Matthew 11:28-30
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."
I cannot tell you how many times I've read these verses and it struck me last night as I read them again... I have really ever only focused on the first part, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." It may be because I felt so much comfort in it or because I conjure up the mental image of collapsing in Jesus' arms to just rest. I guess I never really looked deeper into the verses. After Jesus says He will give us rest, He then proceeds to pass onto us the opportunity to take on His yoke.
yoke [yohk] noun
1. a device for joining together a pair of draft animals, especially oxen, usually consisting of a crosspiece with two bow-shaped pieces, each enclosing the head of an animal.
2. a pair of draft animals fastened together by a yoke: five yoke of oxen. 3. something resembling a yoke or a bow of a yoke in form or use.
4. a frame fitting the neck and shoulders of a person, for carrying a pair of buckets or the like, one at each end.
Wait a minute, I don't know about you, but I associate placing a yoke on with work. The more I thought about it the more I think Jesus does too, but in a different light. A yoke is created to alleviate the strain and weight of certain tasks. However, for the yoke to be effective it has to have equal weight distribution; whether that be to the thing you are yoked with or the loads suspended from either side. If the weight distribution isn't right, It makes the job harder and it is much more likely that you will stumble and fall.
Jesus states that the yoke He is offering will inturn lead to rest. I think this is possible becuase He has created it to fit us perfectly (with as little discomfort as possible) and He has already taken care of the weight issue. As we are yoked to Him in tandem, He gives us the strength to carry on. And when it seems that we are shouldering the load all by ourselves, He has already worked out the balancing act of what we are carrying. If we seek His direction and learn from Him our load become light and leads to rest in Him. It is only when we try to take on more than we should that we begin to add rocks to one bucket or the other, never thinking to add to both sides.
I think the part that struck me most about these verses is the misconception that I always associated it with them. I had always just assumed that when Jesus promises us rest, that it meant there was no work involved. However, He states the exact opposite. YES, we do receive rest and a lighter load, but nowhere does He mention that He will take away our load all together. In fact He states that He is even giving us a burden and the burden I give you is light.
I have come to love the image of us always in constant labor. It gives me a sense of satisfaction and job well done, but when we try to do the work on our own, we are like oxen yoked up and running wild in the fields. Without the direction of the farmer we would ruin the field and later the harvest. I don't know about you, but that is one thing I do not want to do!
LORD,
I ask that you would please help me to give into your direction and guidance, I am asking you to be the farmer who guides me to plow up Your fields the way you want it done. Lord, when I get bull-headed and try to head off in my own direction, please reign me back in and set me straight. Lord, lead me by your hand through the field of the life you have blessed me with. Help me to be a continual learner of your ways and to hand my unbalanced burdens and loads over to you for a new weight distribution. Lord, I thank you that You are such a mighty God that You can do all of these things. It is in your precious and holy name that I pray.
Amen
