“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 your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
You may, or may not, know these words from Jesus. They are an invitation, a conditional promise, and massive relief for those of us who find life to be more hard than easy, more heavy than light. The beautiful news about these words is that they apply to you whether you’re religious or not; they are simply a description of basic reality.
So, permit me to ask: Are you weary? More than physically fatigued, I mean, are you tired at a soul level? Do you wake up each day with looming dread for the challenges ahead? Does your life feel like a game of whack-a-mole in which the demands for your time and your attention never seem to go away?
Are you burdened? Are you weighed down by the volume of human suffering in the world? Are you bothered that no matter how much you do, it’s never enough? Are you suffocating under the load of religious obligation that tells you all the things you “should” do, but can’t find the energy for?
There is a saying in the business world that your system is perfectly designed to get you the results you’re getting. It’s true of life in general too. Your way of life is perfectly designed to produce the results you’re getting.
Our tendency is to blame circumstances for the negative fruit in our life. We think that if only we can change our circumstances, life will be better. If only we can get some relief – a day off, a reprieve at work, a vacation, even a nap - anything will help.
But, as Dale Bruner writes, that’s not what Jesus offers us: “A yoke is a work instrument. Thus when Jesus offers a yoke, he offers what we might think tired workers need least. They need a mattress or a vacation, not a yoke. But Jesus realizes that the most restful gift he can give the tired is a new way to carry life, a fresh way to bear responsibilities... Realism sees that life is a succession of burdens; we cannot get away from them; instead of offering escape, Jesus offers equipment.”
The yoke of Jesus is his instruction for a different way to carry life. No matter where we are or what our life situation is, he gives us the equipment to live in a way marked by rest, joy, peace, and love.
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This article was first published by the Kingsport Times News on Wednesday, October 19, 2022.
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