Yoked Rest...

“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 you souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt 28:28-30

I have always found this verse interesting. Anytime I have struggled or I am just beat down by life, I have turned to this verse. After this weekend I found myself reading this verse again in my daily reading.

First Jesus promises to give rest. Rest can come in many forms, physical rest, mental rest…or spiritual rest. Spiritual rest involves more than just laying down somewhere peaceful and sleeping…or turning off the TV and just to enjoy the quite. The rest Jesus is offering goes to a place only He can go. It is a place where we can find true peace, true rest. It starts by taking the yoke of Christ or it starts by sticking your neck into a huge wooden beam of wood, to be shackled to Christ...Let's explore....Farm animals like Oxen could be “yoked” together by the neck. Together they would accomplish far more than they could ever do alone. If one Ox grew tired or was not pulling their share of the load the other Ox would pick up the slack. Together they could encourage and help each other. But Jesus was talking about something else? The Pharisees or the religious leaders of Jesus time shackled the people with tons of religious rules practices. The people would grow tired of trying to live up to the code of the Pharisees.

Jesus is saying follow me, I’m humble at heart and I will not burden you with religious rules that shackle you to dogma and regulations. This sounds like something we are going through in today’s church. Jesus says my burden is light, because he comes along side us and helps us. He carried the burden of our sin all the way to cross. If you want to experience peace and rest, yoke your self to Christ. Be obedient and follw His lead, then you will experience true rest for your soul.

-ps

Today's Reading:

Jan 15. GEN. 36,37 MATT. 12:1-21