WJDW: What Jesus Demands from the World: #3: Come to Me

Posted by Eric Zeller @http://www.foolishblog.com/

This post is part of a series of reflections on John Piper’s book What Jesus Demands from the World.

Jesus says,
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. ( Matthew 11:28-29)

The Son of God did not come into the world as a dictatorial ruler to issue tyrannical demands to make us all strive harder. Rather, he came as a gentle and lowly servant who came to offer free salvation to make us cease striving. Jesus offers “rest for your souls” for those of us whose souls are burdened by endless striving for self-justification.

There are a lot of people who think Christianity should not be difficult at all. But Jesus said “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life” (Matt. 7:14). It is not hard because Jesus is a harsh dictator, it is hard because “the world is a hard place to enjoy Jesus above all” (Piper, 45).

But a lot of Christians I know are on the other end of the spectrum, always emphasizing the cost and difficulty of Christianity. Jesus says to them “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). The followers of all other religions are laboring under heavy loads to win the approval of their false deities. But we who have come to Jesus, the true God, already have his approval. We need not strive. God does not approve us based on our striving; he approves us based on the righteousness and sacrifice of Christ.

Jesus said “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger” ( John 6:35) and “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever” ( John 4:14). Coming to Jesus should satisfy all of our soul’s hungering and thirsting forever. Yet so many of us Christians continue to strive and labor and hunger. This is another case of “already but not yet.” Just as we are “dead to sin” yet still sin; we are completely satisfied in Christ yet we still hunger and thirst. Since sanctification is the process of becoming even more what we are in Christ, as we grow in Christ we should see our hungering and thirsting for anything besides him lessen.

Let's be thankful for the one who offers us what we could never attain for ourselves: rest for our souls. Come to Jesus, and find that rest.