Arthur Pink
"Come unto Me all
you who labor and are heavy laden—and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon
you, and learn of Me; for
I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls. For
My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
Familiar as is the sound
of those words unto professing Christians—yet there is a pressing need for
their careful examination, for there are few portions of God's Word which have
received such superficial treatment at the hands of preachers generally, as has
the above. That these verses, like all others in the Sacred Volume, call for
prayerful meditation, some will formally allow—but that such a "simple
passage" demands protracted study, few seem to realize. It is at this very
point, that so much damage has been wrought. Many took it for granted they
already understood the meaning of such a passage, and hence no diligent inquiry
into the significance of its terms was undertaken. The mere fact that a verse
is so frequently quoted that we are thoroughly familiar with its language, is
no proof that we really perceive its purpose: yes, the fact that such
familiarity has precluded careful examination renders it far more likely that
we do not rightly apprehend it.
There is a vast difference between being acquainted with the sound of a verse of Holy Writ, and entering into the sense of it.
The sad fact is that today there are thousands of unqualified "evangelists" and self-appointed open-air "speakers" who glibly quote snippets from the Word of God—yet no more understand the spiritual significance of the words uttered by their lips, than the telegraph wires understand the messages which pass over them. Nor is this to be wondered at. Ours is an age which is more and more marked by industrial loafing and mental slackness; when work is detested, when how quickly a task may be disposed of—rather than how well it may be done—is the order of the day. And the same dilatory spirit and slipshod methods mark the products both of the pulpit and the printed page. Hence the superficial treatment which the above passage commonly receives—no regard is paid to its context, no laborious attempt assayed to ascertain its coherence (the relation of one clause to another), no painstaking examination and exposition of its terms.
If ever a passage of
Scripture was mutilated and mangled by preachers, its meaning perverted and
wrested, it is the one quoted above. Nineteen times out of twenty only a mere
fragment of it is quoted—that part which is most unpalatable to the flesh,
being omitted. A particular call is twisted into a promiscuous invitation, by
deliberately ignoring the qualifying terms there used by the Savior. Even where
the opening clause is quoted, no attempt is made to show what is signified by
and involved in "come to Christ," so that the hearer is left to
assume that he already understands the meaning of that expression. The special
offices in which the Son of God is there portrayed, namely, as Lord and Master,
as Prince and Prophet, are ignored; and another is substituted in their place.
The conditional promise here made by Christ is falsified by making it an unconditional one, as though His
"rest" could be obtained without our taking His "yoke" upon
us and without our "learning" of Him who is meek and lowly in heart.
We are well aware that
such charges and strictures as we have just made, would be bitterly resented by
a large class of church-goers, who do not wish to hear anyone or anything
criticized. But it is not for them we write: if they are pleased to remain
"at ease in Zion," if they are content whether they are deceived or
not, if they have such confidence in men that they are willing to receive the
most valuable and vital things of all second hand, if they refuse to examine
their foundations and search their hearts, then we must "let them
alone" (Matthew 15:14). But there are still a few left on earth who prize
their souls so highly, that they consider no effort too great in order to
ascertain whether or not they possess a saving knowledge of God's truth, whether
or not they truly understand the terms of God's salvation, whether or not they
are building on an unshakable foundation; and it is in the hope that the Lord
may deign to bless these writings unto them, that we are penning the same.
