Lay Your Burdens Down

Lay your burdens down. That is what Jesus invites us to do: to lay our burdens at his feet, and he will give us rest. This does not mean that life will be easy, nor does it mean that we won’t have challenges and setbacks. Jesus commands us to pick up our cross. However, when we do all things with him and for him, these burdens suddenly become manageable. Consider what burdens you are hanging onto as you read this Gospel.

Gospel - Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus said:

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am meek and humble of heart;

and you will find rest for yourselves.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Scriptural Analysis

Jesus moves from addressing his Father to now addressing his disciples: both current and future. “Come to me,” is Jesus’s invitation to all who have worked and are tired in spirit. Jesus invites them into a relationship with him, a relationship that will bring them rest and peace. In the context of his ministry, Jesus is likely referring to all those who struggle to meet the demands and burdens of the Scribes and Pharisees. The oral tradition in place at this time demanded.

Jesus brings the people spiritual rest. This is more than everlasting rest in the life to come. It is also a source of inner peace in this life. It is the kind of peach that quiets the mind and the heart. It is the kind of peace that allowed so many martyrs to go to their deaths full of joy, forgiving those who persecuted them. This does not mean that the burdens of the world are not onerous, but that they become more manageable with the help of Christ.

Jesus also invites his followers to bear his yoke. This is the call of discipleship: to submit to the teachings of the Messiah. Disciples not only need to learn from Jesus but also imitate his life, which is a perfect embodiment of his words. In Christ, the message and the messenger are one and the same. The yoke that Christ is proposing that his disciples carry is easy, and his load is light. People used yokes to carry heavy objects, which was certainly backbreaking work. Jesus uses this metaphor not to say that discipleship is effortless but that it is not an overwhelming burden.

Daily Application

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This teaching of Jesus is simultaneously one of the most hopeful passages in the Gospel, while also being one of the most challenging to put into practice. Christ makes it abundantly clear in this passage that in him we can find the rest and peace that our heart desires. All of our concerns, the burdens we carry, become lighter and more manageable when we carry them with our Lord. Yet to approach Him, we must be humble of heart.

It is hard to surrender our burdens and our worries to the Lord. It is hard to draw the line between taking prudent actions and worrying and fretting over what the future may hold. For example, when we are dealing with a medical crisis, it is prudent to seek care from knowledgeable medical professionals whom we trust. It is wise to follow a plan of care that we have decided is right for us. However, ultimately, if our Heavenly Father has decided it is our time to enter into our heavenly rest, no amount of worrying or fretting will change that. Therefore, we must take prudent action, but not let the situation or circumstances weigh us down.

It takes a great deal of humility to accept that we are ultimately not in charge. However, it is humility that allows us to lay our burdens down before God. Saint Thomas Aquinas says, “By humility, one is ordered with respect to oneself and with respect to God. Hence humility makes a man receptive of God.” Only when we humble ourselves and accept that all that happens, happens because God allows it, are we able to come before our Lord, accepting what comes our way, knowing that he is in charge. Then we can find the promised rest as we recall the words of Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.” (Matthew 6:34)

Ultimately, to be a disciple of Christ means that we no longer worry or concern ourselves with what is to come. It does not mean we don’t plan or address our needs. God gave us our intellect to use. But we trust that no matter what befalls us or what lies ahead, God is in control. Our Heavenly Father will not abandon us. Good things will come out of every tragedy, and provided we walk with God, he will use all for our ultimate salvation.

Lay your burdens down before the Lord. Humble yourself to realize that you are not in charge, and no matter how much you plan, fret, or worry, there will always be situations and events beyond your control. Allow your Heavenly Father to help you carry those burdens. He wants to bring us rest and peace. We only need to humble ourselves enough to ask.