Come – Sunday, February 20, 1983
One of the most frequent words in Christ’s vocabulary was a small one—come. The gestures with which we associate Him echo that same idea. Arms outstretched in welcome, His entire being said, “Come.” This is not a restricted invitation for the few, for the elect, for those who somehow deserve it; He made it open and for all, no matter how weak or afraid or hesitant.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,” He said, “and I will give you rest.”1
At another time, He said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not,”2 appealing to the little child in each of us.
Come follow me, in fact, was the message of His life.
Come. It is an immediate appeal, admitting no excuses. We who say to the Lord, “I am too busy. I am too tired. I will work you in another time,” have missed the point. There is not a mortal being who is not burdened with cares that threaten to absorb him altogether. All are preoccupied, all busy. But when Christ said to Peter and Andrew fishing in the waters of Galilee, “Come…and I will make you…fishers of men,”3 they dropped their nets and came.
Come. It is without qualifications. Not come when we are perfect. Not come when we have no doubts or smudges, when life is uncontested, and we have no problems. Nor is it an invitation to come only when life is at its darkest—only in time of dire need. It is a simple, “Come now. Come as you are.”
Why is the Lord so insistent about this invitation? Probably because He walked with us and knows firsthand the mysteries, violence and contradictions of life on this earth. He knows that if we will come to Him in pain, we will leave in joy. If we come in confusion, we will leave in clarity. If we come in darkness, we will leave in light.
And so, He offers the invitation and leaves it extended with a kind of divine hopefulness—until we respond.
1 New Testament, Matthew 11:28
2 New Testament, Luke 18:16
3 New Testament, Mark 1:17
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February 20, 1983
Broadcast Number 2,792