Read: Matthew 11:28-30
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (v. 30)
Yesterday we heard Jesus’s invitation to come to him and find rest. But how do we live at a different speed? The key is the second part of Jesus’s words in today’s passage: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me” (v. 29).
A yoke was a farm image—think of two oxen yoked together, sharing the burden of pulling a plow in a field. When a rabbi referred to his “yoke,” he wasn’t being literal but was using a common idiom to describe his set of teachings concerning the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). To take up a rabbi’s yoke was to become his student (or disciple) and put into practice his teachings. What makes Jesus unique isn’t that he has a yoke but that he insists his yoke is easy, and the “burden” of being his disciple is light. In other words, following Jesus isn’t crushing and restrictive. Conversely, it’s the way to freedom and abundant life!
The Gospels reveal many different teachings and practices that make up Jesus’s yoke. For this series, we’re going to focus on one: Sabbath. As we’ll see, when we adopt Jesus’s lifestyle, Sabbath-keeping is not just about one day a week. It’s about living all of life with a Sabbath heart—a heart that rests in God and loves others from a place of fullness and joy. As we abide in Jesus and follow his example, we’ll discover the secret of his easy yoke!
As you pray, ask Jesus to help you take up his yoke today by being with him and becoming like him.
About the Author
Brian Keepers has been an ordained pastor in the Reformed Church in America for 23 years. He is currently serving as the lead pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa. Brian is married to Tammy, and they have two daughters and a granddaughter.
