“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28 NKJV)
In all the Bible there are few texts more striking than this one—few that contain so wide and sweeping an invitation—few that hold out so full and comforting a promise.
So let’s consider the person speaking in this verse, who it is that he’s speaking to, the invitation he gives, and the promise he makes.
Who Is Making the Promise in Matthew 11:28?
Who is it that’s speaking in Matthew 11:28? That is a most important question, and it is right to have it answered.
You live in a world of promise. “Come with us,” says one party, “and you will be rich.” “Come with us,” says another, “and you will be happy.”
The devil can promise. “Eat the forbidden fruit,” he said to Eve, “and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. You shall never die” (Genesis 3:4-5). But he lied to her.
The world can promise. I never take up a newspaper without seeing many alluring invitations. I see page after page of advertisements, all full of high-sounding promises. I read of short ways to health, wealth, and happiness, of all descriptions. But it’s all words and nothing more.
But the person who promises in our text, Matthew 11:28, is One who you can depend on. It is the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s own Son.
How do you know that you can depend on his promise?
He is able to do what he promises. He has all power in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). He has the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). The government is given to him in time, and all judgment committed to him in eternity (Isaiah 9:6; John 5:27).
He is faithful to do what he promises. He will not lie, nor deceive, nor break his promise (Numbers 23:19). He will do what he says he will do, and what he undertakes, he will perform (Ezekiel 12:25). Heaven and earth may pass away—but his Word shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35).
He is willing to do what he promises. He has long since proved this by the love he has shown to man, and the sacrifice he has made for man’s soul (Romans 5:8). For us he came into the world; for us he suffered and died; for us he endured the cross and the shame (John 3:16; Hebrews 12:2). Surely he has a right to be believed.
Dear friends, see that you do not refuse him who speaks to you this day (Hebrews 12:25). If you were sick, and advice came from a wise physician, you would not reject it. If you were in danger, and counsel came from your best and truest friend, you would not make light of it. Then hear the words that Jesus sends to you this day: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NKJV). Come to Jesus today. Listen to the King of kings.
Who Is Jesus Speaking to in Matthew 11:28?
Who is it that Jesus gives his promise and makes his invitation to in Matthew 11:28? Jesus addresses the “laboring and heavy laden,” for he says, “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden” (emphasis mine). Now, who does this mean?
You must not imagine it describes the poor in this world. That would be a great mistake. It’s possible to be poor in this life and even poorer in eternity. You also must not imagine it describes the sick and the afflicted. That also is a great mistake. It is very possible to have trouble in this life and trouble in that to come—and this some of you may find.
The “laboring and heavy laden” describes all who are pressed down and burdened by a feeling of sin. It describes all whose consciences are set at work, and who are brought to concern about their soul—all who are anxious about salvation, and desire to have it—all who tremble at the thought of judgment, and know not how to get through it, and of hell, and are afraid of falling into it. It describes all who long for heaven, and dread not getting to it, and are distressed at the thought of their own sinfulness and want deliverance. All such people appear to be the “laboring and heavy laden” to whom Jesus speaks.
This was the state of mind in which the Jews were to whom Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. Their consciences were awakened; they felt convinced and condemned; and when he had finished, we are told they said, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37 NKJV).
This was the state of mind in which Saul was when Jesus met him going to Damascus and he fell to the ground. A light seemed to break in on his mind (Acts 9:3-5). He got a sight of his enormous sin and danger; and we read that, trembling and astonished, he said, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” (Acts 9:6 NKJV).
This was the state of mind in which we see the jailer at Philippi. He was roused from sleep by an earthquake (Acts 16:26-27). His fear brought his sin to his remembrance, and he came and fell down before Paul and Silas, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:29-30 NKJV).
This is the state of mind I desire to see in each of you, for it is the beginning of any true salvation. You will never come to Christ until you feel your need.
Everyone ought to feel that they belong to the “laboring and heavy laden.” Truly it is a marvelous proof of humanity’s corruption, that people can be so careless as they are. Many, I do believe, feel something of their need—but never allow it. There are many aching hearts under silk and satin. There are many merry faces which only hide an uneasy conscience. All is not gold that glitters—many give the appearance of happiness, but are miserable. I believe few are to be found who do not feel something of their need some time in their lives.
But to all laboring and heavy-laden souls, whoever they may be, to you Jesus speaks—to you is this Word of salvation sent. Take heed that it is not in vain!
Jesus speaks to “all who labor and are heavy laden”—none are left out. Though you have been a persecutor like Saul, though a murderer like Manasseh, though a cheating extortioner like Zacchaeus, though unclean and profligate like Mary Magdalen—it does not matter. Are you laboring and heavy-laden? Then Jesus speaks to you.
You may tell me, “I am such a sinner, Jesus never speaks to me.” I answer, “It may be so—but are you laboring and heavy-laden? Then Jesus speaks to you.”
You may say, “I am not fit.” I see nothing said of fitness; I only see Jesus calling the laboring and heavy-laden: if this is you, he calls you.
You may say, “I am not this—I am not converted.” You do not know, perhaps—but are you laboring and heavy-laden? Then Jesus is speaking to you.
Ah! Brothers and sisters, I fear many of you know nothing of the state of the soul here spoken of. Your sins never cut you to the heart—or give you a moment’s sorrow. You know nothing of communion with Christ. The remembrance of grievous burdens is not intolerable. You are satisfied with your present state like the church in Laodicea saying, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” comfortable and content (Revelation 3:17 NKJV). And what shall I say? I will say plainly, there is no hope for your soul while in such a state.
Your hard heart must be broken. You must be brought to see your own guilt and danger. Your eyes must be opened to understand your sinfulness. All who have entered heaven were once laboring and heavy laden; and unless you are laboring and heavy laden, you will never get there.
What Is Jesus’ Invitation in Matthew 11:28?
Jesus says to the laboring and heavy laden, “come to me.” I love that word “come.” To me it seems full of grace, mercy, and encouragement.
“Come now,” says the Lord in Isaiah, “and let us reason together: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18 NKJV).
“Come” is the word put in the mouth of the king’s messenger in the parable of the guest-supper: “All is now ready; come unto the marriage” (Matthew 22:4).
“Come” is the last word in the Bible to sinners. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!'” (Revelation 22:17 NKJV).
Jesus does not say, “Go and get ready.” No, that is the word of the Pharisee and self-righteous. “Go and work out a righteousness. Do this and that and be saved.” Jesus says, “Come.”
Jesus does not say “send,” meaning go present yourself to someone else. This is the poor religious person’s word: “Put your soul in the hand of the priest. Commit your affairs to saints and angels, and not to Christ.” No, Jesus says, “Come.”
Jesus does not say “wait.” This is the word of the enthusiast and the fanatic. “You can do nothing. You must not ask; you cannot pray; you must sit still.” This would be cold comfort for troubled souls. Jesus says “Come.”
Come is a word of merciful invitation. It seems to say, “I want you to escape the wrath to come. I am not willing that any should perish. I have no pleasure in death. I would gladly have all men saved, and I offer all the water of life freely. So come to me” (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 33:11; 1 Timothy 2:4; Revelation 21:6).
Come is a word of gracious expectation. It seems to say, “I am here waiting for you. I sit on my mercy-seat expecting you to come. I wait to be gracious. I wait for more sinners to come in before I close the door. I want more names written down in the book of life before it is closed forever. So come to me” (Isaiah 30:18; Revelation 20:12-15).
Come is a word of kind encouragement. It seems to say, “I have got treasures to bestow on you if you will only receive them. I have gifts to give which makes it worthwhile to come: a free pardon, a robe of righteousness, a new heart. So come to me” (Micah 7:18; Isaiah 61:10; Ezekiel 36:26).
Brothers and sisters, I ask you to hear these words and lay them to heart. I plead for my Master; I stand here an ambassador; I ask you to come and be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).
I ask you to come with all your sins, however many they may be. If you come to him, they will be taken away (Psalm 103:12).
I ask you to come as you are. You feel unfit; you say you are not good enough. The worse you think yourself, the better prepared you are. Christ is not a Savior of those who think they are righteous, but of sinners, for he said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:13 NKJV).
I ask you to come now. No other time is your own (Isaiah 55:6). This opportunity may be your last, for you do not know when you will take your last breath, and the door will then be shut. Come now. Come to Christ.
Ah! Brothers and sisters, I fear that many of you will not take one saving step—will not come to Christ. You go on content with your own devices, like Balaam; like Felix, you never finally come to Christ (Numbers 22-24; Acts 23:23-24:27).
I warn you plainly that you may come to church, and come to the Lord’s table for communion, and come to your pastor, and yet never be saved. The one thing you need is to actually come to the Savior, come to the Fountain, and wash in the blood of atonement (Zechariah 13:1). Unless you do this, you will die in your sins (John 8:24).
Resolve that you will come! Do you feel vile and unworthy to come? Tell it to Jesus. Do you feel as if you don’t know what to say and do when you come? Tell it to Jesus. Tell him you are all sin; tell him you are all weakness; tell him you feel as if you had no faith and no power, no grace and no strength, no goodness and no love—but come to him, and commit your soul to his charge. Let nothing keep you back from Christ.
Tell him you have heard that he receives sinners; that you are such a one, and you want to be saved. Tell him you have nothing to plead but his own Word—but he said “Come,” and therefore you come to him.
What Jesus Promises Those Who Come to Him
And what is Jesus’ promise to those who come to him? “I will give you rest.”
Rest is a pleasant thing, and a thing that all seek after. The merchant, the banker, the tradesman, the soldier, the lawyer, the farmer—all look forward to the day when they shall be able to rest.
But how few can find rest in this world! How many pass their lives in seeking it, and never seem able to reach it! It seems very near sometimes, and they imagine it will soon be their own. Some new personal calamity happens, and they are as far off from rest as ever.
The whole world is full of restlessness and disappointment, weariness and emptiness. The very faces of worldly men let out the secret; their countenances give evidence that the Bible is true—they find no rest. “Vanity and vexation of spirit” is the true report of all here below (Ecclesiastes 1:14 KJV). “Who will show us any good?” is the bitter confession of many now, just as it was in King David’s time when he wrote those words (Psalm 4:6).
Take warning, young men and women. Do not think that happiness is to be found in any earthly thing. Do not let yourself learn this by bitter experience. Realize it while you are young, and do not waste your time in hewing out “cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13 NKJV).
But Jesus offers rest to all who will come to him. “Come to me,” he says, “and I will give you rest.” He will give it.
He will not sell it, as the Pharisee supposes—so much rest and peace in return for so many good works. He gives it freely to every coming sinner, without money and without price. He will not lend so much peace and rest, all to be taken away by-and-by if we do not please him. He gives it forever and ever. His gifts are irrevocable.
What Kind of Rest Will Jesus Give?
“But what kind of rest will Jesus give me?” someone will say. “He will not give me freedom from labor and trouble. What kind of rest will he give?” Listen a few minutes, and I will tell you.
He will give you rest from guilt of sin. The sins of the man who comes to Christ are completely taken away; they are forgiven, pardoned, removed, blotted out. They can no longer appear in condemnation against him (Romans 8:1)! They are sunk in the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). Ah! Brothers and sisters, that is rest.
He will give you rest from fear of the [Old Testament or Mosaic] law. The law has no further claim on the man who has come to Christ (Romans 8:2-4). Its debts are all paid; its requirements are all satisfied. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of law (Galatians 3:13). “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?” (Romans 8:33 NKJV). No believer can run his eye over the fifth chapter of Matthew, and not feel comforted. And that is rest.
He will give you rest from fear of hell. Hell cannot touch the man who has come to Christ. The punishment has been borne, the pain and suffering have been undergone by Jesus—and the sinner is free (John 3:16). And that, too, is rest.
He will give you rest from fear of the devil. The devil is mighty—but he cannot touch those who have come to Christ. Their Redeemer is strong (Jeremiah 50:34). He will set a hedge around them that Satan cannot overthrow. Satan may sift and buffet and vex—but he cannot destroy such (Luke 22:31). And that, too, is rest.
He will give you rest from fear of death. The sting of death is taken away when a man comes to Christ (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). Jesus has overcome death, and it is a conquered enemy. The grave loses half its terrors when we think it is “the place where the Lord lay.” The believer’s soul is safe whatever happens to his body (Luke 12:4-7). His flesh rests in hope. This also is rest.
He will give you rest in the storm of affliction. He will comfort you with comfort the world knows nothing of (2 Corinthians 1:3) He will cheer your heart and sustain your fainting spirit. He will enable you to bear loss patiently, and to hold your peace in the day of trouble. Oh! This is rest indeed!
I know well, brethren, that believers do not enjoy so much rest as they might. I know well that they “bring a bad report of the land,” and live below their privileges (Numbers 14:36). It is their unbelief; it is their indwelling sin. There was a well near Hagar—but she never saw it (Genesis 21:19). There was safety for Peter on the water—but he did not look to Jesus, and was afraid (Matthew 14:29-30). And just so it is with many believers: they give way to needless fear and so keep themselves from the gifts Jesus has for them.
But still there is a real rest and peace in Christ for all who come to him. The man that fled to the city of refuge was safe when once within the walls, though perhaps at first, he hardly believed it, and so it is with the believer.
And, after all, the most downcast and complaining child of God has got something within him he would not exchange for all the world. I never met with one, however low and desponding, who would consent to part with the rest and peace he had, however small. Like Naboth he prizes his little vineyard like a kingdom (1 Kings 21). And this shows me that coming to Christ can give rest.
“Come to Me”: Jesus Invitation to You Today
Be advised, every one of you who is now seeking rest in the world—be advised, and come and seek rest in Christ. You have no home, no refuge, no hiding place, no portion. Sickness and death will soon be upon you—and you are unprepared. Be advised, and seek rest in Christ. There is enough rest in him, and more to spare. Who has tried him and did not find him faithful? A dying Welsh boy said, in broken English, “Jesus Christ is plenty for everybody.”
Know your privileges, all you who have come to Christ. You have something solid under foot and something firm under hand. You have a rest even now, and you shall have more abundantly.
Let me speak to those who have not yet come to Christ. Why do you not come? What possible reason can you give? What excuse can you show for your present conduct?
Will you tell me you have no need? What!? No sin to be pardoned? No iniquity to be covered over? There is no state so bad as that of utter insensibility. Beware, lest you only awake to hear the word “Depart!” (Luke 13:27).
Will you tell me you are happy without Christ? I do not believe you. I know you are not. You dare not look into your heart—you dare not search your conscience. It is the happiness of a tradesman who is bankrupt and does not look at his books. There is no true happiness outside of Christ!
Take heed. Every morning you are in awful danger. You stand on the brink of hell. Let a fever, an accident, an attack of disease carry you off—and you are lost forever. Oh! take the warning. Escape for your life. Flee, flee to Christ!
Let me speak to those who have not come to Christ—but mean to some day. I marvel at your presumption. Who are you, that talk of “some day?” You may be dead in a week. Who are you that talk of “some day?” You may never have the will or opportunity, if not today. How long will you go on halting between two opinions (1 Kings 18:21)? You must come to Christ some time, some day—why not now? The longer you stay away, the less chance there is of your coming at all, and the less happiness you will have in the world. “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering his rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it” (Hebrews 4:1 NKJV). Many meant to have come in their old age—but put it off until too late. Come now.
Let me speak to those who have come to Christ indeed. You are often cast down and disquieted within you. And why? Just because you do not abide in Christ and seek all rest and peace in him (John 15:4-5). You wander from the fold: no wonder you return weary, footsore, and tired. Come again to the Lord Jesus and renew the covenant. Believe me, if you live to be as old as Methuselah, you will never get beyond this: a sinner saved by the grace of Christ. And think of the sinner’s end.
Rest in Christ—and so rest indeed!