Who Are the Weary?
Are you one of the weary people in the world? Lord knows that most of us would say we belong in this group after the last several months of this COVID-19 crisis. But we are not just “weary”. We’re exhausted, frustrated, confused, distraught, disappointed, fearful, angry, and in some cases, even hopeless.
How much more weariness can any of us endure? When will it end? Where is there any help and hope for getting through this crisis of our lifetimes to start enjoying life again?
In Matthew 11: 28-30, Jesus tells His disciples, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, 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.”
After reading this passage, I said to myself, “YES, Lord, I too want to find rest!!” Am I being selfish for wanting this crisis to go away from my life and the lives of everyone else in this world? Am I asking too much for my compounding burdens to be lifted and peace to replace the hopelessness of my soul? My heart, soul, mind, and body all need a good rest. But what will it take to find that needed rest?
What can a deeper examination and analysis of what Jesus was saying to His disciples in Matthew’s passage do for me? It dawned on me that Jesus is really saying, “come, get closer to me, get to know me better, so you can see how comfortable our relationship can be.” He is sending you and me a personal invitation to connect with Him, start up a conversation about our troubles, and share with Him our fears and other burdens of life.
But beyond this invitation, He offers each of us who accepts the invitation, the rest that we’re seeking. This connection with Jesus becomes an exchange that bears much good fruit. To me it means that the closer I get to Jesus, the more rest and comfort I will experience. This seems like a good deal to me. How about you? Would you accept an invitation from Jesus to find the rest you want?
Take My Yoke
But in accepting His invitation, it also implies some work on our part too. With His invitation, Jesus wants us to also take His yoke upon us. What does the word “yoke” imply to you? When I hear that word, it conjures up pictures of a wooden harness strapped to the shoulders of a pair of oxen pulling a plow in a farmer’s field of long ago. The word picture also depicts an atmosphere of servitude and steadfast compliance with the farmer’s purpose for the task. The first impression is that a yoke will add burden to my life, not lessen it.
Does taking His yoke upon us mean adding more burden and stress to our life? I don’t believe that is what Jesus is saying at all. He says in taking His yoke, we are to learn from Him for how gentle and humble He is. His is not a yoke of burden, but one of gentle learning and guidance uniquely fitted for helping us to accomplish the tasks of life in a humble way to ease the stresses of life and bring rest to our soul.
Having a close, personal relationship with Jesus fosters a companionship beyond measure. I know that sharing the burdens with a good friend or a loving spouse can make the gauntlet of life a bit easier to traverse. But having a “friend in Jesus”, the Son of God, as your constant companion in life is the best offer you could ever have. Two oxen connected by the custom-fitted yoke and pulling the plow are always easier than a single ox struggling to accomplish the farmer’s task.
My Yoke is Easy
Being connected that closely to Jesus via His yoke helps us to stay on the righteous path God has in His plans and purposes for our life as well. We can more easily surrender to the Father’s will because we are learning from Jesus and following His direction. Our focus is to stay in step with Jesus and not stray from the path. Placing our confidence and trust in Jesus brings comfort and rest to our soul. Fear, confusion, dismay, anger, and hopelessness are lessened. Peace of heart and mind are attained.
Jesus loves us and will be with us always in every circumstance. If we weary people truly want to find rest, we only have to accept His invitation to get closer to Him, accept His yoke, let Him guide us through life versus us trying to find the right path by ourselves. We then will find that our burdens are easier and lighter for the journey to God’s kingdom where we will enjoy eternal rest and comfort for our souls.
I pray that we all will accept His invitation and find rest for our souls soon.
Live, Learn and Grow in Jesus.
Blessings,
Jerry
