Take My Yoke for Rest

Matthew 11:28-30
Priority of Life: Take My Yoke for Rest!

Introduction: Yoke is an ancient tool used to balance one’s position when carry heavy load. In Biblical history, yoke has never been a good sign. It’s a sign of slavery, forced labor, and even captivity (cf., Jer. 27-28). In fact, the invitation of Jesus Christ to take his yoke means another slavery [service to God]; but, the uniqueness of this new slavery is that it gives rest in place of our strife and struggle.

Different/Various Yokes of Life (v. 28): A proverb says that a new baby was born with a big cry, describing life—full of tears. When we were young, we wish to get old very soon—hope that we would make a better life. However, when after we were grown up, we longed for our childhood again, knowing life is not getting better. Yes! There are uneasy yokes of life to bear for different stages, and in different situations, of lives. Beneath this uneasy and heavy ladened life, there’s still an unrecognized [but the cause of all problems] slavery that is a slavery to our own self. That self is wise and learned enough even not to need God in life (cf., v. 25). Therefore, this is the call of Jesus to come to him, who recognized themselves as little, weak, burdensome, and even lost in life-ocean. So, let us say that there’s the God who knows our uneasy and burdensome life.

The Lord of a New Slavery “Yoke” (v. 29): The “yoke” is not used here in a very favorable form, i.e., to ease and help balance the burden, as some commentators might say. It is a borrowed of Old Testament image—image of slavery, forced labor, and even captivity. So, to take upon his yoke is not just a simple call but a challenge—to take up another slavery and service that Jesus Christ was also taking upon himself. In another words, this is like an addition of another load to our own heavy-enough-burden. Therefore, this is really kind of entering into a narrow gate and taking a narrow road. However, there’s a promise of pasture inside (John 10:9)! By-pass those who don’t know but stop-by you who know this!

The Yoke that Lightens (v. 30): There’s no light burden or yoke! Each load has its own weight. However, the secret of Jesus is to see REST within that YOKE by heading upward to heavens and making everything of life for God's sake. This is the only way to lighten up our burdens of life—taking God and His Kingdom sake first in our lives. This is the point of Jesus here. By taking his yoke in our lives, the promise is that it would not make us more burdensome but bring perfect rest instead. Therefore, this yoke is rather the yoke that will lighten up even our own burdens of life with heavenly endowed power and strength. So, we should say that there’re sometimes in life that some load of burden gives another big relief oddly.

Personal Reflection:

• What is in my life that preoccupied me even not to need (or ask for) God's help in my life?
• What is the proper way to approach to God in the midst of my burdensome life?
• What is the present situation of my own life, in which I can serve God's will and glorify Him in any possible way?