The First Invitation - Revelation of Christ’s Love
The First Invitation - Revelation of Christ’s Love
"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28–30).
Not only is this great invitation a revelation of the claim of the Lord Jesus Christ as to His own personality and being, it is also a revelation of His love. He saw the need of the world and knew that there was only one possible remedy for its need., and it is that which He offered to supply. The Lord Jesus Christ is eternal, so He saw clearly not only the narrow picture of the generation of His contemporaries within the limited confines of the small land where He was born, but down through the ages, and throughout all the lands of earth. That is the reason why He told men that He would give them peace if they would come unto Him.
Jesus Christ had all power and all wisdom. He knew what men needed most. He knows what men need most today. But the difficulty is that they will not believe Him. "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40), were the words that He spoke to those who were in such great need. It was this knowledge of the world’s need and what would satisfy that need which limited the program of Jesus Christ and caused Him to offer just what He did present to men.
Where the needs are merely physical, Christianity and its imitators can indeed provide asylums, food, clothing, doctors and nurses. But the collective influence of all the Christians in the world is not sufficient to change even one sinful, greedy heart. The reason why Christ never spoke against war or slavery is because, like any good physician, He worked against causes rather than against mere symptoms. It needs more than influence, individual or collective, to change men. It needs the supernatural work of regeneration. "Ye must be born again."
Therefore we conclude that Christ’s great Gospel invitation was a revelation of His love, since He knew that He alone could calm the raging sea within the hearts of men and reach beyond the surface of their need into the very center of their souls.
Dr. Barnhouse reminds us that all the social work of the church will never meet the real need, namely, salvation from sin and a changed heart. This alone will provide the real cure for the symptoms.
Further Reading: Psalm 51
