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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
In these words of Jesus, we find a welcome promise. But before we mistakenly think that Jesus is calling us to a carefree life, it is important to understand what Jesus is actually promising here. In Jesus, we experience rest from two distinct, but related burdens.
Jesus is speaking these words to people whose religious practice centered around a set of laws that were established for the sake of pleasing God. But following the whole law is humanly impossible, making the path to the Father burdensome and elusive.
The burden of the law also reveals the second burden that we carry, which is the weight of our own sin. We are not able to repay the debt of our sin and be made righteous on our own. But the good news is that through Jesus’ sacrifice, we are forgiven and made righteous, lifting our burdens and freeing us to live according to His grace.
