An Irresistible Invitation

“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). In order to appreciate the full import and impart of this invitation, we have to consider very closely who is inviting us. Far more important than the invitation is the person who is inviting. In this context, the person who is inviting us is Jesus- the second Person of the Trinity. The Word in Whom and through Whom we are created. The Word who displayed his everlasting love by assuming our flesh, who ultimately died for us on the cross. Because the person who is inviting us is supremely divine, this invitation assumes a unique dimension and meaning.

“Come to me” is a beautiful invitation, so timely, so loving, so consoling, and so reassuring.  Just knowing who is inviting us even without knowing why we are invited- we are already full of hope; anticipating wonderful, stupendous things. This invitation is an expression of love, a manifestation of tenderness, an initiation of God’s boundless mercy, a clear sign that the Lord sees and feels what we are going through.  This tender appeal is a “divine penetration into man’s true condition…Jesus looks with clear-sighted compassion into the inmost history of all hearts, and sees the toil and the sorrow which weigh on every soul.” It is a pledge that the Lord will put an end not just to our sorrow but the cause of our sorrow.

Considering the fact that this gracious invitation is coming from our loving Savior and expressed with infinite compassion, it becomes almost irresistible. Who will be blind not to see who is extending the invitation? Who will be deaf not to hear such affectionate invitation full of tenderness? Who will be so slow in responding to this urgent invitation? Who does not desperately desire the rest that only the Lord can offer? It is a huge disservice to labour in vain and carry our burdens alone when the good Lord is graciously, almost impatiently waiting to assist and comfort us.

We will spend our whole lives responding to this loving invitation. Our response is absolutely consequential. We come to Jesus not with fear or trepidation. We come to Jesus with reverence and trust.  And He will give us rest, relief, and refreshment. The Lord’s promise can never fail. The Lord will always fulfill his promise. Only God can give us the rest we desperately desire.