Then Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Last Sunday, Pastor Paul preached on this text and I was moved afterwards to review and highlight this in this week’s blog. Jesus here was inviting the people there that day that felt the weight of the world on their shoulders to come to him for rest. Jesus describes a yoke, which was a wooden device used to harness the working power of an animal, cows, oxen, horses. These yokes could be used on one or several animals at one time.
The Jewish people described living under obedience to the law as having a yoke upon them. Jesus had declared earlier that he knows God the father and that he could reveal God to whomever he chooses. Then he invited his listeners to come to him and take his yoke upon them, to commit to him and put themselves under his authority. He has promised rest to those who do this. The implication is to allow Jesus to put his own yoke on us, the way a farmer would put one on his livestock. It means giving Jesus control and letting him direct our efforts. I read one time that to take up Jesus light burden, we have to first unburden ourselves of the things He never intended us to carry.
“Casting our cares and anxieties on You because You cared for us” (1st Peter 5:7) those cares and worries that we cannot control, those circumstances where only God is in control.
Many have been carrying the burdens of guilt and shame and other times we carry other people‘s burdens and at times that is what we are to do, but in other times, they need to learn to drop their heavy burden and “take my yoke upon you”
The work he has will not be difficult, Jesus says. He wants them to learn from him. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus insists that he is gentle. He is lowly in heart. He has not come to add to their burden, but to give them rest for their souls.