Read: Luke 11:37-54
And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear.” (v. 46)
In Ecclesiastes and in Psalm 73 we saw two Old Testament examples of weariness. As we turn now to the New Testament, we find that weariness is closely connected to the idea of burdens—being “weighed down” spiritually by many concerns. In Jesus’s day, the Pharisees and teachers of the law had added extrabiblical rules and traditions that were burdening the people and hindering their souls; Jesus called them out on these teachings.
Jesus was dining with a Pharisee when this group turned on him for not washing before dinner. This was one of the Pharisees’ traditions—it wasn’t a commandment from the Law. As Jesus discussed such teachings, he accused the Pharisees of burdening God’s people with added rules and ceremonies. Not only did they weary others with extra obligations, they themselves would not lift a finger to help! They had taken away the “key of knowledge” (v. 52) that would lead to salvation, and they had hindered those who would enter God’s kingdom.
It was a terrible indictment of the religious leaders of Jesus’s day, and they felt it. They hounded him, peppering him with questions and trying to trip him up with their arguments. But Jesus had a different objective as he walked away from the debate. Our Savior was seeking to lift the burdens of those who were weary and heavy-laden—people like you and me.
As you pray, bring to Jesus the cares and burdens that weigh your heart down today.
Laura N. Sweet is a wife, mother, grandmother, and former Christian school teacher from Midland, Michigan. She writes devotional material for both adults and children, and her work has appeared in more than a dozen publications.
