Matthew’s Unique Message #3
Take My Yoke
Matthew 11:28-30
CHCC: June 17, 2007
SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 11:28-30
INTRODUCTION: This week my brother-in-law, Bob, and his family stopped by to see us on their way to South Padre. They were full of enthusiasm as they looked forward to getting away from the grind. Four days later they stopped by again on their way back to San Angelo. The funny thing is, they looked worn out. They were sunburned from days at the beach. They were sore from learning how to surf. I guess the high point of their vacation came when they were riding bicycles along the beach and the seat fell off Bob’s bike (taking Bob along with it.) They joked that they needed to get back to work to recover from their vacation!
All of us know what it’s like to need some REST even in the summer. This summer I’m preaching some sermons from the Gospel of Matthew. I’ve been looking for the things Matthew recorded that none of the other Gospels talk about. I discovered that this well-known invitation: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest …is found only in Matthew.
1. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened…
To get the full impact of these verses, we need to look at what preceded them. This is the third of three short statements Jesus made while he was debriefing 72 disciples who had just returned from ministry in the surrounding villages. We don’t have much detail about the report these men gave, but we can tell a lot from the way Jesus responded.
Both Matthew and Luke record that Jesus started by cursing the Towns that rejected his men. In verses 21-22, Jesus said, If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you.
Then Jesus burst out with this prayer, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” Matthew 11:25-26
Evidently, the people who rejected the Gospel message were the so-called “wise and learned” ones. It’s likely some of the local Rabbi’s kicked Jesus’ Disciples out of their synagogues --- and warned their congregations not to listen to them. After all, they had called Jesus a “son of the devil.” Why would they treat His Disciples any better?
On the other hand, these 72 Disciples reported victories and miracles. They told Jesus about all the people who accepted their Message. Jesus rejoiced that the common folk … the uneducated … the powerless were the ones who understood God’s wisdom. And then Jesus said this: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” You see, that wonderful invitation was NOT offered to the wise and learned but to the weary and burdened!
At times all of us feel weary and burdened --- just with the day-to day pressures of normal life. But I also understand that every Sunday we have people here who are carrying very heavy burdens. Some of you are absolutely exhausted --- from carrying burdens of sickness or grief or disappointment or loss. You are the ones Jesus is speaking to when he says, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.
Jesus made a surprising follow up to that invitation when he said, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me …
2. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me …
Why would an invitation to REST be followed by instructions to put on a Yoke? A Yoke is defined as a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals can be joined at the heads or necks for working together. If you look at the image on the screen, you’ll see the type that was commonly used. The information I’ve heard on this verse tend to focus on the Yoke as a symbol for the WORK we do for Jesus. His Yoke will be light. It will be custom made to fit us comfortably. And the work Jesus gives will be perfectly suited to each person. I think that is all true.
But the Yoke is more than a symbol of our WORK for Jesus; it is also a symbol of our CONNECTION to Jesus. When we take on the Yoke of Jesus, we connect ourselves to HIM --- the way two oxen are connected in a Yoke. Jesus does more than GUIDE us in our work. He works WITH us. He doesn’t just give us strength to pull the load, he actually pulls alongside us.
People in Jesus day did not need this explanation. Seeing two Oxen Yoked together to pull wagons or plows was an every day experience. But the words, Take my yoke upon you, may have had another significant meaning to them. Let me give a little background.
At the age of 6 Jewish children began to learn the Torah (which was the Jewish scriptures.) By the age of 12, they would have memorized large portions of Old Testament scripture. Most would then stop their formal education and begin to learn a Trade. From that age, education became an Apprenticeship where they worked alongside a skilled person in order to learn that trade.
You may remember that Jesus was 12 years old when he went to the Temple in Jerusalem and astounded the Priests there with his knowledge. After this Jesus went home and learned Joseph’s trade of Carpentry.
In doing this, Jesus followed the common educational tract for Jewish boys. But a select few would be able to continue their Formal Religious Education. This could not happen unless a Jewish Rabbi invited the boy to become his Talmid (or Disciple.) If the boy accepted this invitation, he would leave his family and village and forsake his family vocation. From that time he was devoted to the Rabbi, day and night --- not just learning the Rabbi’s teachings, but becoming LIKE the Rabbi in every way --- going where the Rabbi went, doing what the Rabbi did, teaching what the Rabbi taught. It was a total life commitment. (Rabbi and Talmidim © 1995-2007 That The World May Know Ministries)
This process of becoming a Talmid was sometimes called taking the Yoke of Torah. To be invited to take the Yoke of a Rabbi was a rare honor. And yet Jesus invited all 72 of his Disciples to take His Yoke. And He offers that privilege to every one of us! Taking on the Yoke of Jesus means becoming his Talmid --- his Disciples. It is a total life commitment --- a commitment to become LIKE him ---- going where he goes, doing what he does, and teaching what he teaches.
I read this interpretation for the first time in a book called The Velvet Elvis, written by Rob Bell. I’ve heard several people say how much they got out of that book, so I borrowed Dallas’s copy and read it. Now, since I’d never heard this information about the Yoke of a Rabbi before … and since it comes from a book named The Velvet Elvis … I decided maybe I should try to verify it. And I actually DID find evidence that the word YOKE was used to describe becoming a student of the Torah.
Let’s all take a minute to turn to Ecclesiasticus 51:33. … Well, okay, before you spend too much time flipping back and forth in your Bible, there is no Ecclesiasticus in there. But it actually IS a real book. The author was Jesus, the son of Sirach of Jerusalem --- a Rabbi who lived about 200 years before Christ. Ecclesiasticus was written too late to be accepted as part of the official Jewish cannon. But the Rabbi’s of Jesus day would have been familiar with the text of Ecclesiasticus. Look how similar these verses are to what Jesus said.
Buy wisdom for yourselves without silver, and submit your neck to the yoke, and let your soul receive discipline: for she is near at hand to be found. Behold with your eyes how I have laboured a little, and have found much rest to myself. Ecclesiasticus 51:33-35
Now, I’m not giving these verses the weight of Inspired Scripture, but it is interesting to see the similarity of the images. The Rabbi who wrote Ecclesiasticus invited his readers to put on the YOKE of Wisdom … and he said that the result would be finding REST. Anyone who was familiar with the writings of Rabbis may have thought of these verses when Jesus gave his invitation.
The YOKE is a great metaphor for becoming a Talmid --- or disciple or apprentice --- or for entering any kind of close working relationship. Two Oxen who are Yoked together will work like one animal. Once they are YOKED together -- they have to stay in step with each other. Following Jesus is like that. It is much more than just learning his philosophy or teachings. You see, Jesus LIVED what he taught. That’s what he means when he says, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart …
3. … for I am gentle and humble in heart …
Now, I want you to use your imagination for a minute. Pretend you are an Ox. We put a picture on the screen to help with this little exercise… If you’re going to be Yoked to another Ox, you’d better hope he’s a humble and gentle Ox. Otherwise, you may be in for a rough day!
The same thing was true for a Jewish boy who took the Yoke of a Rabbi. In Jesus’ day, many Rabbi’s were anything BUT humble and gentle. You have to pity an unsuspecting Jewish boy who found himself Yoked for life to a pride-filled, legalistic Rabbi who was impossible to please. There’s no REST to be found there!
But because Jesus is gentle and humble in heart, he invites us to do MORE than study His words. Some of you probably have Bibles that are called “red letter editions” where the Words of Jesus are written in red. His words carry power and authority. The Words of Jesus have the power to change lives. But when Jesus says to take His Yoke, He is inviting you to do more than study His teachings.
People often study and follow the teachings of writers, philosophers, politicians and professors without getting to know the PERSON behind the philosophy. Some people even think personal morality doesn’t matter.
I heard about a Harvard Professor named Bertrand Russell. While he was a Professor of Ethics back in the early 1900’s, Russell was carrying on an adulterous affair.
I’m sure now days people would just look the other way, but back then Harvard’s Board of Governors called Russell in and Censured him. Russell maintained that his private affairs had nothing to do with the performance of his professional duties. One of the Board members exclaimed, “But you are a Professor of ETHICS!” Russell responded, “If I was a Professor of Geometry would you expect me to be a triangle?” (Sara Yoheved Rigler http://www.aish.com - revised)
We might shake our heads at such blatant hypocrisy, but the truth is most people fail to live up to their own Words. One prime example of this might be Karl Marx who wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848. Marx’ had --- and still has --- millions of followers. His Philosophy has shaped (and some would say, ruined) many Nations for a hundred years. Marxists consider Karl Marx a champion of the under classes.
But even his staunchest defenders admit that Marx did not live what he preached. He wrote “From each according to his ability; to each according to his need.” But he must have seen himself in the “needy” category because he never held a steady job. Instead he lived off the inheritance of his aristocratic wife and his wealthy friend, Friedrich Engels.
He preached revolution for the downtrodden masses --- but did not form friendships outside his own class. In his personal life, Marx formed few close ties. In fact, when he died, only 11 people came to his funeral. (http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=12622; Publishers Weekly, VII 2002)
Karl Marx and Jesus Christ had several things in common. Both were considered Revolutionaries. Both championed the Poor, the Outcasts and the Downtrodden. But the similarity ends there. People might follow the TEACHINGS of Marx, but they can’t follow the EXAMPLE of his life. On the other hand, Jesus lived the simple, generous, pure life he advocated. He surrounded himself with the common folks that he championed. Jesus reached out to the Poor. He touched and healed the Outcasts. He lifted up the Downtrodden. Jesus truly LIVED what he taught.
But how can taking the Yoke of the humble and gentle Jesus gives us rest? For one thing, He will help us pull our load. For another, taking the Yoke of Jesus prevents us from running off in a hundred different directions. People can waste all kinds of time and energy running after money or status … or running away from legitimate responsibilities. Being Yoked to Jesus will save you all that pointless running. You will find rest for your soul.
Sometime we wear ourselves out with our own bad attitudes. If you’re angry with someone, you may spend all kinds of energy going over how they did you wrong. You want to feed your anger. You want to find some way to get back at them. But when you are Yoked to the One who is gentle and humble in heart, you won’t waste your energy. Instead, He will give you the strength to forgive and move forward. You will find rest for your soul.
CONCLUSION:
Prayer.
I can’t improve on the Invitation Jesus Himself gives to you. No matter how weary you are, He will give you REST. He is able to carry any burden, no matter how heavy.
As we prepare to sing our Invitation Song, lets stand and read the invitation that Jesus offers you.
"Come to me, all you 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.”
