My Yoke is Light
by Tammy Iund Woodard
Monday - 7.5.21
Matthew 11:28-30 states, “28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
The word yoke in this passage means: of troublesome laws imposed on one, esp. of the Mosaic law, hence the name is so transferred to the commands of Christ as to contrast them with the commands of the Pharisees which were a veritable 'yoke'; yet even Christ's commands must be submitted to, though easier to be kept
In the days of Jesus (& the children of Israel), rabbi’s would teach the law. They often added things to the law. If you followed a specific rabbi’s teachings, you took on their “yoke” or teachings. You were baptized in the name of that rabbi and everyone knew you were their follower. The Pharisees began as a group of religious leaders who taught the law as it was given by God. However, over time, they developed an elitist attitude and they added to the law. They literally made the yoke such a burden that no one could bear up under the weight of it. They did this to intentionally exclude people.
Jesus wanted the people to know that His yoke, His teachings were light. He came to restore rest to our souls and our lives. As Pastor Devin has stated, “God desires to give us a gift not a paycheck.” The bible states in Romans that the wages of sin is death. Sin is a job that does not bring rest to your life. It brings work, stress and anxiety.
When my children lived at home, they had chores to do. I didn’t give them an allowance for completing chores. I provided for them as a parent. Anything they needed, I made sure they had it. They didn’t have to earn a wage to have provision. But they did complete chores because we were a family. We lived in a home as a family unit and it belonged to us all. We picked up after ourselves. We kept the place clean. We all contributed to doing this because it made life easier for us all. We were a family.
Romans 7:6, “6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.” Living in the Spirit, for me, is a great deal like doing “chores”. I do the right things, the things that make my Father and my family happy, because of my relationship with my Father. Sometimes, as my children grew older, I would come home from work and the house would be clean and they had started dinner. They didn’t do it because I had left those tasks on the chores list. They knew I was a single hard working momma. They wanted the home to be stress free and restful. So from our relationship as family, they completed these “chores”. I complete works because of my relationship with Jesus. Out of my heart flows the desire to DO what the Father has instructed.
Romans 7 goes on to explain our struggle with sin. Life is certainly hard. There is a battle to make the right choices. Some battles are more difficult than others. But I love that Romans 7:25 states THE ANSWER IS JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. He came to make our yoke light. He came so we’d have rest restored to our lives. He came so we’d understand how to work from a place of rest - not the other way around.
One of the many things I love about the yoke of Jesus is that it is for all. It’s not about me. It’s not about my skills, my talents or my abilities. It’s all about Jesus. It’s all about being in a relationship with Jesus. And that my friends, is available to anyone!!
Call To Action
Pray, read and reflect on these scriptures this week.
Romans 7
Matthew 11:28-30
Psalms 100
Psalms 37:3-6
Colossians 3:17
Proverbs 3:5-6
Reflection
Have you added to Jesus' yoke in your life? Are you doing things out of duty or out of a relationship?
Do you work from a place of rest in your life? If not, what would it look like if that were different?
What do you hear God saying to you about His yoke being light in your life?
