“‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’”
Matthew 11:28-30 CSB
Jesus desires for us to rest. Life can weary and burden us. It can wear us down and wear us out. And each time it does, Jesus invites us to come to Him, learn from Him, and find the rest we deeply long for.
Curiously, His invitation includes a call to take up His yoke. A yoke evokes images of slavery and bondage and heavy labor. Or of cattle and ploughing and iron.
But somehow His yoke is easy. This seems related to His desire for us to get to know Him, to learn from Him. And to how, when we do, we will find Him to be lowly and humble in heart.
Don’t we proclaim this every Christmas? Holy infant so tender and mild?
Maybe this can be more than just a line from a familiar carol. Maybe it can remind us of His heart—lowly and humble, tender and mild. The One who wants to do our heavy lifting, indeed the One who bore the weight of the world for us. The One who beckons us to bring our burdens and exchange them for His rest.
Photo credit: Zoe Lim