My yoke is easy and my burden light (Matthew 11:30)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,


May the peace that our gave us be with us and let us share the peace with one another.

When I read the verse Matthew 11:30 (“Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden is light“) I had many questions raised within me. I started to meditate on the same. I asked to myself our Master says His yoke is easy and His burden is light, what is His yoke and burden? Meditating on it again I had another question, so what is others yoke and burden? Jesus clearly says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Suddenly the words of our Lord on Pharisees came to my mind. It is the verse in Matthew 23: 3 -4. (“… they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy burden’s and lay them on people’s shoulders. …”)
The Pharisees didn’t practice in their life what they preached. Hence they didn’t know the burden when they asked the people to do it. Also by doing this, they distanced people from GOD. They were neither helping themselves nor the people (Mathew 23: 13). Even when they converted a person, they made him twice wicked as themselves (Mathew 23:15). What Pharisees forgot was justice, mercy and faithfulness (Mathew 23:23). Result, they not only made life difficult for themselves, but made it worse for the people, when it came to obeying The Laws and The Prophets, which was the yoke for them. They were burdened because in spite of carrying the yoke, salvation remained uncertain.

Now Jesus came to completely correct the situation so that following the laws would be easy, thus giving more certainty with salvation and by doing so, He not only made the yoke easy, but also the burden light. It is quite interesting to know how He managed to do this.

  1. He practiced what he preached.
  2. He gave new dimension to the law by being just, merciful and faithful
  3. Of course we know, from Christ himself, to follow him, one must take the cross, which is a difficult one. However He makes it easy by anointing us with His Spirit, who leads us more effectively to carry the yoke.
  4. We know from Paul’s letters (1 Corinthians 10:13) even at times of difficulty, trials and temptations, He does not test one beyond his strength. In His grace, He also provides us, the ways and the opportunities to endure and overcome.
  5. Above all, His love is so abundant, that we start loving Him and in mutual love, we take His yoke cheerfully.

Thus guided by His Holy Spirit, the Laws of the Commandments (Yoke) automatically happen in our life. This gives a lot of happiness in our souls as we are saved by his blood, giving more certainty for Eternal life. Hence the burden of the soul becomes light, as we look forward to meet our God in Eternity to live and reign with him forever and ever (Revelation 20: 4 – 6).

So let us show eagerness to carry his yoke, to unburden ourselves. This is what Christ expects from us as we read Mathew 11: 28-29, “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”. 

In Christ,
Dominic L A J S

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