Come to me, all you that are weary and
are carrying heavy burdens, 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.[1]
A favourite memory verse for Sunday school children, but how
many of us have stopped to consider what Jesus was talking about? In some ways
I suppose that these verses and others like them are similar to comfort foods
which are consumed for emotional benefit rather than nutritional value. The
problem with comfort foods or soothing scriptures is that the relief one finds
lasts but a short time. Consuming too much comfort food has a deleterious
effect. Seeking emotional comfort from soothing scripture verses also has a
downside. The main purpose of eating is not to assuage emotional discomfort,
but to provide necessary nutrition for the body to function properly; there’s
nothing wrong pleasure eating once in a while. It is similar when reading
scripture, our purpose should be to nourish the spirit; reading for emotional
comfort once in a while is also alright.
I am convinced that Jesus practiced an economy of words. The
term logos when applied to him
carries the connotation of the “message”. Jesus was God’s message, he was the
exact representation of God. When Jesus spoke, it was a message from heaven,
God communicating with people. Jesus was touched by the feelings of those
around him, he was moved to tears at the despair of mourners over the death of
Lazarus. He wept over Jerusalem, not because people didn’t have necessities of
life, but because of its recalcitrance. Another time, “Seeing the people, he
felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like
sheep without a shepherd.”[2]
Jesus demonstrated empathy with the emotional frailty of people, but his
greatest concern was not for emotional wellbeing, but spiritual fitness. “For
we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one
who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”[3]
As we consider the words of Jesus they appear to be focused
on circumstances extant at the time. His denunciation of lawyers may provide
insight into Jesus’ meaning; “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down
with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens
with one of your fingers.”[4]
The Jewish religion during the second temple period lacked cohesiveness, four
major sects were dominant. The temple verses the synagogue was a factor of
daily life. The rise of Pharisaism following the Maccabean revolt resulted in a
multitude of traditional regulations. The ritualistic religious demands weighed
people down with frustration to the point of spiritual and emotional
exhaustion. That I believe was the backdrop to Jesus invitation. There are two
fundamental principles which Jesus introduced; one, boosting the emotions does
nothing for the spirit, and two, repairing the spirit boosts the emotions as
well. The value of learning these principles is emphasized in the scripture; “…what
will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what
will a man give in exchange for his soul?”[5]
Come to me, all you that are weary and
are carrying heavy burdens, 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.[6]
So, who were the weary, and what were the burdens they carried?
The word weary is active and the word burden is passive. The first connotes the
performance of religious rites, the second the imposition of religious
obligations. The invitation was to Jews striving to meet the requirements of
the Law, and burdened with 613 commandments and a myriad Gezerah. To the Jews
Jesus said he would give rest. The rest Jesus offered was cessation of striving
without success to be right by law, and relief of the oppressive weight of
Jewish regulations. Jesus said, “My burden is light,” the same general definition,
but in contrast to the burden imposed by religious leaders, his burden would
not lead to frustration or spiritual exhaustion.
Jesus issued and order, “Take my yoke upon you…” that was an
imperative, the language suggests that people were under a yoke, of law, of
religious rules, and tradition, and in contrast to that yoke people needed to
choose the yoke of Jesus. The yoke of Jesus is easy, comfortable, or gentle, if
I were to expand upon the meaning it would be to add, his yoke would not chafe
or cause injury. Yoked to Jesus in such a manner was to be steered along a
spiritual path guided by gentleness and humility, characteristics that were
largely missing from first century religious leaders. Concerning the yoke of
the law Peter had reason to address the gathering of Christians in Jerusalem;
Now therefore why do you put God to the
test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers
nor we have been able to bear?[7]
And Paul wrote to Christians in Galatia who were defecting
to Judaism;
It was for freedom that Christ set us
free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of
slavery.[8]
The result of being yoked with Jesus was that people would
have rest in their deepest being. Hardly do I think that rest suggests lying
back and taking things easy. Being yoked to Jesus means being led by him, and
keeping in step with him. Rest in this case would be the opposite of weary and
burdened. Rest would be the reward never realised through ritualistic
compliance, or the joy of acceptance not available through animal sacrifices;
the calm serenity found in grace. Jesus offered to refresh their spirits, to
awaken their souls to peace in harmony with God. The prophet spoke of the
futility of ritual;
With what shall I come to the LORD and
bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
with yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, in ten
thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious
acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what
is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love
kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?[9]
Jesus’ invitation was issued to Jews in the first century
CE. There are elements of the invitation that were specific to Jews at that
time. The conversation took place with Jews long ago in a time and place
different to which we live, concerning events that related to that time. Even
though that conversation was not with us, the principles given by Jesus apply
to any number of situations facing present society. Religious ritualism is rife.
Hopeless striving causes similar frustration. A sense of defeat despite great
effort is common today. Pressure from religious leaders to comply with their
rules is unchanged. Obscure and meaningless doctrines are pervasive. The sense
of not being good enough, not doing enough, not knowing enough, is exhausting
for those trying to serve God. Add to any religious shortcoming, work related
frustration, family tension, unemployment, under-employment, pressure from
environmentalists, fear of terrorism, intimidations by atheists, pressure to accept
pagan religions, and so on, and on, and on. We need to pay attention to not
just Jesus’ conversation, but to the everlasting principles of his message.
Come to me, all you that are weary and
are carrying heavy burdens, 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.
I’m inclined to think that Jesus elaborated on, and endorsed
what the wise man said, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but
its end is the way of death.”[10]
Being yoked to Jesus is the opportunity to be detached from frustration and
threat even while surrounded by them. This concept is illustrated in the
episode of Peter walking on the water;
Peter answered Him and said,
"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." And He
said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water
and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to
sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus
stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "O you of
little faith, why did you doubt?"[11]
Peter was on his own until he asked Jesus to save him, and
he was safe when Jesus took hold of him. The physical circumstances around
Peter didn’t change, but under Jesus’ control Peter was shielded from the
threat of wind and waves. Being yoked to Jesus is not a partnership of equals,
it is a relationship of, master to servant, or teacher to pupil. It is
important to recognize that people can submit to Jesus and be governed by or
led by him, or, by default be governed by whatever influence surround them. Jesus
invited Jews stressed by oppressive regulations, and attempting hopelessly to
achieve perfection, to come to him. He invited Peter to “Come”. The assurance
we find in Jesus’ invitation is, rest at our innermost core. The deepest
despair, the most private guilt, or, the most painful failures that haunt our
spirit can all be released under the gentle guidance of Jesus. This is not
wishful thinking it is factual and real. Relief is accomplished not by
forgetting or removing threats and challenges, but by accepting the yoke of
Jesus. It’s putting your life under new management. The default position is to
carry on struggling, being frustrated and disappointed, trying hard and getting
nowhere.
“…my yoke is easy.” As I wrote earlier, the yoke of Jesus
doesn’t exacerbate the difficulty of carrying a burden, it fits well, it’s
comfortable, and it eases the load. “…my burden is light,” the word burden is
the same as in Luke’s gospel where Jesus rebuked the lawyers, “you weigh men
down with burdens hard to bear.” But, Jesus said his burden was light, meaning
it is bearable, the burden Jesus gives people to carry is matched to their
ability. The appropriateness of the yoke and burden lead to satisfaction and
peacefulness. As in the case with Peter walking on water, present day
circumstances don’t change; there will always be, God-haters, Christian-persecutors,
Isis, pagan religions, immorality proponents, and a host of other threats.
Peter initially may have been excited and proud of himself for walking on
water, after all he was the only one willing to get out the boat and try. But,
that didn’t work, once reality set in he began to sink, at that point he
realized he needed help. The call to Jesus for help is where we start, this is
not going to church, this is not enduring endless sermons, and it is not
burying oneself in religious activity. Our call to Jesus is submission to his
will and way, he’ll take our hand and lift us up to walk with him on turbulent
seas, through forests of doubt, and over rocky roads. The waves of fear and
despair will continue to roar, but their threats silenced by the Lamb that
leads us.
