On the Character of Christ

Matthew 11: 29 

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls". 

This is Jesus, called the Christ, speaking; and in the preceding verses before the above statement was made, he said a few things more. In Vs 27, he said 'all things are delivered to me of my Father...' and in Vs 28, he made an open call to ANYONE and EVERYONE who labor (weary, tired, frustrated, exhausted with this life, stressed, suicidal, confused, feeling hollow or empty, hopeless), are heavy laden, (burdened with worries, cares, anxiety and fear), and he promised to give them rest. 

Now, bearing in mind the kind of high-end personality who is calling just about anyone to come to him (someone who has all thing delivered to him), it is both amazing, heart-warming and refreshing to know that he is easily accessible because he said 'I am MEEK and LOWLY in heart'. 

Jesus Christ is God; and the realization that such a person could be that low, is another shift in paradigm. This is because the concept, thought process or belief system that you may have been used to about a God, is that of one who is high, lofty, up there, bossing around everyone to do what he wants and if not, you face  the consequence or his deadly wrath. 

It is not so with Jesus Christ. He is completely low in heart, 100% humble, accommodating, warm and easily accessible. He is not one to condemn, because he said to the woman caught in adultery : 'neither do I condemn thee...' (John 8: 11) which also speaks of his compassion, and also because 'he that believeth on him is not condemned...' (John 3:18). To crown it all, he gives the kind of rest that comes with HIS peace, not the kind the world gives (John 14:27). 

By that call, he is asking you to pack your bags and come stay with him, relax, feel at home, stretch your back, and make yourself comfortable because there's enough room. This is evident when he made a request in John 15:4 that sounded almost like a plea, advice, and commandment at the same time : 'Abide in me, and I in you.' .  He went ahead to say, 'if ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, AND IT SHALL BE DONE UNTO YOU'. So, not only does he promise you rest, he also assures that what you will ask shall be done for you. 

However, for you to find this rest and assurance, he says you need to 'come...take my yoke upon you...and learn of me. This mean that you have to take on the humility that is in Christ, believing on him, who he is and what he does; AND obediently doing the same things. Jesus is holy and righteous; and while he may not condemn you, he would not encourage your sins either; because when he forgave the woman caught in adultery, he told her to 'go and sin no more'. (John 8 : 11). 

So, yes. Christ is really easy-going, warm and loving, as against the universal concept of him as an angry God. Also, having a relationship with him is not burdensome because he said his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Mt 11: 30); and his commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:3). It would be quite wonderful then, if you changed the previous misconception you may have had about Christ, and reconsider accepting his call and build a relationship with him. May you find rest to your soul as you take that life-changing step in faith. Amen! 

God bless you!