Jesus Said: “Come to Me”

Some weight we carry is necessary—most of it is not.

When Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28–30 NLT), He’s speaking directly to people exhausted not just by life, but by religion.

Not faith. Not devotion. But religion that crushes people under demands they were never meant to carry.

When Good Intentions Become Heavy Loads

In 2014, my wife Dawn and I spent five months hiking the Appalachian Trail. Over 2,000 miles of rugged terrain—Georgia to Maine.

At the start, we saw a guy trying to carry two five-gallon buckets full of food along with his backpack. He was sweating, straining, and stopping every few feet. His plan? Unsustainable.

That’s how spiritual life can feel when we start carrying what was never ours to bear. Especially when others load us up with expectations and checklists, even if well-intentioned.

Jesus saw that happening in His day.

The Religious Pressure of the Pharisees

The Pharisees weren’t villains for sport. They were deeply committed to keeping God’s Law. Their logic was simple: if everyone followed the rules perfectly, God would bless the nation again.

But in their pursuit of holiness, they built what they called “a fence around the law.” Hundreds of extra rules, interpretations, and traditions—each one designed to protect God’s Word, but many of them ended up smothering it.

Jesus described their approach in Matthew 23:4 (NLT):

“They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.”

When leadership forgets the heart behind the command, it turns obedience into oppression.

Weary and Heavy Laden

Jesus’ words in Matthew 11 describe two kinds of spiritual strain:

Weary – the Greek word kopiaó refers to laboring to the point of exhaustion. Not once, but repeatedly. The kind of living that slowly drains your soul.
Heavy laden – phortizó implies being overloaded, especially with spiritual anxiety. Like a pack animal pushed beyond its capacity, people were spiritually breaking under the weight.

Sound familiar?

Maybe today, the weight isn’t laws about Sabbath travel or food pairings. Maybe it’s the unspoken belief that if you don’t look the part, God is disappointed. Maybe it’s spiritual anxiety dressed up as performance.

Jesus didn’t come to reinforce that system—He came to invite us out of it.

Rest for Your Souls

Jesus doesn’t call the worthy—He calls the weary. His solution isn’t a new checklist, it’s an invitation:

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart…”

A yoke implies work—but shared work. Not solitary struggle. He’s still leading, still teaching, but He’s carrying it with us. And that changes everything.

Strength and Worth in Christ

As a youth pastor, I often had students lead moments during our services. Afterward, they’d quietly come ask:

“Did I do okay?”
“Would you have me do that again?”

What they were really asking was, “Do you see me as strong?” or “Am I still wanted?”

Those questions don’t go away when we grow up. We still wonder:

Am I enough?
Am I seen?
Would God choose me again?

Here’s the good news:
With Jesus, you’re strong—because He carries what you can’t.
With Jesus, you’re chosen—again and again.

Final Thoughts

The rest Jesus offers isn’t just physical. It’s spiritual relief from the crushing weight of trying to earn what He already gave.

So if you’re tired—really tired—not just from life but from religion that wears you out, maybe today’s the day to take Him at His word.

You don’t have to carry it all. Jesus is still saying: “Come to me.”