for us to do anything we wanted (as some Christians believe), but free to obey the spirit of the law by the strength & indwelling Holy Spirit which is not burdensome.

A yoke is what a team of burden bearing oxen wear in their harness to pull large heavy loads.

Jesus is saying to take His strength and to give all of your burdens, sickness, depression, substance abuse: and He will pull the load.

I'm not going to elaborate. If we choose to carry the burdens ourselves, He just waits till we admit we need His help.

This is a prayer nobody can pray for you. You have to do it yourself!

The Bible verse is seemingly questionable. Firstly, the Lord said "Come to me, those who are heavy laden and weary. And I shall give you rest". He went on to say, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light". For someone who is heavy laden and again given a yoke (as mentioned above) I think it is unfathomable. You already have burden and to be given another yoke (will surely) increase burden to become unbearable. Is it His miraculous ways that He is implying here or just juggling with words? Can someone please throw more light on my curiosity?

Well stated, this blessed me this morning as I was getting ready for my day!

The war is a already won, satan has been defeated, but we are to look for refugees.

Praise God for His Holy Word!!!

Mt 11: 20-24 reveals to us Jesus' upbraiding the cities of Chorazin (now extinct), Bethsaida (where the disciples Peter, Andrew & Philip hailed from) & Capernaum (thought to be where Chorazin used to be). These cities received the ministry of Jesus & the disciples, so were very fortunate to hear (& see) the Truth unlike those other wicked heathen cities: Tyre, Sidon & Sodom. So Jesus is saying that in the Day of Judgement, these wicked cities would stand a better chance than those other cities which were privileged to receive God's Word. Of course, all sinners will be condemned, but Jesus is attempting to show them how great their sin is in comparison to the others.

In today's application, it would be like saying that those poor neglected natives living in the jungles & never having the Gospel come to them, would have a 'reason' to stand before God, rather than those privileged in the West having heard it & rejected it as lies or of no consequence to them.

how were "Chorazin, Bethsaida, Tyre, Sidon, Capernaum" mentioned?

Acts 1:25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression FELL, that he might go to his own place. (Jesus didn't fail but Judas fell)

John 15:6 If a man (abide not in me), he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (Jesus said this John 15)

2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; (The angels were in heaven but were cast out.)

John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

1. John the Baptist broke into a situation and took over -

like robbing a bank.

2. An inmate cleverly breaks through security - escapes -

and is out of prison.

3. From the 1920's to 1960's someone came to Hollywood -

broke through the difficulties - and became the owner of a

studio - such as Warner Brother's or Paramount - or just

became Elvis or the Beatles.

4. With your faith - break through your limitations -

break into heaven - and possess its treasures and blessings.

5. Look beyond your difficulties. See heaven. Be in it.

Walk as if you own it.

Sorry, I meant 1 John 4:4.

Yes, I also get a sense that we are getting close to the end. And I agree that we are to stand against the wiles of the devil. But I don't think we need to fight Satan. He's already been defeated. Jesus defeated him in the wilderness when Satan tried to tempt Him, and He ultimately defeated him at the cross. You describe the armor of God as being powerful, and I completely agree with you on that. If we have put this armor on, how can Satan possibly defeat us? In order for him to defeat us, he would have to defeat Christ.

Putting on the whole armor of God means we put on Christ. He is our armor. That armor never comes off. He lives in us. All we have to do is stand, not fight. We don't have to fight Satan to keep our salvation. Satan cannot take our salvation from us. In order for him to do that, he would have to penetrate God's Spirit that dwells in us, and he can't do that. There is no need to fight him. He can touch our flesh, but he can't touch our spirit where Christ dwells. John 4:4 says greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. There's no need to fight. Stand, don't fight!

I believe the end times we are in the Lord is telling us we need to fight a great spiritual fight against our enemy the devil. We need to fight to keep our faith, fight to keep our salvation and be warriors. We need to put on the full armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. This armor is powerfully given to us by our Lord Jesus and described fully in Ephesians 6:10-18 by the Apostle Paul who had the spirit of God.

As far as burden carrying: there is an escape to burdens. Jesus said to cast those upon Him.
Read these following scriptures. It's going to help you. Did you know worry is sin? Run to 1 John chapter 1 verses 8-9; 2:1

Here's the burden scriptures: Matthew 11:28-29. Psalms 62:8. Philippians 4:6 and Galatians 6:5

I found this to be true that when we are in extreme crushed mode, it's time to fast and pray. Fast from fun and feed on the Word of God. It's more painful than you think. Turn off all media. Emergency calls only. Read the New Testament. Get a pencil and mark some verses that give you peace. Repent as needed. In Church they say fast from food, Feed on the Word of God.

So did Jesus die for Esau?
Malachi 1:2-3, "I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.." John 15:16, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you..."
who made the choice? the apostles or Jesus?

Luke 8:10, "And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand." ( Matthew 11:25)
Not every one was given to understanding the things of God

No.........

This passage encouraged me to write this on FB: This message is a shout-out to my children, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends on FB who have shared with grace. God is in your life. Your pictures, your prayers, your request for prayer, your quotes, jokes, and pokes, as you have taken the yoke of Jesus. Matthew 11:29 All indicative of sharing God's Grace. What you dominate in life, shell --- becomes your norm. "A thought from the seat of my soul." "Let the circle be unbroken."

Read verse 31

I'm reminded of Matthew 11:28 which says "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. " Job was heavy laden with sorrows but he sought the Lord and was resting in the Lord even during his sorrowful times.

Hello CMS We should do both. You should learn of Jesus in order to understand him. He was, is, and always will be the way shower. Jesus taught and is still teaching us how to deal with life. There is no problem that we have that Jesus didn't endure,but he gave us the answers.

Thank You.

I believe the Son of man refers to Jesus. He was born of a women Mary but, he was also spirit, The Christ, the son of the Living God.

I agree, more people are coming to believe in GOD and of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit, around the world. I don't know if my reply is right. but that is what I believe in my heart, and see. there is no other God but GOD who is in Heaven. Amen and our Lord Jesus Christ who payed with his blood in the Cross for our Sin. and The Holy Spirt. Amen

The modern world has not acquired that unlimited spirit of faith but here and there throughout the world we see a soul coming to maturity in faith. John G Lake.

J, if the pedophile and or rapist obeys the scripture and takes his yoke upon him and learns of him if they "harness" up with God, if they get saved, then the former pedophile and former rapist can find rest for their soul. The "rest" for the soul comes after the obedience.

Evangelist, I agree about the Sabbath day. I don't even remember the whole statement question I responded to but I think it had something to do with someone's claiming that Jesus contradicted himself by stating one could take a yoke on, which is may be heavy, and not be tired, and I was letting it be known that the soul can rest even if the body is tired, not referring to any particular day.

Thus fulfilling Isaiah 11:10. No more sabbath days Jesus is now our rest as we rest in his words. The sabbath day was a day for man to rest from their labour and sin, when you are resting your not sinning. Isaiah 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

So a pedophile and a rapist soul rest with god????

Jesus said: "Ye shall find rest unto your souls..." not your body the body can be weak and weary while the soul is at rest with God.

Sue, the Son of Man is our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 11:19.

The "Son Of Man" is Jesus Christ himself. He is referring to himself, and then goes on to expound on what the people accused him of, just as they accused John the Baptist in the previous verse (18). Starting in vs. 20, Jesus begins to upbraid the cities because they repented not. Contrary to modern Church Doctrine, Jesus is not a "friend of publicans and sinners" as seen in these verses. Repent