“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus wants us to take on His Yoke. He promises it will be better than the yoke we bear apart from Him. The audience that first heard Him speak these words was Jewish and living not just under the old covenant, but also under laws that surrounded the Mosaic Law in the form of hedges within hedges. Created by the leaders of Israel after their return from Exile in Babylon as a sort of insurance policy.
They were a sincere attempt to ensure that the Jewish people would never again be removed from the Promised Land again. Numbering in the thousands, these additional regulations were meant to ensure no one who brke the law actually broke one of God's original 613 ordinances.
Religion in this form can quickly become an end unto itself. It is a form of Legalism, and thus not a foundation from which a dynamic relationship with God can ensue. Christians over the centuries have had to guard themselves from this sort of thinking, that seeks to eliminate sinful behavior by creating rules against activities that may lead to sin. However, it seems that Jesus was offering a different approach to us all, by encouraging believers to take on His yoke instead.
Love God—love others as myself. This is the yoke of Jesus: stop living for yourself and start giving of yourself instead. During this course you will have the opportunity to deepen your holistic knowledge of the Bible, and to adopt an appropriate and effective perspective for serving the King in His Kingdom.
