Isaiah 26:7-9.12. 16-19
Ps 102: 13- l4ab and 15.16-18.19-21
Matthew 11:28-30 Full Readings
Resting in Jesus
Today, Jesus is speaking with unique tenderness as He invites us to come to Him with all our burdens and then carry His yoke for it's light and easy to carry. Jesus invites us to be yoked with him, to unite our life with his life, our will with his will, and our heart with his heart. To be yoked with Jesus is to be united with him in a relationship of love, trust, and obedience. Jesus has come to heal, set captives free, and lift up those who are ailing. He calls people with many needs who are weary of life and burdened with hardships and difficulties. Sometimes we hopelessly rely on our own means and are slow to put our trust in God. He invites us to follow him from where we are. To follow him along the journey of continual conversation as his disciple, we must first allow ourselves to experience his mercy. The Lord’s mercy is immense and inexhaustible! At Jesus’s invitation, we find a response for our aching hearts: a life’s purpose as his disciple and a promise of finding rest in this life and the next.
In Jewish culture, the yoke means following the law of God and expressing submission to God. They spoke of the yoke of the law, the yoke of the commandments, the yoke of the kingdom, and the yoke of God. Unfortunately, this yoke imposed by the Jewish religious leaders to the people was to heavy to carry and themselves laid no finger on them. We find Jesus rebuking the Pharisees, for “They tie up heavy burdens [hard to carry] and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them” (Matthew 23:4). So When Jesus says His yoke is light to carry, He means that His laws are easy to follow, and in the end they give life everlasting. Jesus' laws are summarised in one Law which is love. The yoke of Jesus is love and to love, when we are with Jesus, is very easy. Let us follow Jesus, our great teacher, with love and humility and we will surely dwell in God's presence experiencing His love all of our lives.
We follow Jesus’ laws when we allow ourselves to be taught by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our light and guide and makes our yoke very light to carry. Jesus doesn't say that we should live without any yoke, but he gives us the lightest yoke to carry. The surest rest is in Jesus because He is the only one who understands us fully with all our burdens and limitations better than we understand ourselves. He wants us to share with him our burdens, one by one, aware of our need to find rest, peace, and consolation. As he did with his first band of followers, he invites us to come apart to a quiet place and to rest a while. This “rest” of being known, understood, accepted, and accompanied banishes weariness and renews our energy. He shoulders it all with us. Jesus also wants us to invite him to help with whatever we are carrying.
So, whom and to where do you carry your burdens to? Where do you find your rest? Is it to Jesus or we find our own ways which do not give us the rest we need? Jesus is offering us this opportunity to follow Him and come to Him and He will give us rest. Today pray for the Holy Spirit to always show you the way towards finding rest in Jesus.
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, I come to you with my weariness and disillusions caused by placing trust in things that are not essential and distancing myself from you who matter most in my life. Grant relief and consolation for my soul to place my trust in you and my energy at the service of doing good. Amen
Be blessed
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