Reflection by The Ven. Dr. Deborah Broome

Rest for our souls 

[Jesus said] “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,  ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’   “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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.”

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

People today are working longer hours (and taking work home), grandparents are busy too, plus there’s keeping up with community and school events, shopping, networking, looking after family – and then there’s all the things we do at church as well.  So when, after talking about people’s differing reactions to himself and John the Baptist, we hear Jesus say “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest” something inside us breathes a sigh of relief.  Here, we think, is a verse just for us.  It’s been called “the great invitation to the overburdened” – and it resonates with all those who’ve got caught up in the “too-busy” trap.  

Many of us have become experts at guilt.  We feel guilty about the things we do that we don’t want to do, and we feel guilty about not doing things we think we “should” be doing.  We sometimes look at others and feel guilty because we’re not as good or as “spiritual” as they are, or because we can’t seem to do the God-stuff “right.”  Any of that seem familiar?

Part of the problem, I think, is that religion – any religion, including Christianity – has sometimes been presented as something about rules: having to get everything right, having the right answers, doing the right things.  It can feel heavy – what happens if we get it wrong or fail?  It’s that sort of feeling Jesus is responding to when he says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.” 

Jesus was responding to how people experienced religion in his time.  The Law – God’s teaching about how to live – had become heavy and burdensome.  This is not of course what God wanted, but it was how some of the religious experts back then interpreted it and expected people to live. The life of faith, for them and maybe for some of us, felt like “should” and “ought” – when it’s really about freedom and living abundantly and flourishing.  So Jesus offers lightness to those for whom religion has become a heavy load, a burden rather than a guide to living.  “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.” 

Jesus isn’t saying “come to me and you’ll be forever on holiday, you’ll never have to do anything you don’t want to ever again.”  The “rest” he offers isn’t the rest of inactivity.  And he’s not saying that there are no God-given guidelines for leading our lives.  What he’s saying is that though some people have made God’s Law a guilt-trap – an end in itself and impossible to follow – his promise is that by following his way people will know forgiveness, freedom and life. They won’t be weighed down and condemned to failure by rules and regulations.  His yoke is easy, or kind; his burden – and yes, there is one – is light.  I remember talking to someone whose friend had thought the Christian life was an easy option.  She and I agreed that, actually, no, it isn’t easier.  It is rather “harder but more joyful.”

And what’s all this about a yoke?  A well-made yoke distributes the load evenly, making the task easier.  It follows the contours of the oxen's neck so that it doesn’t rub or chafe.  The yoke Jesus invites us to take, the yoke that brings rest to weary souls, is like that.  A yoke made exactly to our lives and hearts, one that fits us well, that doesn’t rub us or cause sore spirits.  And we’ve each got our own yoke – so no more feeling guilty because we’re not doing the same things as someone else is.

Jesus’ yoke is his teaching, his way of discipleship, his way of living the God-life.  It’s designed to be life-giving, and we’re invited to learn from him.  And the thing to remember is that yokes are designed for two: two oxen working together to draw the load.  When we take Jesus’ yoke upon us we’re yoked to Christ himself, to the one in whom God’s kingdom of justice, and mercy, and sheer love is breaking into this world.  To the one who knows what pain and grief and other people’s anger feels like.  When we’re linked to Jesus like that we can find the rest for which our souls are longing.  And we can stop feeling tired and guilty all the time.

Picture credit: Paul Jai, Unsplash