Nine-year-old Dan Gill arrived with his best friend Archie at their classmate’s birthday party. When the mother of the birthday boy saw Archie, however, she refused him entry. “There aren’t enough chairs,” she insisted. Dan offered to sit on the floor to make room for his friend, who was Black, but the mother said no. Dejected, Dan left their presents with her and returned home with Archie, the sting of his friend’s rejection searing his heart.
Now, decades later, Dan is a schoolteacher who keeps one empty chair in his classroom. When students ask why, he explains it’s his reminder to “always have room in the classroom for anyone”.
A heart for all people can be seen in Jesus’ welcoming life: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This invitation may seem to contradict the “first to the Jew” scope of Jesus’ ministry (Romans 1:16). But the gift of salvation is for all people who place their faith in Jesus. “This is true for everyone who believes,” Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, “no matter who we are” (3:22 NLT).
We rejoice then at Christ’s invitation to all: “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” (Matthew 11:29). For all seeking His rest, His open heart awaits.
By Patricia Raybon
REFLECT & PRAY
What was your situation when you accepted God’s gift of salvation? Who in your life still needs to accept Jesus’ invitation?
Jesus, You called me when others didn’t. Thank You for offering me salvation and love.
Yokes were wooden frames “placed upon a person’s shoulders in order to make a load or burden easier to carry, by distributing its weight in equal proportions to opposite sides of the body” (William Hendriksen, Matthew). When Jesus speaks of His yoke in Matthew 11:29-30, it’s in contrast to the teaching of the religious leaders whose interpretations and applications were extraneous to the law and burdensome. Christ exposed such leaders saying, “They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (23:4; see also Acts 15:10). Being a believer in Jesus is about being in relationship with the One who gives true rest. He says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
Arthur Jackson
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