3rd Thursday of Lent, March 16. LEARN FROM JESUS

Prepare to Listen.  Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
 
Prayerfully Read Matthew 11:25-30
25At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.  27All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.  28Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
 
Prayerfully Wonder
“I am gentle and humble in heart.”  That’s how Jesus described himself.  Perhaps because gentle and humble are often considered as weak, the Galileans rejected him.  They wanted a messiah with power according to their standards, not a gentle and humble one.  Jesus saw beyond the rejection and thanked his Father for hiding the truth from “the wise and the intelligent,” revealing it “to infants,” the simple folk scorned by the religious rulers.
 
Despite the antagonistic crowd, he dared to reveal a great and shocking truth.  All things have been given to him by the Father; only the Father knows the son; only he knows the Father.  However, he came to reveal the Father to whomever he chooses.  Want to know God?  Come to me, says Jesus in some of the best loved words he spoke.  We post them in visible places, memorize them and burn them into our hearts and minds.  They are words we need: Come to me and find rest.
 
It’s so easy for us to slip into a doing, active, busy, busy lifestyle.  People notice us when we perform lots of good stuff.  But it’s draining and soul-destroying.  Jesus offers rest.  Not rest as in cessation of work.  We’ll still have work to do.  Rest comes because he invites us to work in partnership with him.  He say, ‘Take my easy, comfortable yoke that won’t chafe, and light burden that won’t weigh you down, learn from me and you will find rest for your souls.’  Rest in the one who is gentle and humble in heart.
 
Prayerfully Reflect
Take a second gaze,[1] slow and patient, at these familiar verses.  What do you see this time?  What do you think it means to “learn from” Jesus?
 
Respond in Prayer
Jesus your invitation is amazing, and I want to live in the rest you give.  Help me today to give up the yoke and burden of my making, and take on your easy yoke and light burden.  Amen
 
Live Obediently.  Learn from Jesus.
[1] Second gaze is the theme of these devotions.  If you haven’t read about it, check: https://www.storymakerlife.com/a-second-gaze.html