Anchor My Faith

Being Yoked With Jesus

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

In the previous lesson the seventy-two have returned with joy from their mission trip and shared with Jesus what they had experienced. Jesus was glad over their joy but reminded them to rejoice that their names were written in heaven. Jesus then pointed out that no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Clearly, Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:7). With this lesson we begin a new section in which Jesus invites those who are weary to come to him.

^{Mt 11:28} “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus now calls to him those to whom he is pleased to reveal the Father, and the things which are hidden from the wise and prudent of the world; those who labor and are heavy laden. In the immediate context of the passage, all who labor and are heavy laden, would refer to those oppressed by the burden of religious legalism imposed on people by the scribes and Pharisees. However, a broader application of this is that Jesus provides rest for our souls.

To those whom Jesus is pleased to reveal the Father, an invitation is made to come and trust him personally, not merely to believe historical facts about him, and if one does Jesus will provide eternal rest for those who seek forgiveness of their sins and will provide freedom from the crushing legalistic burden and guilt of trying to earn salvation by good works. Once the issue of salvation is settled, we have the responsibility to learn how to walk with Jesus through life. That is where the idea of a yoke is also important.

A double yoke is a useful tool for harnessing animals in pairs to pull a load together as efficiently as possible and is used as a central image in the invitation of Jesus to come to him. Placing a lesser experienced animal in a yoke with a more experienced one, allows the lesser to learn from the more experienced and as the learning takes place work is also accomplished.

Jesus said to take his yoke and learn from him. When this verse is taught the focus is usually on the learning part, but learning what and for what reason? We can learn about Jesus, but that also involves learning about what he is doing and wants us to do. Two animals yoked together learn how to work together and as they do, they accomplish together. That should be true with Jesus. Yoked with him we learn about him and we learn from him how to do better at what we are doing together.

Conclusion

It appears that we stand as individuals, in the western church, doing what our hearts desire without much thought of being yoked with Jesus in a personal study of the Scriptures and then applying what we are learning in our walk-through life with him. Being yoked with Jesus should produce evidence of spiritual growth and should set us apart from the behavior of the world.