"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Instead of "give you rest", the Syriac has "I will place you in all quietness".[1]
Analysis
Here Christ invites everyone to "come" to him, in a spiritual sense. Those who labour (κοπιῶντες) points to those who suffer trouble and are burdened by 1) sins; 2) the law of Moses; 3) the troubles and temptations of this life.[2][3]
Commentary from the Church Fathers
Chrysostom: "By what He had said, He brought His disciples to have a desire towards Him, showing them His unspeakable excellence; and now He invites them to Him, saying, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden."[4]
Augustine: "Whence do we all thus labour, but that we are mortal men, bearing vessels of clay which cause us much difficulty. But if the vessels of flesh are straitened, the regions of love will be enlarged. To what end then does He say, Come unto me, all ye that labour, but that ye should not labour?"[4]
Hilary of Poitiers: "He calls to Him those that were labouring under the hardships of the Law, and those who are burdened with the sins of this world."[4]
Jerome: "That the burden of sin is heavy the Prophet Zachariah bears witness, saying, that wickedness sitteth upon a talent of lead. (Zech. 5:7.) And the Psalmist fills it up, Thy iniquities are grown heavy upon me. (Ps. 38:4)"[4]
^Robert Witham, Annotations on the New Testament of Jesus Christ, Dublin: 1730.
^John MacEvilly, An Exposition of the Gospel of St. John consisting of an analysis of each chapter and of a Commentary critical, exegetical, doctrinal and moral, Dublin, Gill & Son 1879.
^Cornelius Cornelii a Lapide; Thomas Wimberly Mossman The great commentary of Cornelius à Lapide, London: J. Hodges, 1889-1896.
