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“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30
This is an open invitation and it is beautiful. It follows two fused teachings. In verses 20-24, Jesus denounced the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum because they did not believe in Him, though they saw Him perform miracles that would have persuaded the likes of Tyre, Sidon, and even Sodom. In verses 25-27, He praises the Father for, according to His own good pleasure, revealing the truth of the gospel. So, when teaching this passage, it helps to think of its tertiary structure: it begins with a denouncement, moves on to a prayer of praise, and then ends with an open invitation for those who had been burdened with false legalistic teachings like those that were so prevalent in Jesus’ day.