Rest For The WearyChikamu

Why does coming to Jesus offer the hope of rest for the weary? 

The answer comes packaged in the next directive that Jesus gave to the crowds: “Take My yoke upon you” (Matthew 11:29). 

When we come to Jesus, we receive His yoke, and, like an ox plowing the field, we must submit to His lead. We are no longer the master and commander of our fate, but like the first disciples in Matthew’s Gospel that were summoned by Jesus (Peter and Andrew), we hear and obey Jesus’s command to “Follow Him” (Matthew 4:19). This yoke, however, is then described as being easy: 

“For my yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). 

The Greek word chrēstos—here rendered as “easy”—is best translated as “well-fitting or custom made.” An ill-fitting yoke can agitate and wear out the ox in the midst of its labor, but Jesus’s easy yoke is one that is perfectly formed for the disciple who follows Him. After all, He is the Creator of all things and best knows our needs. The psalmist described this attentiveness to our needs in this way: 

“The Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:13-14). 

Following Jesus and taking up His yoke is no walk in the park. It will involve sacrifice, obedience, and submission to the will of the Master. It is, however, a joyful submission to the One who created us, intimately cares for us, and knows us best.

How do we learn to submit to the easy yoke of Jesus as our Master?