A great paradox exists today: vast masses of humanity are wearied and heavy laden, toiling under sin and sorrow, yet they turn away, indifferent to the outstretched, compassionate call of the only one who can give them rest. As the Lord saw the multitudes, He was “moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). His divine sight knows the toil and sorrow in every heart.
The invitation—“Come, Take, and Learn”—is a comprehensive explanation of what it means to be a Christian. A Christian is someone who has:
- Come to Christ (initial faith and repentance, finding rest as Priest).
- Taken His Yoke (unconditional submission, finding rest as King).
- Learns from Christ (lifelong discipleship, perfecting rest as Prophet).
The problem with modern “easy-believism” is that it censors the gospel, emphasizing “Come” but discreetly silencing the “yoke” and the “cross.” This results in a false faith that never finds the rest Christ promises. True faith must include all three commands.
3. The Command to Learn From Me (Rest as Prophet)
The final command is: “And learn of Me: for I am meek and lowly in heart” (v. 29).
The order is crucial: You cannot learn unless you have taken the yoke and surrendered your will to Christ’s authority. Submission must precede instruction.
The Command: “Be My Disciple”
The phrase “learn of Me” uses the Greek word from which we get mathetes (disciple). The command, therefore, is to be My lifelong disciple.
The Christian life is a journey where Jesus is constantly instructing us through His Word and providence (Romans 8:28-29) to conform us to the image of His Son.
- Learning From Him (Teacher): He is our divine instructor.
- Learning Of Him (Subject): He is the divine subject we are taught.
This learning is far more than an intellectual acquisition of doctrine; it is an experimental, effectual, transforming learning that results in being “changed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
The Primary Subject: Meek and Lowly in Heart
What is the primary subject in Christ’s school? Is it how to become a famous preacher, or how to achieve great things that the world admires? No. Jesus declares the central lesson:
“Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.”
This is the very essence of the life Christ desires to reproduce in us. This “gentle and quiet spirit” is described as the incorruptible beauty which is “very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:4). These are the graces we most need to cultivate.
- Meekness (சாந்தம்): Not weakness, but strength under control. It is the ability to rule one’s own spirit under provocation, subduing resentment under wrong, and refusing to retaliate. Moses, the mediator of the Old Covenant, was famed for his meekness (Numbers 12:3). It is the opposite of self-will and self-assertiveness; it is pliability—being as clay in the hands of the Potter.
- Lowly in Heart (மனத்தாழ்மை): Humbleness. The opposite of being proud, haughty, ambitious, and unbending.
Naturally, we are stiff-necked, proud, and arrogant. Until that changes, Christianity has not truly begun in us. The measure of a Christian is not how much he believes, but how much he has learnt Christ’s meekness and lowliness against his natural pride.
The Reason and the Encouragement
Jesus highlights these two attributes (“For I am meek and lowly”) as the reason for the command and as a powerful encouragement to obey.
1. The Only Spirit for Learning: The only spirit in which a man can learn of Jesus is by being meek and lowly. We can learn nothing while we hold our heads up with pride or self-confidence.
2. The Removal of All Objections (Primary Meaning): This declaration is primarily given to remove all fear and excuses to come and take the yoke:
- Will he be a harsh taskmaster? Will he be rough with me? Will he make my life miserable?
- Christ answers: “I am not like the proud Pharisees who put heavy, uncaring loads on you, nor like the tyrant Satan. I am meek and lowly in heart.“
This is a remarkable description of the heart of Jesus—the only passage in the New Testament where His heart is distinctly mentioned. It speaks of His approachability, patience, and kindness. We never need fear to come to Him, for He will never give us more than we can bear.
Christ as the Perfect Example
The Lord’s life is the definition of these two attributes:
- Meekness in Salvation: He, though equal with God, was willing to assume our nature, be born in a stable, work in a carpenter’s shop, and subject Himself to His parents. He meekly submitted to baptism and rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a war horse (Zechariah 9:9).
- Lowliness in Service: He performed the most menial duties, like washing and wiping the feet of His disciples. His meekness was seen in His patient silence before His accusers, and His profound lowliness in praying for His murderers while being nailed to the cross.
Compared to Him, our shame is great. We “take fire at a single spark” and lack meekness even in small things in our family and workplace. The measure of our Christian walk is the practical display of this meekness and lowliness.
The Result: Rest for Your Souls (v. 29)
The ultimate result of obeying the full call—Come, Take, and Learn—is the perfect rest: “and you will find rest for your souls.“
This rest is:
- The rest of a quiet conscience that gnaws no more.
- The rest of conscious friendship and union with God (through the yoke).
- The rest of fears dispelled and forgiveness received.
Unless you come to Christ and take His yoke, you will never know this perfect relaxation from tension and anxiety. The yoke of obedience, far from being grievous, is the greatest liberation. When we obey and submit to the Lordship of Christ, we find ease and lightness.
Have you truly come to Christ, taken His yoke, and entered His school to learn this meekness? This is the starting point of true Christianity and the only path to the perfect rest He promises.
The third aspect of Christ’s call, “Learn of Me,” is powerfully supported by the reason He gives: “for I am meek and lowly in heart.” To understand the weight of this reason is to understand why there is no excuse left for the burdened soul to delay coming to Him.
The Divine Paradox: Meekness and Majesty
To appreciate the claim “I am meek and lowly in heart,” we must remember who speaks these words. It is Jehovah Jesus, the Lord God, the Son of the Highest.
- The Eternal God: He who is infinite in being and perfection, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, and dwells in unapproachable light (the “I AM,” JAH, Jehovah) says, “I am meek and lowly.”
- The Sovereign Possessor: He is the one who declares, “All things are delivered unto Me of My Father” (v. 27). He is the possessor of all things, yet He is lowly. It is difficult for a man of great power and authority to remain meek, but in Christ, we see an unparalleled divine blending of glory and grace.
- The Universal Judge: The Father has delivered all judgment unto the Son. Though He is the universal Judge, whose eyes discern the precious and the vile, He is yet “meek and lowly in heart.”
This contrast is surpassingly striking: infinite power, universal authority, and commissioning to judge, yet a heart that is gentle, tender, and condescending. This is matchless and unparalleled meekness. Pondering this divine paradox should melt our hearts, condemn our pride, and humble us to our knees.
The Meekness Argument: Removing All Excuses
Christ uses His meek and lowly heart as an unanswerable argument to compel sinners to obey all three commands: “Come,” “Take My yoke,” and “Learn of Me.”
1. Removing Excuses to “Come”
Sinners often hesitate with excuses, fearing rejection:
- “I have neglected Him so long.” Christ replies, “I am meek of heart; ready to forgive your seventy years’ neglect. However great your transgressions, My love is greater still. I am not easily angered.”
- “Christ must be angry with my great sins (profanity, blasphemy, scorn).” Christ responds, “I am meek; I can pardon your ingratitude and disrespect. I am long-suffering, compassionate, and easily entreated (appeased). I am ready to forgive, to forget, and cast behind My back all your provocations.”
- “I am the lowest of the low; I am too unworthy for Him.” Christ says, “I am lowly in heart; I am willing to receive the lowest and the poorest, the most obscure, despised, and ignorant among you. I will not feel that your company is a dishonor to Me. The poor have the gospel preached to them. I willingly stooped to the lowest position to save the lowest of men.”
- “If I come, I might sin again.” Christ assures: “I am meek and lowly in heart. I know your frame is dust, and your nature is sinful, yet still I say, come, for I am able to keep you from falling, and I am prepared to forgive you unto seventy times seven. I will endure your failures and patiently help you struggle into holiness.”
His meekness assures the sinner that Christ is not a capricious, unforgiving judge, but a tender, long-suffering Savior.
2. Removing Excuses to “Take My Yoke”
The sinner may fear exchanging the heavy yoke of sin for an equally tyrannical master.
- “Take My yoke upon you,” He commands, “for I am meek and lowly in heart.”
- His meekness assures us that He is no tyrannical, haughty master. It is easy to serve one who is lenient towards our faults, whose commands are not intolerant, and whose service is perfect freedom. He is only grieved by our offense because we injure ourselves. Who would not obey so kind a King?
3. Removing Excuses to “Learn of Me”
The sinner must learn the lesson of meekness and lowliness, which seems unnatural and difficult.
- “Learn of Me,” He says, “for I am meek and lowly in heart.”
- His character assures us that He is a patient Teacher. He will not be vexed if we prove to be dull scholars. He will teach us the hardest of all lessons—how to put away our self-will and self-importance—with patience and tenderness.
The Result: Immediate and Progressive Rest
The result of obeying the commands—Come, Take, and Learn—is the promise of rest, mentioned twice:
- “I will give you rest” (v. 28): This is the immediate rest given as a gift upon initial coming to Christ in faith—the forgiveness that brings a quiet conscience and conscious friendship with God.
- “You shall find rest for your souls” (v. 29): This is the progressive rest found through the condition of continuance: taking His yoke and learning from Him.
This deeper rest is found in:
- Submission: There is repose in saying, “Thou art my Master, and to Thee I bow.” You are delivered from the unrest of self-will and contending desires.
- Christ-likeness: The path of perfect rest is in treading in Christ’s footsteps. We do away with the irritation, passion, and anger that breed all the disquiet (அமைதியின்மை) in our lives when we take the meekness and lowliness of the Master as our pattern.
Christ-likeness is the secret of perfect and permanent rest. It is a river of the soul that flows meekly and calmly, never rising to hit the rocks of provocation.
May God grant us the grace to obey these commands in full and find the perfect rest for which our souls were made.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 