There are several invitations mentioned in the Scriptures and many of them carry a promise in their wings. A few months ago, we looked at one of them which reads: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Today, I will focus on another invitation, one that seems too good to be true. Matthew words it as follows:
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.” (Matt. 11:29)
I think I can assert that for any unbiased mind this scripture, if believed, must appear quite exhilarating. Of course, with all the unrest found in the world today, i.e., between countries, in our homelands and cities, in our streets and homes, and even in one’s own mind, such a promise might appear a fantasyland. But blessed is he who believes, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which are told from the Lord (Luke 1:45). And don’t forget: “All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20). Since it is so, we who believe have access to what can truly be called “amazing grace”. For to us is given the possibility to find rest in a perturbed world and to quiet our mind on the substantiality found in Christ. This is indeed mind blowing.
A finding
The words Jesus spoke, which are presently the object of our consideration, imply clearly that rest is something a person must find: “and you will find rest for your souls”. In other words, the repose He is talking about doesn’t pervade the world in which we live, i.e., it is not accessible to the passive onlookers. The prophet Jeremiah expresses it in these words:
“This is what the LORD says: “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find a resting place for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jeremiah 6:16)
Here the Lord urges the traveler to take a pause, to stand still and investigate. This he must do because the good way is not obvious to him. He must first find it through an inquiry, and then walk on it. Once this is done the promise actualizes: “then you will find a resting place for your souls”. What a marvelous ascent! So here again we have a finding, the finding of serenity and peace.
So God doesn’t leave us in the dark. Not only He tells us rest is something we can find, but He also tells us where we can find it. In this way our search is not aimless. The map is put in our hands and it is up to us to follow it. Of course our answer might be: “We will not walk in it” (Jeremiah 6:16). Such a statement would unveil not rebellion per se, but rather an irrationality that sabotages the very hope of the paranoid observer.
The steps leading to rest
So here we have the path leading to a resting place for our souls:
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” (Matt. 11:29).
The first step consists in taking Jesus’ yoke upon ourselves, a yoke that is—according to Jesus—easy and light (Matt. 11:30). Obviously it was not so with the religious yoke the Pharisees were offering. Theirs was not only heavy but also absolutely counterproductive. Jesus defines it in these words:
“For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” (Matt. 23:4)
In high contrast, the yoke Jesus offers is truly bearable. It amounts to the way Joseph Benson paraphrases the words of Jesus: “As an instructor, I will show myself to be most mild, gentle, and forbearing; kind and condescending toward all my disciples, directing them with tenderness, patience, and lenity, in the way to pardon, life, and salvation, not imposing on them any unnecessary burdens” (Benson’s Commentary of the Old and New Testaments).
So we are called to take His yoke and, as a second step, to learn from Him—the “learning” being contingent on the “taking”.
The yoke stands for submission to His gracious will, a submission that is not born of mere compulsion but rather of trust and credence. After all: “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). On the contrary, they engender a refreshing of their own.
The reasons why we should take Jesus’ yoke and learn from Him
Of course what we have seen so far begs the question: Why should we accept to take Jesus’ yoke and learn from Him?
Jesus, anticipating this reasonable question, inweaved His answer in His invitation: “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.” (Matt. 11:29)
The reason why we should take His yoke upon us and learn from Him is based on the fact that He is gentle and lowly in heart. One could think this little clause could have taken a different form, such as: “for I am the way, the truth, and the life”, or, “for I am wise and mighty in knowledge”, or perhaps, “for I am righteous and just”. But these attributes are not necessarily related to rest and serenity. When we look at the antithesis of the motivating clause things become clear.
The antithesis of the clause
The antithesis of Matthew 11:29 would be something like: “Don’t bother to take My yoke upon you and to learn from Me, for I am harsh, stern, and proud in heart, therefore you will find no rest for your soul.”
For instance, if a great mechanic is austere, oppressive and harsh, he might be able to teach you mechanics. But if you take his yoke upon you and learn from him it will not engender quietude and rest but rather anxiety and stress. Since the invitation of Jesus entails the acquisition of inner rest, the motivating clause had to be, in essence, what it is, i.e., related to the meekness, gracefulness and benevolence of Christ. The apostle Paul, having experienced the motivating attributes, writes:
Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!” (2 Corinthians 10:1)
Here again the meekness and gentleness of Christ become the motivating force.
A word of warning
There is a paradox at the end of the story, for we humans—even us Christians at times—often run away from the object of our desire. We want inner rest and yet refuse to walk on the path that leads to it. “How can that be?”, one may ask. As I suggested earlier, the main problem is not rebellion per se but rather a lack of trust or credence in the One who invites. Somehow people, due to a sort of paranoid disbelief, don’t accept Jesus’ invitation and remain in a restless mental state, and this, as a result of their own choice. The words of the prophet are mind blowing:
To whom He said, “This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest,” and, “This is the refreshing”; yet they would not hear.” (Isaiah 28:12)
Brethren, Jesus’ yoke is good and beneficial. It is loaded with blessings and liberating force. Therefore blessed is the man who bears it in his youth (Lamentations 3:27). He will surely ascent above worldly perturbations and more so, above the disquietude of the suspicious skeptic.
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