Topic: Matthew 11:28-30
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)
Jesus might have asked: "Aren't you tired and burned-out on all that religious stuff? Look, come walk with me, and I'll help you recover your life -- your real purpose -- and even though it will require some hard, very hard work, you'll be energized by it because you'll be living life to its fullest. You'll be doing exactly what my Father created you to do, and more importantly, you'll be exactly who I want you to be."
In taking on the Jesus-yoke, he is asking us to join the school of Christ. In ancient times, when a student studied under a specific teacher, it would be said that the student took on the teacher's yoke; the student was yoked to the master.
Within that context, consider these words from Jesus: "Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew 11:29-30, NLT)
Jesus says, by walking with him, we'll learn how to walk with God. We don't learn from afar; we learn from a caring and committed teacher-student relationship -- caring and committed on both sides.
The Christian walk is not a lesson in how to run off doing things for Jesus while we ignore him. Our Christ-walk is a journey with Jesus, where he is very personal and specific about our growth and spiritual maturity.
What does this mean?
Are you tired? -- Jesus will teach you how to find rest in God, not a rest absent of stress, but the rest that results from believing in God's faithfulness. Ask God to show you what blocks you from believing fully in his faithfulness, and then ask him to break those blockages down.
Are you confused? -- Join Jesus at his school of Christ, and watch him, listen to him, ask him to renew your purpose.
Ask to be teachable -- Tell Jesus you want to be yoked to him, and that you want to learn from him. Ask him to keep your heart teachable.
The word "religion" originally meant re-connection with God. How does Jesus provide the ultimate reconnection with God?
