Discourses at the Communion on Fridays

[ 2 ] Matthew 11:28

[ 2 ] Matthew 11:28 • Prayer Father in Heaven! Just as the congregation’s intercessory prayer usually asks you to console all those who are sick and sorrowful, so at this hour it asks that you will give those who labor and are heavy laden rest for their souls. And yet, this is no intercession; who would dare think himself so healthy that he should only pray for others. Alas, no, everyone prays for himself, that you will give him rest for his soul. So, O God, may you give rest for the soul to each one individually whom you see laboring heavy laden in the consciousness of sin! Matthew 11:28: Come here to me all who labor and are heavy laden!1 and I will give you rest. “Come here, all you who labor and are heavy laden.” What a strange invitation. For ordinarily when people are gathered for pleasure or for working together, they no doubt say to the strong and cheerful: “Come here, take part with us; combine your efforts with ours.” But about the troubled person they say: “No, we do not want to have him with us; he only spoils the enjoyment and delays the work.” Yes, the troubled person understands very well without it being said to him, and thus perhaps many a troubled person stands apart and alone, will not participate with others lest he spoil their enjoyment or delay the work. But this invitation to all those who labor and are heavy laden still must indeed apply to him since it applies to all who are troubled; how dare any troubled person say here: “No, the invitation does not concern me!” 1. Exclamation mark added by Kierkegaard. Part 1 50 “All those who labor and are heavy laden,” all of them, no one is excluded, not a single one. Alas, what manifold diversity is denoted by these words. Those who labor!2 For not only does the one labor who works by the sweat of the brow for the daily bread,3 not only does the one labor who endures the day’s heat and toil in a lowly job;4 oh, the one who struggles with heavy thoughts also labors; the one who out of concern bears the care of one or many also labors; the one who is immersed in doubt also labors, just as the swimmer is said to labor . Those who are heavy laden! For not only is the one heavy laden who visibly carries a heavy burden, who visibly is in difficult circumstances , but also the one is indeed heavy laden whose burden no one sees, who perhaps even labors to hide it; and not only is the one heavy laden before whom there perhaps lies a long life in privation, in pain, in troubled recollection, but also the one for whom, alas, there seems to be no future. But how could this discourse ever be finished if it were to mention all these differences, and even if it tried to do that, it would perhaps misguide instead of guide, would distractingly draw attention to the differences instead of concentrating the mind on the one thing needful.5 For even if the differences are ever so many, is it really the intention of the gospel that there should be a small remnant or a greater number of persons left over who may be called the fortunate ones, exempt from labor and trouble? When it invites all those who labor and are heavy laden, is it the intention of the gospel that there are still some to whom this invitation does not apply because they are actually healthy and do not need healing?6 This is indeed the way we usually talk. For if you see a happy circle of children and there is one sick child to whom a kind person says, “come to me, my child; we will play together,” then he is indeed implying that this child is sick but also that the others are actually healthy. Now might the gospel be speaking in the same way, or should we speak so foolishly about the gospel? For if such were the case, then the gospel certainly would not pertain to everyone, then it certainly would not proclaim the equality 2. See SKS 10:280, line 2 for correction of the missing punctuation mark in the first edition. 3. See Genesis 3:19. 4. See Matthew 20:12. 5. See Luke 10:41–42. 6. See...