The King is kind!  Having pronounced judgement on the unrepentant towns (Matthew 11:20-24), Jesus turned His attention to the people who were eager to welcome Him.  He made no attempt to gain favour with the wealthy, rulers or religious leaders.  Instead, He wanted weary and broken people to find refuge in Him; He wanted to welcome them to take a special place in His kingdom.
 
In contrast to the religious leaders who could not practice what they preached and put more burdensome obligations on people (Matthew 23:1-4), Jesus simply invited weak people to come to Him.  He gave them no preliminary instruction but promised that all who came to Him would never be turned away (John 6:37).  They would be received as honoured guests and then learn a new way of living.
 
Rest comes first in God's economy, and after that people are ready for work.  In Hebrew thought, a day starts in the evening - as in the creation account in Genesis 1:5.  Rest is essential before anything can be done.  Even more important than resting our bodies is the rest of heart and soul which is found in Christ alone.  After that comes the apprenticeship.  We learn to work with Jesus in the same way that a younger animal is yoked alongside a stronger and more experienced ox to pull the plough.  He does not pull us along, nor does He let us run ahead of Him.  Resting in His powerful humility allows us to be productive without being stressed.  He knows how to train His disciples kindly.
 
Although most of this world is obsessed with achievement through effort, it will only produce weary and burdened souls.  It is not that hard work is wrong and should be avoided, far from it; but to do it in our own strength will result in collapse.  That is why we still need to obey Jesus' command to come to Him and relearn how to work ... alongside Jesus and at His pace.  With Him, resting is safe, and working is sustainable.  So come to Him again today; and invite your colleagues to do the same.