Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
I am going to be a little vulnerable here. I don’t know that I ever really understood this passage till recently. I obviously understood it to some degree, but I think I missed one of the most important aspects of what actually leads to the lighter burden or easier yoke that Jesus is offering us.
Let’s break down what Jesus is teaching here. We will start with the yoke and burden. The image Jesus portrays here is the work placed upon a work animal. You might yoke animals to pull a plow or cart and you may place cargo on top of a mule or camel. This is an illustration. We are not work animals and Jesus isn’t necessarily talking about physical work. He alludes to this when he says, “...you will find rest for your souls.” This is a spiritual teaching about discipleship and choice.
The fulcrum of this teaching is a decision that you make. Yes, Jesus’ yoke is easy and burden is light but the only ones that benefit from this reality are those who receive or accept this easy yoke and light burden.
Notice that while Jesus does describe the yoke or burden, this teaching is actually a call to action. “Come to me.” A call to discipleship, which is to pledge your allegiance to Christ and to follow him wholeheartedly. Notice how we are to have active participation in this process. He says to “take his yoke” and he says, “learn from me.” Thinking about that last line is what made me realize how this works and what Jesus is teaching.
This is about with whom our allegiance lies and the demands of those who lead us. Just after this teaching he has a run in with the religious leaders about the Sabbath. They didn’t really understand what the Sabbath was about because they didn’t understand the heart of God. Yet these were the people who assumed the responsibility of leading God’s people. They taught and expected the people to follow their teachings. The burden they placed on their followers were heavy and not trustworthy. They also didn’t care for those whom they burdened. This is what happens when you follow man, they lead you where you don’t want to go, and you will be miserable the whole way. Jesus says he is the answer to this problem. Don’t be burdened by the judgement and dominion of man. Free yourself from people and pledge your allegiance to Christ and dedicate yourself to learning from him and you will realize that he is gentle with you and his spiritual burden is light.
From Your Fellow Servant,
Steven McFadden
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