God’s definition of rest

Devotional, week 17

“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.” (Mt 11:29-30, NIV)

In last week’s devotion we focused on how Jesus took time off to rest with his disciples amid many demands. He calls us to do the same so we can re-connect with ourselves, with the people around us and with God. The bible verse we looked at last week was Matthew 11:28 which says: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  

What comes to your mind when you hear the word rest? Many people think about absence of work. It is thus a bit strange that Jesus, just after inviting his followers to rest says: “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”  

According to Cambridge Dictionary a yoke is “a wooden bar that is fastened over the necks of two animals, especially cattle, and connected to the vehicle or load that they are pulling.” A yoke is all about work. It is never used for resting. Why would Jesus focus on such a work-related word just after speaking about rest?  

The Bible teaches us a lot about why God created work. The space here does not allow us to do a very deep study. Let us just mention that according to the text we are looking at this week,  
• Jesus will teach us how to work.  
• He will not ask us to stop working, but his burden will be light.  
• We will find rest for our souls as we work.  

As mentioned above a yoke is usually fastened over the neck of two animals. Jesus invites us to join in on one of the sides. He will be on the other. As we pull together with him, we will realize that most of the power that is needed, comes from his side. Our burden will be light. He will also be the one that steers us in the right direction. Most likely our experience will be the same as the one a tentmaker living in Spain described a few years ago: “We are actually a very good team, the Holy Spirit and I”.  

Let us pray! Lord, teach me how to work and to rest Your way!