There are a couple of lines at the end of the gospel of Matthew that have been called the most famous invitation in the Bible and perhaps in the world! Be encouraged today; this can be for you today. Jesus declared in Matthew chapter 11, verses 28- 30 – “Come to me, all who labour 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.”
Based on the setting of this passage, Jesus was not speaking of the burdens that we deal with day to day: such as health or financial matters, family conflicts, and all the other things that create tension for us. What we see here is the burden that sin brings. There is nothing more burdensome and crushing than a sin burden, weighing us down, robbing us of our sleep, testing relationships, and stealing our joy! The word is guilt, and there are few things that can weigh down the human spirit like it. The burden is too great.
Where else can we go to admit our guilt? Who else can take it away? Jesus promised those who come to him would receive ‘rest.’ He then used a vivid metaphor! “Take my yoke upon you.” In ancient times, and still to this day, when a person was carrying a load, they would often wear a fitted wooden yoke across their shoulders so they could carry the load in a balanced manner. Water was typically carried this way, with a bucket on each end of the yoke. This was quite likely what Jesus had in mind. Such a yoke would make it easier for them to carry burdens. My canoe has a carrying yoke. When we take Jesus’ yoke, we are learning from him, and about him. This learning involves applying his teaching and becoming his joyful followers, as all his disciples did.
There’s just a little irony here, how until we appreciate what it means to be servants of the Lord, we can never know true freedom (from sin). I remember an old Bob Dylan song from 1979, describing how: “You gotta serve somebody. It may be the devil or it may be the Lord!” Jesus can free us from the biggest burden of all! He who has the Son – has rest! Have you found the rest for your soul that Jesus is describing here?
Pastor Jim
