Weary and Heavy Laden

     In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus calls everyone who is weary and heavy laden to come to Him so He can give them rest. “Weary” is the idea of working until utter exhaustion. “Heavy laden” is the idea of trying to carry a heavy load. While being “weary” may suggest being internally exhausted, “heavy laden” may suggest being externally exhausted. One becomes weary and heavily burdened when he is seeking to please God and/or find salvation by his own wisdom and his own efforts. For example, sometimes when we do not understand the will and word of God, we can figuratively toil in this life seeking to find purpose and salvation by our own our efforts. Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 10:23, “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” Some people have been slow to grasp this truth. Also, we see in Acts 4:12, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Many in our world today, and for centuries past, have wearied and labored themselves to exhaustion by seeking to find salvation and peace in Hinduism, Buddhism, Muhammadanism and in many other of the world’s man made religions. Even in Jesus’ time, the Jewish people were seeking please God and find salvation through the Law of Moses when Jesus was the one to whom the Law of Moses pointed. Peter referrers to the Law of Moses as a “yoke which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear” (Acts 15:10). His point was that no Jew ever kept the Law of Moses perfectly. Why then did the Jewish Christians want to place the yoke of circumcision on the Gentile Christians? To even bind circumcision would actually make one a debtor to the whole Law according to Galatians 5:3. This yoke was one no one had been able to bear because it required perfect obedience (Gal. 3:10). Not only that, but the Pharisees placed more on the people’s shoulders by adding their religious traditions that they taught as divine doctrine (Matt. 15:9). In Matthew 23:4, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for their heavy loads of religious tradition that they laid on the people. "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” Jesus, in contrast said, “Come to me and I will give you rest.” Jesus’ invitation is for “spiritual rest” in this life and ultimately, in the life to come. He then goes on to say, “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.” Jesus’ call is one to be submissive to his yoke. A literal yoke was a man-made wooden harness that fit the necks and shoulders of a particular animal, most often oxen. The yoke linked the pair of oxen and made them subject to one another so they could work together. It was also the tool that helped the master keep his animals under control and guide them for work. Used metaphorically, as it is here, it refers to anyone who subjects themselves to another’s instruction and control. For example, it was used to refer to a student who was under the yoke of his teacher because the student was subject to the commands and control of his teacher. To understand Jesus’ call more clearly, we need to go back to verse 27, "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” When we take up the yoke of Christ, we are subjecting and committing ourselves to His authority and His rule in order to learn from Him which, in turn, brings us to a personal knowledge with Him and with God the Father. It is important to understand that the “rest” Jesus is talking about here is clearly not a removal of demands, for those who subject themselves to Christ are subjecting to themselves to the Law of Christ under grace (Rom. 6:15; 8:2; Gal. 6:2). Being subject to His demands rather than the yoke of the Law of Moses and the traditions of the religious leaders places one in a new relationship with God and absolutely makes it possible for one to be justified before and in the sight of God through Christ (1 Jn. 1:9). That is to say, the one that is in Christ (who has taken up the yoke of Christ) is truly liberated from the bondage of sin and of the Law (Rom. 6:16-18; 8:1, Gal. 3:10-13). Jesus then goes on to say, "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." One thing we notice here is that Jesus’ demands are still a “yoke.” However, it is easy to bear because His burden is light. The reason His yoke is easy and His burden is light is because it is one of an intimate relationship with Christ Himself. In this relationship, He equips us by teaching us the will of God and how to most effectively live it out in this life. In addition, Jesus promises to sustain us as we carry his yoke of discipleship. For these reasons, His yoke, in this life, truly is manageable making His burden light. Jesus calls all who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him so He can give them rest.

Have you accepted the invitation of Jesus?

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