Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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
The Build-Up
The context of this passage is interesting. All of Matthew chapter 11 is Jesus saying that His miracles affirm His identity as the Messiah.
- First, messengers from John the Baptist (in prison at the time) asked Jesus if He was really the One they had been expecting, or should they wait for another? Jesus answered “Report to John all the miracles you’ve seen, as were prophesied of the Messiah.” (paraphrase, see verses 1-6, quoting from Isaiah 35:4-6)
- Then He commended John, saying that he was the prophesied messenger to prepare the way for the Messiah (verses 7-15, quoting from Isaiah 40:3-5 and Malachi 3:1). John had already pointed to Jesus as the One he was preparing for (John 1:19-34).
- Then Jesus condemned the cities where most of the miracles had been done, because they still didn’t believe in Him (verses 20-24).
- Then He claimed that “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father.” (verse 27)
- And then He called for the weary and heavy-laden to come to Him for rest. “You will find rest for your souls” is an allusion to Jeremiah 6:16 1:
Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,
Jeremiah 6:16
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
And you will find rest for your souls.
What astounding claims Jesus was making! He was talking to people who had heavy burdens. They were conquered by Rome, forced to pay exorbitant taxes. Their religious leaders made “righteousness” so difficult, with so many hoops to jump through, that it seemed hopeless. They had been waiting for their Messiah for generations, but had not had even a prophet giving any new word from God in 400 years. Now, here came Jesus saying that He was the answer, the Good Way 2, the Source of the rest that had been promised by God.
Why a Yoke?
The word “yoke” refers to a harness for a pair of oxen. The wooden crossbeam has loops (called “bows) for the animals’ heads, keeping them side-by-side so they can pull a plow or wagon together. OK, but why would Jesus ask us to take on His yoke? Being yoked to a plow or a wagon doesn’t sound very restful!
I’ve understood one interpretation of this all my life. But just in the past couple of weeks I have encountered another. The two are complementary; they don’t contradict one another. Both help us understand what life with Jesus is like.
First, Yoked BESIDE Us
The first interpretation says that Jesus doesn’t require a heavy load to be pulled. Or, at least, the load doesn’t seem as heavy because He is in the other part of the yoke, pulling along with us. The double yoke is still sometimes used to train a young ox by pairing him up with a well-trained adult. The adult does most of the work, while the trainee follows along and learns from his partner/mentor.
This thought is often used as a great comfort. No matter what burden we are hauling in our life, Jesus is there in the thick of it with us. When we stumble or start to go astray, He is strong and straight…and connected to us so that we have the benefit of His strength and direction.
But Also ABOVE Us
However, “yoke” does not always mean “I’m yoked beside you.” It was also a term used to describe a commitment to someone or something else, being yoked to a superior who is above you.
Negative Version
At times, this was a negative thing, like being under the rule of a tyrant. The Bible speaks of the yoke of Egypt 3, of Assyria 4, and of Babylon 5. King Rehoboam’s harsh rule was also called a yoke (1 Kings 12:1-15, 2 Chronicles 10:1-15). Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah included that He would “break the yoke” of oppressors (Isaiah 9:1-7, see verse 4). Ezekiel’s Messianic prophecy in chapter 34 even includes corrupt religious leaders as those whose heavy yoke on the people will be broken (verse 27) by the Messiah (verse 23).
Positive Version
But there is also another meaning that would have been familiar to Jesus’ listeners. The apocryphal book of Ben Sira (also known as Sirach, or Ecclesiasticus) was written about 200 years prior to His day. It was not considered authoritative Scripture; however, it was well known and contained advice on righteous living. It has a couple of passages instructing the readers to submit to the yoke of Wisdom (Ben Sira 6:23-31, Ben Sira 51:23-27) in order to live in a way that pleases God … and which results in rest and peace. Compare this to all the passages in Proverbs that personify Wisdom, where Wisdom speaks as if it were God Himself speaking (such as Proverbs 1:20-33 and all of Proverbs 8).
Also, there was a large body of Oral Law, commentary by prominent rabbis that clarified and expanded upon the Torah (the written law given to Moses by God). This Talmud was not put into writing until about 200 A.D. but, orally, it was widely known and studied in Jesus’ time. Pirkei Avot 3:6 of that document reads:
Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah said: Whoever takes upon himself the yoke of Torah, from him will be taken away the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly care; but whoever throws off the yoke of Torah, upon him will be laid the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly care.
Pirkei Avot 3:6
So the concept of the “Yoke of Torah” was already familiar to Jesus’ audience as meaning submission to God and His law.
Jesus’ Version
With this in mind, Jesus’ listeners would have understood Him to mean that they should submit to Him — His teachings and commandments, His way of living — in the same way that Ben Sira and Proverbs say to submit to Wisdom, and that the Oral Law said to submit to Torah. Coming on the heels of “All my miracles show that I am the Messiah” and “The Father has put all things into my hands” and followed by “You will find rest for your souls” (something that only God can promise), this was really making a statement.
Basically, that statement was “I am God!“
Wow!!
But then His statement went on to say “I am not a harsh tyrant. I lead gently, and I work with you to carry the load. Being committed to Me and following My lead will make your life a blessed one.”
Which Yoke Will You Choose?
Everyone — Jew or Gentile, Christian or atheist — is always yoked to something. No one can avoid being committed to a worldview that provides their foundation, that directs their priorities and actions. Jesus says that being yoked under Him, with Him in that yoke beside us, is by far the best way of hauling life’s burdens.
Here is a clip from The Chosen with their dramatization of this teaching by Jesus. And, for extra research, here is a 25-minute lesson on this passage that I found to be especially interesting.
Footnotes and Scripture References
- This chapter of Jeremiah was a warning of catastrophe to come as punishment because the people did not walk in the good way. Instead, they ignored all warnings and continued to refuse to obey God.
- Hmmm…That sounds familar: Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life… (John 14:6)
- Leviticus 26:13
- Isaiah 10:24-27, Isaiah 14:24-25
- Jeremiah 27-28
