📕 Matthew 11:28-29 - "Come to me..." (this week's verse)

👐 support our work // ⚡️ sponsorship // 📧 subscribe

📧 In today’s email…

• 🌍️ 3 themes in Matthew (messiah, teacher, God)

• 🙏 A prayer to prepare your heart for the week

• 🎵 A song to help you memorize this week

Let’s dig in…

 🧠 Memorize

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29

Author & Audience Context: 3 Facts, 3 Themes ✍️ 

• Matthew (author) was a Jewish tax collector before becoming one of Jesus' 12 disciples 💰️

• He wrote his gospel originally for a Jewish audience and is one of the earliest official accounts of Jesus of Nazareth ✍️ 

• The events in Matthew take place in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the surrounding Greco-Roman Empire in the 1st century 🌍️ 

Matthew wanted to show how Jesus is the fulfillment of the whole biblical story of God and Israel.

To do that, he emphasizes these 3 themes:

• Jesus is the Messiah from the line of David

• Jesus is a new, authoritative teacher like Moses

• Jesus is God with us, or in Hebrew, Immanuel

Apply & respond 🏃‍♂️ 

2023 is almost over and as we head into the holiday season, you might feel weary and burdened.

• Maybe 2023 didn’t go as well as you had planned

• Maybe you’re just tired - not only physically, but at a soul level

• Maybe it feels like there’s too much to do and not enough time

Wherever you find yourself right now, pause and consider the bold, beautiful words of Jesus:

The Creator of the universe is offering us an invitation to true rest.

Pray this prayer and prepare your heart for the week as we dig deeper into this passage.

Pray

Lord, as I meditate on your invitation this week, show me what burdens I am carrying. Show me where I am weary and in need of rest. Show me all the places I’m seeking rest that are not you.

Jesus, I want to come to you and you alone for rest. Help me take you up on your offer this week. 🙏 

Listen 🎵 

Ever wonder why you can remember lyrics from a song you haven’t heard in 20 years? What if we could use that to help us memorize Scripture?

Verses is a project by a collection of musical artists that create original songs only containing Scripture in them as their lyrics.

Occasionally, we’ll use their songs to help us soak in the verse we’re memorizing.

You can listen to Matthew 11:28-30 on Spotify here to help you memorize it this week! (or click here to listen on Apple music) 

LAUGH 😂