We return today to the sermon series of some months ago now, as we journey through the gospel of Matthew. When we left it Jesus had said that he alone knew the Father and he had said, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He contrasted the ‘yoke’ of the law, the burden it placed on people, with the ‘yoke’ of his own teaching. And in today’s reading we find a practical demonstration of that…
“Let us find that balance in the life God gives us. ‘There are six days in which to do work – and a day in which to rest.’ God rested in creation, Jesus rested in his ministry – how are we more able to work than they are? But we do not rest in a legalistic, ‘do this, don’t do that’ way or tell others how they should find their rest; we rest in a way that enjoys God and brings light and life to ourselves and to others”.