Come and Become

Thomas Barr continues our series on what it looks like to be a disciple by studying Matthew 11 and identifying the specific words Jesus used to invite us in—come, take, learn, and find.

Season by season, moment by moment, we are invited by Jesus into the rhythm and process of learning and living, beholding and becoming. We are all disciples. The question of who and what are you a disciple of?

Jesus uses these 4 words as an invitation for us. Come, Take, Learn, Find.

1) Come. See Matthew 11:28. Coming means leaving point A to get to point B. When Jesus said to come, He didn't mean to meet for coffee. He meant for you to pack your bags and join Him for life. In Matthew 4, He says, "Follow Me," which can also mean, "Come to me."

• The invitation is only as significant as the one commanding it. So, what distinguishes Jesus? Why is He worth hitching your life to? Because of Matthew 11:27. Jesus is the way to show you the Father. The invitation for us is to come to the risen, living Jesus Christ. You either come, or you don't.
• Who can come to Jesus? All who labor and are heavy laden, internally and externally exhausted.
• What happens when you come to Him? He will give you rest. You don't hear it or buy it; He gives it. The rest is from having to prove yourself. He revives and refreshes your soul. A regenerated heart leads to a renovated heart.

2) Take. See Matthew 11:29. A yoke is used to make a load lighter. Jesus is assuming that you already have a yoke when He tells you to take His. What you run to carry your burdens is the yoke you are carrying.

• In Galatians 5, Paul calls our yokes, "yokes of slavery." Jesus has set us free of that! The yoke Jesus offers is His way of living life. He will transform you. How can you take His yoke? His yoke lifts you up, not burden you down. Jesus carries your burdens and cares with you and for you. See also Colossians 1:27 and Galatians 5:16.

3) Learn. See Matthew 11:29. Learn from Jesus. He's gentle and lowly in heart. To be a disciple is to be a learner. You sit under their teaching. You can't apply and become what you do not know. This is what transforms you. You have to learn Christ to become Christlike. See Romans 12:2.

• Matthew places a huge emphasis on Jesus' teachings. He dedicates multiple chapters to the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes. Jesus is gentle, considerate, and humble. His unpretentious teaching tells us how His heart operates.

4) Find. See Matthew 11:19. You WILL find rest. It's a deep rest for your soul, for the entirety of who you are. The result of discipleship in Jesus is rest. Anything else makes you restless.

Jesus only asks you to do what He has done. He came into this world and our mess. He took on human skin and our sin and its punishment. He learned that the Father's will would be accomplished through His death on the Cross, bearing our judgment. He found, through His resurrection, exaltation for Himself and salvation for us.