Finding Rest for Your Soul by Bearing Christ’s Yoke

The days we live in are filled with difficulties and stress, placing heavy burdens on many people. This was also true in New Testament times. Here's what Jesus said about the religious elites of His day:

2“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger (Matthew 23:2-4).

The Lord Jesus came to free humanity from the burden of sin and the stress of this worldly system. He said:

28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Why does Jesus speak about finding rest by bearing His yoke? What is a yoke? To ensure that two oxen were equally pulling their weight while plowing, they were fitted with a neck brace known as a yoke around their necks. When Jesus walked the earth in human form, the religious Pharisees preached about submission to the yoke of the Law, but ordinary people felt that all their additions to the Law of God were a heavy burden. Jesus stated that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light (v. 30). William Barclay, in his New Testament commentary, The Daily Study Bible, writes about the meaning of the word easy (my yoke is easy):

“The word easy is in Greek chrēstos, which can mean well-fitting. Ox yokes were made of wood; the ox was brought, and the measurements were taken. The yoke was then roughed out, and the ox was brought back to have the yoke tried on. The yoke was carefully adjusted so that it would fit well and not gall [make sore by rubbing] the neck of the patient beast. The yoke was tailor-made to fit the ox.”

There is a legend that Jesus crafted the finest ox-yokes in all of Galilee and that people traveled from far and wide to purchase the best yokes that skill could create. In those times, just as today, shops displayed their signs above the doors; it has been suggested that the sign above the door of the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth may have read: "My yokes fit well." Jesus might be drawing on imagery from the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth, where He labored during the silent years. Jesus says, “My yoke fits well.” He means: “The life I give you is not a burden to weigh you down; your task is tailored to fit you perfectly.” Everything God provides us is designed to meet our needs and abilities precisely.

The Lord Jesus said that coming to Him means finding rest for our souls. What burdens are you carrying right now? Are there pressures from others weighing heavily on you? We live in a time when, if we seek liberty in our spirit, we must cast off every weight that God has not placed upon us and turn to Christ to find rest for our souls.

Prayer: Father, I come to you today and ask that you will help me cast all my burdens upon you, Lord, for You care for my soul: "Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved" (Isaiah 55:22). Keith Thomas