Take My Yoke
Matthew 11:28-30
Introduction: The cross is the great symbol of Christianity. On steeples, atop churches, covers of hymnals, lids for communion ware and lapel pins on Sunday jackets, it stands as an awesome reminder of all that Jesus suffered. … Jesus also used another symbol for Christian commitment. “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me . . . My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:29, 30). The yoke is a wooden harness tying two animals together to pull a load. Yokes are not usually painted on church buildings, or printed on the covers of Bibles, or worn as ornaments on neck chains. Maybe they should be. The yoke, as much as the cross, is a symbol of commitment to Jesus Christ.[1]
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I. The invitation
A. Come to me vs. 28
1. All other rabbis would say, “Come to God.”
2. Notice what Jesus says about himself 11:27; 12:8
a. What others said: Matthew 13:55 The occupation of a carpenter was always regarded as an honorable and respectable employment; hence this question was not a question of contempt, but of surprise. The Nazarenes regarded Jesus not as their inferior, but themselves as His equals, and doubted only His claim to superiority, which was forced upon them by His wisdom and miracles. It is the same natural surprise which is always felt if an old acquaintance meets his former humble associates with a distinguished rank or reputation as a scholar, or artist, or statesman, or merchant-prince.[2]
b. Others: 11:19
3. “Come” – same word Jesus said to Lazarus in the tomb John 11
4. πραΰς: gentle, humble, considerate, meek, mild vs. 29
5. ταπεινός: pertaining to being unpretentious in one’s behavior; humble; pertaining to having low and humble status; lowly, humble; pertaining to being meek, with the implication of low status; gentle, meek and mild. vs. 29 A slave’s attitude
B. Take my yoke upon you vs. 29
1. In ancient Europe one person would use a yoke to carry two things. There is no evidence that this was practiced in Palestine.
2. I believe Jesus is asking us to put on the yoke with him.
3. Yokes cause two to act as one: lie down, pull
4. Paul W. Powell, in The Complete Disciple elaborates: “The cross and the yoke symbolize for us the two different aspects of commitment. The cross is an instrument of death; the yoke is an implement of toil. The cross is the symbol of sacrifice; the yoke is the symbol of service. The cross suggests blood; the yoke suggests sweat . . . to be committed to Jesus Christ means that we are ready for either the yoke or the cross.”
5. AMG Bible illustrations suggest four lessons that the yoke should teach us
a. Submission
b. Obedience
c. Service
d. Fellowship
5. The yoke was also used as a symbol of the burden or oppression of heavy responsibility, duty, sin, or punishment (1 Kin. 12:4–14; Jer. 27:8–12; Acts 15:10). In New Testament times the phrase “take the yoke of” was used by the Jewish rabbis to mean, “become the pupil of” a certain teacher. [3]
II. The invited ones
A. All who labor vs. 28
1. κοπιάω: to engage in hard work, implying difficulties and trouble; hard work, toil, to work hard, to toil, to labor; to be tired or weary, as the result of hard or difficult endeavor; to be tired, to be weary; (a figurative extension of meaning of κοπιάω) to become emotionally fatigued and discouraged; to give up, to lose heart.
2. The spiritually tired
B. The heavy laden vs. 28
1. φορτίζω: to cause to carry or bear a load; to cause to carry, to cause to bear a load.
2. Emotional and spiritual
III. The result
A. Rest vs. 28
1. ἀναπαύω: to cause someone to become physically refreshed as the result of resting from work; to cause to rest, to give rest. To give rest, quiet, recreate, refresh.
2. While the scribes “learn the Torah,” Jesus’ followers are called to enroll “in his school of wisdom where he is both the teacher and core curriculum.” By doing so they will experience rest for their souls, meaning an inner well-being and tranquility grounded in the assurance of God’s faithfulness and sustaining power; not the fickleness of human performance in keeping the rules. [4]
3. Augustine (354-430 a.d.), in one of his sermons, beautifully compares the yoke of Christ to a bird’s plumage, an easy weight which enables it to soar to the sky.[5]
B. Yoke is easy vs. 30 χρηστός: pertaining to being superior for a particular purpose or use; fine, better; pertaining to being kind; kind, gracious; pertaining to that which is pleasant or easy, with the implication of suitability; pleasant, easy. Useful, suitable, worthy, good. Of persons: kind, loving, benevolent, friendly, good-natured. The important and decisive texts for NT usage are those in which God Himself is called χρηστός, “mild,” “kind,” or “helpful,” in His attitude and acts towards men.
C. Burden is light vs. 30
1. Φορτίον: a relatively heavy object which is carried; load, burden, cargo (as of a ship). In the NT φορτίον has the literal sense of “ship’s cargo” in the account of the voyage in Ac. 27:10.
2. ἐλαφρός: pertaining to being relatively light in weight; light, not heavy. Pertaining to that which is easy to bear or endure; light, easy.
Conclusion: Jesus was calling His people, the Jews, to return to God. In the same words, He is calling us to return to God. God didn’t wait for us to start toward Him. He took the initiative, and made every arrangement for our salvation ahead of time. Will you answer His call? Will you come to Him for rest?
Hosororo Church. NW Region, Guyana. June 27, 2008. PM.
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[1]AMG Bible Illustrations. 2000. Logos Library System. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers.
[2]Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures : Matthew. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[3]Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. Nashville: T. Nelson.
[4]Chouinard, L. (1997). Matthew. The College Press NIV commentary. Joplin, Mo.: College Press.
[5]Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures : Matthew. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.