Daily Devotion - Matthew 11:28-30 - God Is Our Rest
His yoke is light, because He has taken the full weight of it upon Himself.
"There is no rest for the weary."
This expression has been around for decades, but has been felt for much, much longer. Actually, it began not long after Adam and Eve rebelled against God's perfect plan in Eden.
In the garden, work was easy. Plants grew without effort, and Adam's only task was to pick the fruit. After his disobedience, the work would change forever.
[Gen 3:17-19 ESV] 17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
This world doesn't let up for a minute. Every moment is filled with one task or another, an endless cycle of deadlines and schedules vying for our attention and pulling us in dozens of directions at once. Bosses, children, spouses, friends and organizations all expect a certain amount of undivided focus from us at any given time, and it seems our moments of respite and rest are increasingly few and far between.
Jesus' disciples felt this on a spiritual level. The religious demands that had been placed upon the Jews by the Pharisees - the keepers of the law - were burdensome, if not impossible. Paying strict attention to God's laws and being careful not to break them was required of every Jewish person who wanted to please God and receive His divine blessing.
Jesus knew that because Adam sinned, no one could follow the law perfectly or attain righteousness on their own. The demands placed on them were difficult and burdensome, creating unnecessary anxiety and fear. So, He offered to relieve them of their spiritual burdens and give them some much-needed rest.
[Mat 11:28-30 ESV] 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."
A yoke was a wooden cross-beam that coupled two oxen together to plow a field. As long as both animals were similar in strength and height, the plow would work effortlessly and the soil would be tilled. If, however, one of the oxen was smaller or incapable of pulling such a heavy weight, the tilling would suffer until the animal was replaced with a stronger one.
Jesus is telling His disciples - and us - that He is the sole beast of burden when it comes to obeying the law and receiving righteousness. We are incapable of pulling that load on our own, and the yoke on our necks is only weighing us down and causing pain and injury. His yoke is light, because He has taken the full weight of it upon Himself. Our job is to simply walk beside Him as He plows the field of our hearts. He has done the work so that we may rest in Him.
Question To Consider
In what areas of your life are you struggling to bear your own weight instead of surrendering it to Jesus?
Prayer For Today
Jesus, too often I take Your work on the cross for granted. You personally suffered the agony and weight of our sin upon Yourself, receiving the wrath of the Father so that I can walk freely and unburdened by the yoke of slavery to sin. Help me to rest in that work and surrender all areas of my life to You today. Amen
