An 11:30 to still be thankful for on 11/30
Matthew 11:30
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
For this one, more context paints the full picture, so here you go:
Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Animals are yoked to help them perform their work. The yoke should be designed to be a good fit so that it reduces the chance for injury and for rubbing the animal’s skin raw under the burden of the load they pull.
The yoke doesn’t eliminate the work, it only makes the work easier.
The driver determines the yoke that they will place on the animal and keeps the animals on the right path.
The driver could easily overburden them or treat them cruelly to push them to work harder, pulling a load that’s too great, under a yoke that doesn’t fit, and without allowing them the rest they need to accomplish the task.
For the animal to do its work well, the animal must be rested, and the driver has to be merciful.
The load has to be bearable, and the yoke has to be a good fit.
What’s all this about?
Simply put, we’re all yoked by something.
Some are yoked by addiction and pull the weight of a society that judges them and the burden of finding their next fix. They don’t find rest easily.
Some are yoked by greed and pull the weight of overwork and a lack of peace and rest because having enough is never enough.
Some are yoked by anxiety and pull the weights of worry, doubt and fear. They are rarely able to find rest or peace.
Some (like the ones Jesus was talking about here) are yoked by oppressive religious ritual, and pull the weight of feeling unworthy of God’s love because we fail to measure up. They find no peace to rest in.
And until we know Christ, we’re ALL yoked by sin and we bear the burden of death with eternity apart from God.
Jesus has the solution, and it starts with the invitation – He says “Come to Me, ALL who labor and are heavy-laden”.
All of us, and yes, that means you, too.
We all labor at or for something, and we’re all heavy-laden either by a load we put on ourselves or one that is placed on us.
We need to be free of the burdens.
The invitation is there, waiting to be accepted.
He says He will give us rest and that we will find rest for our souls – physical and spiritual rest.
The rest He gives us is a PHYSICAL rest that allows us to gather our strength, but the Greek word used means that it is also a rest and peace that brings with it expectation.
Expectation of what?
SPIRITUAL rest.
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
So we tear off the old yokes of oppression and take His on. Why rid ourselves of the yokes we wear now and take His on?
- So we can learn from Him.
- Because the yokes we wear without Christ are not a good fit.
- Because He drives us gently, directing our steps rather then pushing us beyond what we can bear.
- Because He is lowly in heart. He is servant-leadership personified.
He says if we do these things, as we rest in Him we can expect that we will find rest for our souls.
He ends by saying His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
The Greek word used for easy means mild and pleasant, but it also means fitting.
He created us for a purpose, and once we accept Him and step into that purpose, we take on a lighter yoke that fits us perfectly and is pleasing to wear, making our burdens easier to bear and our tasks easier to complete.
The rest He promises is not a rest of inaction. It is a rejuvenation, physically and spiritually, offered freely and for eternity.
It’s the rest that comes with being set free from the yokes of bondage and the burdens of our sins, our pasts, and our fears.
It is a rest that equips us to live a life more joyful and fulfilling with Him directing our steps.
It is a rest that strengthens us to fulfill the purpose He designed for us.
Notice that He doesn’t give us a long set of rituals to perform and things to memorize to find rest.
He doesn’t add conditions or exclusions or requirements.
He just says “Come to Me”.
Ready to find rest and be at peace?
His invitation is waiting!
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