This series of articles is about hope and how we can find it again in case we’ve lost it.
In this specific article, we will look at “hope for the weary” as stated in the title of this post. The scripture we will use to help us comes from Matthew 11:28-30,
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
You make better sense of any scripture only when you read them in connection with the rest of the verses before and after the passage you want to study.
States of Hopelessness
In our case today, you will first need to take a look at verses 1 through 18. It’s the story of John the Baptist and two of his disciples.
This section of Matthew 11 describes a conversation John had with his disciples while in prison. You need to understand that these disciples, including John, are in a state of hopelessness.
So, he’s going to send his disciples to Jesus with this question: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3).
[bctt tweet=”Being in a state of hopelessness can make us question a lot of things in life, including God’s plan! ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
Just like in the case of John, even though he’s the one who baptized Jesus, I suspect he’s so hopeless that he needed some reassurance too.
Three of the four gospels have recordings that John baptized Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; and Luke 3:21-22).
In case you’re wondering why John was arrested, read Matthew 14 and Mark 6:17-20.
At the end of the day, his disciples were left hopeless with no sense of direction. They didn’t know what to do next.
Eventually, they came to Jesus and asked him the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
Here is Jesus’ response,
Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me. Matthew 11:4-6.
There are many things that can steal hope from you and your life. But, what you can control is the choice about where to go and who to talk to about it.
[bctt tweet=”In the case of John the Baptist, he sends his disciples to Jesus Christ. That’s the right place to be and the right person to talk to about our states of hopelessness. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
Unrepentant Lifestyle
The next section in Matthew 11, which can be the cause of being in a state of hopelessness is an unrepentant lifestyle.
Read Matthew 11:20-24,
Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Of course, Jesus is talking about the end times with reference to the day of judgment.
What the story comes down to is the concept of God’s forgiveness, which gives us hope now, and on that day. Two things we, therefore, have to do:
- Receive God’s forgiveness.
- Share God’s forgiveness with others by forgiving them.
[bctt tweet=”Without God’s forgiveness, we cannot experience rest, peace, and hope, in this present life, or the one to come. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
Hope for the Weary
Now read verses 28 through 30,
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
[bctt tweet=”Yes, we find rest for our souls only when we come to Jesus Christ. He is the only reliable source of our hope now and forever. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
When Jesus says “come to me,” he’s talking about bringing everything about who you are and have, which wears you out.
If there’s anything, in your life, which makes you feel so hopeless, then it doesn’t belong to you. It is a burden that belongs to Christ.
You will never find rest if you do not take to Jesus because you will have to carry it 24×7 on your own. It may seem light today, but when you do it every day and for years, you will eventually feel the weight of it.
This burden can be anything from sin, an addiction, past hurts, grief, and so forth. You get to rest from it only when you bring it all to Jesus.
And, when you do so, he gives you something light. When you carry it with you, you feel nothing. That relief creates a true sense of peace, rest, and hope.
In Conclusion
Every human being deals with something that weighs on them, and which often kills hope in their lives. Our only way out of all the weight we carry with us is to come to Jesus and offer whatever burden we have had for some time. In return, he gives us rest, hope, and peace.
