Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls

 

 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

 

- Matthew 11:25-30 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued speaking to the crowds about Himself and John the Baptist:  "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children." Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

 

  At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  My study Bible cites Blessed Theophylact as commenting here that God has hidden the mysteries from the wise of the world, not out of malice toward God's creatures, but because of their own unworthiness, for it was they who chose to trust their own fallen wisdom and judgment rather than God.  Moreover, it is out of love that God withholds this revelation from people who would scorn it.  In this way they can avoid an even greater condemnation.  

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  My study Bible explains that Jesus' yoke is submission to the Kingdom of God.  We don't hear this work yoke often in the modern world; a yoke is the wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to a plow or cart they are meant to pull.  So, a yoke can be seen as a sign of hardship and burdens, or possibly responsibilities which one must bear (1 Kings 12:1-11, Jeremiah 27:1-11, Sirach 40:1).  But in Christ, this yoke is easy, for, as my study Bible explains, the power of God works in each person.  In addition, the reward is infinitely greater than any effort human beings put forth.  This word translated as gentle here is literally "meek" as in Matthew 5:5 (see also the reading on the Beatitudes).

Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."   In the history of Christianity, these words are some of the most uplifting and comforting, inspiring many throughout the centuries.  If we examine that word gentle again, as we did in the reading of the Beatitudes, we read that "meek" and "gentle" do not fully give us the sense of this word in the Greek.  It is a word which links gentleness also to strength, in the sense that cultures have evolved to create an understanding of what a "gentleperson" is.  That is, actions marked with kindness and gentleness, avoiding harshness, but also appropriate to a circumstance.  In modern Greek, it indicates a kind of calmness.  According to HELPS Word-studies, the type of meekness which Christ evinces Himself and also teaches in the Sermon on the Mount is one achieved with the help of the Holy Spirit.  It indicates God's strength under God's control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness, combining both reserve and strength.  As we are encouraged to imitate Christ, and to share God's qualities through the power of the Holy Spirit (the fruit of the Spirit), here He encourages us to come to Him, the One who can give us His rest and teach us.  While this indeed entails taking on a yoke and a particular burden, He characterizes them as easy and light.  Let us remember that we always have the help of the Holy Spirit for Christ's burden and yoke, and that whatever things we go through, there will be a spiritual purpose to be discerned, and out of which we may reap a spiritual harvest.  Learning endurance and patience, persistence and forbearance, are all fruit of the Spirit.  In the stories of the saints, we learn of gentleness and meekness, but these must be seen as our capacity to be resilient, equanimous, and not thrown off our keel at every provocation.   To have strength under control is the aim of historical spiritual disciplines such as fasting; Christ's easy yoke and light burden is the discipleship He offers us.  Let us take strength in His rest, and find our souls in it.