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Does life sometimes become a heavy burden full of weighty issues that you wish you didn’t have to deal with? Sickness, handicap, declining health? Money for bills and things you really need? Family squabbles, wayward relationships with others? We all have them. All of us want relief. We want freedom from the “Hard Life” that we are going through.
Matthew 11:28—Jesus issues another invitation to accept Him as Messiah and Lord. That requires faith on the part of those who will accept His invitation. He calls those who are weary, from working hard to find fulfillment and purpose in life, and those who are burdened, from worrying about the affairs of this world, to come to Him. Jesus offers to free them from the load and burdens of this life. He will free them to find and enjoy His priorities, which will make life much more rewarding to them.
WEARY – Tired of laboring for hours, days, weeks, months years. You are capable of doing the job, but you need a time to rest from the busy busy.
HEAVY LADEN – The responsibilities at hand are putting a lot of physical, mental or emotional pressure on you and stealing your joy. Heavier or more strenuous demands on your physical strength. More demands on thinking and applying a solution to a situation. Burdened over people you care about who are doing things that you believe aren’t good or they are not responding to you trying to tell them what to do.
REST – Freedom from activity or labor, peace of mind, free of anxiety, confidence. Jesus promises “rest for your souls” to those who give Him their burdens. This “rest” is to refresh or revive as if after a long journey. Those who follow Jesus will not have to “labor” at keeping laws and regulations in order to be pleasing to God. All of our straining for significance, success and salvation has made us weary under the load. Jesus will take that load and we can rest in His love and grace.
Matthew 11:29—Jesus invites us to become connected with Him and learn from His example. After all, He is the “WORD”, the “logos” of God (see John 1:1–3). Jesus knows what things in life need to be worried about (the consequences of sin), and what things need to be not worried about (sports team, hair color, a newer car, pursuing celebrities). By following Jesus, we can learn what loads are worthy of our efforts and free ourselves from those things that only weigh us down. The adjectives used in this verse are identical in meaning to those used in the first and third beatitudes (See Matthew 5:5, 7).
YOKE – Bar or frame attached to neck of work animals. Frame fitted to shoulders to carry a heavy load in equal proportions.
Many considered the Law of the Old Testament (613 Laws) to be a heavy “yoke” to carry on their shoulders. Pharisees made it “heavier” by adding all sorts of rules and regulations that even they didn’t keep. Jesus’ “yoke” consists of only the two “Great Commandments”. That is a much lighter burden to carry.
Which yoke are you trying to carry? The way we “take” Jesus’ yoke is by declaring Him as our Lord and Savior and striving to follow His ways. Jesus’ “yoke” replaces the old yoke of laws and commandments of the Old Testament and all of the “laws” we put on ourselves.
LEARN from Jesus about what our priorities should be, where our strength should be applied and what to let go of.
Jesus is GENTLE – showing a kind, quiet nature. Not harsh or violent or stern. Caress softly. Treat kindly. Jesus is “meek” or “gentle”. There is a big difference between “meek” and “weak”. Meek is “power” under control. Weak is no power. They appear the same in some situations. Meek stands strong in the face of trial, while weak falters. Jesus is not weak! We can learn much by applying His example to our lives.
Jesus is LOWLY IN HEART. That means that though He is God and our King, He never has a problem reaching out to and ministering to us who are less fortunate. Look at the people He has already associated with and ministered to. No one is excluded from fellowship with Jesus or from receiving aid from Him. Not even you or me!
Jesus is HUMBLE – Not proud or thinking of yourself as better than others. Not selfish, arrogant or rude or assertive. Submissive.
EASY is not difficult, not hard to do. Not hurried or abrupt. Not difficult to endure. Readily available. Not strenuous, giving ease, comfort, relaxation, without worry or care. Jesus is with you!
BURDEN – load to be carried. Guilt for all of the sins you have committed.
LIGHT – not heavy. Easy to carry. Matthew 22:34-40 – (2 instead of 613) John 3:16 – Love God and Love Jesus
Matthew 11:30—The “yoke” is a harness that connects oxen side-by-side. For us to take “His yoke” upon us requires submission to Him as our Lord. Jesus is offering to carry your load of the sins of your past if you will just give them to Him. He is stronger than you. He will carry more of the load and make life much easier on you. All you do is keep up with Him and learn from Him. The word for “easy” also means gracious. He will pull the heavy load for us without complaining.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
