“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28 RSV).
When we consider the gospel record of the life of Jesus, we focus on a mere one-tenth of his mortal days. What he says about his “rest” and helping us with our heavy load was not newly learned during the last three years of his life. From experience, he knew the special problems of the young people who listened to him. When he was 12 years old, he knew he must be about his Father’s business. As he matured, his life would be exemplary to his neighbors and friends. He would reflect his Father’s love for them and his example would be a living exhortation.
Tempted like we are
He had felt the temptations and characteristic feelings that overwhelmed the young. As he spoke to them about the purpose of life, he knew of their anxieties and trials as they developed from children to adults. They found themselves in a new world of unfamiliar choices and he talked to them about the perfect choice of giving themselves to God. He challenged them to believe in him and encouraged them to have faith and trust in his Father, who had given them life.
Gentle, yet firm
His teaching was full of gentle challenge: “Only he which does the will of my Father shall enter the kingdom of God.” He also explained to them about the divine expectations — except your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees –except you be converted — without faith it is impossible — except a man be born again –except you abide in the vine. These are stern warnings, but we deal with a merciful Father who is drawing us to His Son. His word will never fail, for the great redemption has been accomplished in Christ.
A message of hope
Jesus went to the poor and destitute of Israel who saw themselves as powerless sinners. They responded to him because they saw someone who understood them and who could be trusted to help. They had never before heard what he said to them; he spoke powerful words which lifted them out of their desperation and gave them real hope.
He provided for them positive assurance that God was still their God and that He loved them. They were witnesses to the fulfillment of promises God had made centuries before. The man in their midst was the prophet like unto Moses. As they listened, he expounded prophecy upon prophecy until they recognized Jesus as their promised Messiah.
Christ’s first concern
Christ taught that he was the first principle of God’s salvation — and this was also Paul’s first thrust. “It was my secret determination,” he said, “to concentrate entirely on Jesus Christ himself, and the fact of his death upon the cross” (1 Cor. 2:2 J.B. Phillips). The needs of today’s seekers are moral and spiritual and we are here to teach them first about Christ, just as Paul did.
The three and a half years Jesus spent among the people was as though freedom had suddenly come to them. They would have made him king. But this was not the time, and asserting his kingship would not have brought God glory. The good news which Jesus proclaimed dealt with salvation on God’s terms — to listen, to obey, to respond.
As Christ’s message was clarified to the people of Israel, some found their love for him increased while his enemies’ hatred deepened. What Christ was saying was sound and uncomplicated so that orthodox teaching was, by comparison, ludicrous. Soon, the Jewish rulers would tolerate him no longer. Jesus had turned their world upside down. He had torn back their curtain of deceit and exposed them for what they were.
A challenging gospel
The gospel of Jesus Christ is certainly not passive. It is one which stimulates men and women to grow in character and in boldness, not against worldly authority, but in spite of it. Neither Christ nor his apostles ever spoke about “rebellion” in a social or political sense. His followers are, however, to be outstanding examples of spiritual reform; they are to be the righteousness of God among the world.
God was with Christ; He is now with those who are Christ’s, seeking to reconcile the world to Himself. Christ commands his hearers to be baptized, which is an outward sign of an inward conviction that we must put to death the old man of the flesh and rise to a new life in him.
Christ offers us the forgiveness of sins and a fresh start. It is all summed up in one word: “grace.”
The right time
With great vigor, men and women who heard Christ flocked to the appeal of his message. For them, it was the right time.
When is the right time for us? What is it which tells us it’s time to be baptized? Is it knowledge or conscience -or both? If we are trying to make a decision about a human organization, we might vacillate and put it off. But we are dealing now with a divine call and must respond in that context. When our conscience is touched, we will know it; then we should obey and respond.
Christ died for us while we were lost in sin. He has already given himself for us and now he asks us to respond by committing ourselves to him. Because he loves us, he is going to change us, even if it takes a lifetime. He is not trying to change us so that he can love us. He loves us, and because he does, he wants to change us.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One