A Yoke That Fits
by Pastor Andrew Wolfenbarger
10/01/2023
Matthew 11:28-30 - “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Jesus could have chosen to work in any occupation when He came to this earth, but He chose to be born into the home of a carpenter. There is no telling how many yokes Jesus built during His childhood as He assisted Joseph.
A yoke is a large wooden beam that is placed across the back of an oxen to attach it to the plow. The sturdiness of the wood was required because the weight of the plow as it is drug through the dirt would be too great for anything else. The yoke was carved out to fit the shoulders of the ox and a proper fit was necessary to make the work as comfortable as possible.
While other carpenters may have needed to measure an animal to ensure a proper fit, Jesus had no need. He already knew the measurements of every animal. He knew the labor each animal would enter into, and He knew precisely how much weight the beast would carry.
In our passage, He does not speak about oxen but to His disciples and He invites them into a work that He has crafted just for them. It is a beautiful picture of His interest in the work that He has called us to.
Notice, in our passage today, Jesus invites people who are exhausted and weary from work, to come and prepare for more work. Hear these words, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden”. At first glance, one may think, why in the world would I enter into work if I am already exhausted?
Here are two very simple observations:
1. He Invites Us to Rest From Our Work (vs. 28)
He invites us to lay down the burdens of our work and enter into His. Many people are living their lives trying to impress God and trying to reach an unattainable standard of sinless living. Their acceptance before God seems to always be just out of reach because “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight” (Romans 3:20). Therefore, this is an invitation to find your acceptance and approval before God in the finished work of Christ.
As the hymn writer wrote in the wonderful song My Faith Has Found a Resting Place, “I need no other argument, I need no other plea; It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.” When we accept by faith the absolute sufficiency of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on our behalf, we cease from our burden and discover “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”.
2. He Summons Us to Enter Into A New Work (vs. 29-30)
Along with removing the oppressive burden of our work, Jesus replaces our yoke with one of His own. The prerequisite of this work is that we must first learn of Christ. We must observe through the Word of God, how Jesus persevered as He carried His burden. He did it by the Spirit, through much prayer, in humble submission to the Father’s will.
We must learn of our Savior if we are to patiently endure as we carry our own. But remember, the yoke that He gives us will fit. He will not overload us or abandon us. The Master Carpenter knows us and will enable us to enter into His work.
10/01/2023
Matthew 11:28-30 - “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Jesus could have chosen to work in any occupation when He came to this earth, but He chose to be born into the home of a carpenter. There is no telling how many yokes Jesus built during His childhood as He assisted Joseph.
A yoke is a large wooden beam that is placed across the back of an oxen to attach it to the plow. The sturdiness of the wood was required because the weight of the plow as it is drug through the dirt would be too great for anything else. The yoke was carved out to fit the shoulders of the ox and a proper fit was necessary to make the work as comfortable as possible.
While other carpenters may have needed to measure an animal to ensure a proper fit, Jesus had no need. He already knew the measurements of every animal. He knew the labor each animal would enter into, and He knew precisely how much weight the beast would carry.
In our passage, He does not speak about oxen but to His disciples and He invites them into a work that He has crafted just for them. It is a beautiful picture of His interest in the work that He has called us to.
Notice, in our passage today, Jesus invites people who are exhausted and weary from work, to come and prepare for more work. Hear these words, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden”. At first glance, one may think, why in the world would I enter into work if I am already exhausted?
Here are two very simple observations:
1. He Invites Us to Rest From Our Work (vs. 28)
He invites us to lay down the burdens of our work and enter into His. Many people are living their lives trying to impress God and trying to reach an unattainable standard of sinless living. Their acceptance before God seems to always be just out of reach because “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight” (Romans 3:20). Therefore, this is an invitation to find your acceptance and approval before God in the finished work of Christ.
As the hymn writer wrote in the wonderful song My Faith Has Found a Resting Place, “I need no other argument, I need no other plea; It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.” When we accept by faith the absolute sufficiency of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on our behalf, we cease from our burden and discover “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”.
2. He Summons Us to Enter Into A New Work (vs. 29-30)
Along with removing the oppressive burden of our work, Jesus replaces our yoke with one of His own. The prerequisite of this work is that we must first learn of Christ. We must observe through the Word of God, how Jesus persevered as He carried His burden. He did it by the Spirit, through much prayer, in humble submission to the Father’s will.
We must learn of our Savior if we are to patiently endure as we carry our own. But remember, the yoke that He gives us will fit. He will not overload us or abandon us. The Master Carpenter knows us and will enable us to enter into His work.
Posted in Living for God, The Great Commission
Posted in Matthew 11, labor, labour, yoke, work, called, Rest, God\'s will
Posted in Matthew 11, labor, labour, yoke, work, called, Rest, God\'s will
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