This podcast episode features the song “Augenblick (Piano Room Recording)” (edited for length) by Dirk Maassen, available under a Creative Commons License.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
These words of Jesus are like a familiar well. The pump looks the same, the ladle is the same, but the water is always newly refreshing. The 20th century’s prince of preachers Dr. RG Lee in one of his messages noted that the word come is conspicuously missing from the world’s religions: “You’ll not find it in the book of the Dead in Egypt. Zeus, the mighty mythical God of the Greeks never beckoned them come….Think on the stone god of Buddha. Not one invitation for his followers to come unto him. Confucianism the ancient religion of China, with its love of learning and its worship of ancestors, it never calls its followers to come. Islam, who has written its history in blood, slavery and destitution, it does not invite the weary to rest, it does not invite the heave laden to ease, it does not invite the suffering to come to the Saviour for peace and pardon.” But by the lips of Jesus we are instructed to come! Come to me! Come to Jesus, wherever you may be! Come to Jesus! Spurgeon said “As a mother puts out her finger to her little child and woos it to walk by saying, “Come,” even so does Jesus.”
This open invitation is garnished with a description of the attendees: those “that labor and are heavy laden.” “The Jewish teachers of that day promised rest on condition of minute attention, not only to all the ceremonies of the written law, but also to all the traditions of the elders.” Layer after layer of burdensome laws and regulations.” Although we may not be burdened by the minutia of attempting to keep the Old Testament Law, yet we can be overcome by the weight of life’s burdens, the toil of our labors, and the anxiety of invading fears. So the invitation still stands: Come to Him! Come to him and rest in his unmatched sovereign control, his inexhaustible resources, and his super abounding love for you. There is rest in him.
He not only says “come” but “take”: Take my yoke. The cross of Christ is the great symbol of Christianity. It stands as an awesome reminder of all that Jesus suffered for us. But Jesus also spoke of the cross as a symbol of Christian dedication, calling us to take up our cross and follow Him. The yoke that Jesus calls us to in this verse could also be used as another symbol for Christian commitment. To picture a yoke, imagine a heavy timber with two wooden loops for the heads of two oxen, connected to a plow by leather straps. The two animals together would pull the plow deep into the soil. Although yokes are not usually painted on church buildings, or nor worn as jewelry, perhaps they should be. For the yoke, as much as the cross, is a symbol of submission to Jesus Christ, our Lord. In The Complete Disciple, Paul W. Powell elaborates: “The cross and the yoke symbolize for us the two different aspects of commitment. The cross is an instrument of death; the yoke is an implement of toil. The cross is the symbol of sacrifice; the yoke is the symbol of service. The cross suggests blood; the yoke suggests sweat. To be committed to Jesus Christ means that we are ready for either the yoke or the cross.”
When I pictured this yoke being placed on an animal’s neck, I imagined it as a cowboy breaking a wild stallion by offering it a saddle. But that is wrong. Truth be known, life outside of Jesus Christ is not a life of freedom but one of bondage. No, the picture here would be like the cowboy putting a tiny show saddle on a coalmine mule that carried load after load of heavy stones and was beaten nigh unto death because he wasn’t going fast enough.
The picture here is of two oxen paired in a yoke. From what I understand about ancient farm customs, when a young ox was put to pulling the yoke he would be paired with a stronger and much older ox to bear the bulk of the burden. Also the yokes of those days were so heavy and pressed down so hard on the animals, that they could not bend their necks. The sheer weight of the yoke would cause them to stumble and fall.
But Jesus assures us that this yoke, His yoke is easy and his burden is light. The word easy indicates that which is good and kind, and gracious. The word light indicates not cumbersome, manageable. It is made up of two words that mean “push” and “small”. How could a yoke be easy? How could a burden be light? Because when we come to Him and take His yoke upon us, then He’s carrying all the weight! There is our rest! Here is the question to ask ourselves, “Is our Christianity carrying us or are we attempting to carry your Christianity?” Peter assures us that we are to experience the former, writing in 1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
In this invitation, Jesus assures us that we can learn of him. But the only way we can become acquainted with the person Jesus is under the yoke. You and I will never know the meekness, the gentleness of Jesus without submitting to His yoke. We will never know the lowly heart of Jesus, the humility of Jesus without His yoke. As much as the cross is a symbol of being a disciple of Jesus, so is this yoke. This open invitation to surrender ourselves to the yoke of Christ, yielding our lives to be coupled to His, is truly the only way to find true rest for our souls.
Great Word Brother Ronnie and two of the most beloved passages. !! The words are just what we need: Come, Rest, Learn, Rest, Easy, Light !! Praise the Lord !! This also reminds me of John 15:5. I really have enjoyed these 7 minute mefitations. They are treasured to the soul.
John 15:5 is a great parallel reference! We need Jesus so much! Thanks for your input!