“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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.” Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)
Jesus is saying the same thing in two different ways. We know that because in verses 28 and 29 Christ makes the same promise: “I will give you rest” (11:28). “You will find rest for your souls” (11:29).
The condition is stated in two different ways. “Come to me,” and “Take my yoke upon you.” What do we have to do to find this rest? One way of saying it is that we come to Christ. Another way of saying it is that we commit to Christ.
These are two ways of saying the same thing. Coming to Christ involves taking His yoke upon you. The yoke was a wooden beam that tied two animals together so that they walked and worked in tandem.
By the way, be very careful who you get yoked to. What lies in them will lay itself on you. You will feel its weight. In business, in friendship, and supremely in marriage, ask the question—“What am I tying myself to?”
Jesus says, “Take my yoke on you. Bind yourself to me. Walk with me.” Coming to Christ means taking His yoke upon you. This is not a passing experience. It is an enduring commitment.
The idea that Jesus can be your Savior without being your Lord is a figment of the imagination. It makes unrepentant sinners more comfortable in their rebellion against God, and it appeals to our obsession with self, but you won’t find anything like it in the Bible.
What do you need to do to have the rest that Jesus promises?
