Part I: Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
I think that this verse is often misinterpreted to mean that if you believe in God, He will give you immediate peace, or to put it more plainly, make your life easier. However, it is really about how God teaches us through Christ’s example and through our relationship with Him to seek and find peace in Him- it takes action on our part. Sitting idle and asking for peace does not result in change because God is not a magician. Rather, He is our loving God, so He works with us in our hearts to sanctify us, or help us become more like Jesus. This is a process that involves both God and us. Through prayer and study of His Scriptures, He guides us along this path and as we walk along it, we grow closer to Him, and nearness to Him is what gives us peace.
Jesus continues in verse 29, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,” showing us that our walk with God is a continuous opportunity for growth and learning, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” This passage is about learning to understand: because we are human and not God, we are limited in understanding of Christ, understanding of God’s power and love, understanding of ourselves, understanding of others, understanding of the Spirit, understanding of our role in the world, both on Earth and in eternity, and essentially any other type of deep understanding.
Jesus’s prayer for us begins with Him thanking God the Father for keeping sincere understanding from the proud and boastful but reserving it for the humble and those who trust Christ. Verse 25 says that these “things” that require faith and humility to understand are hidden from the “wise and understanding,” which He says sarcastically, referring to the pompous religious leaders of the day who were seen as wise in the day but refused to accept Christ as Lord. Rather, God “revealed [these things] to little children.” “Little children” refers to those who receive the Gospel and have faith and humility.
This highlights what God sees as important: not that we are rich, smart, pretty, or cool, but that we are humble and seeking in faith. It shows that He wants us to be humbled, and to understand, we must be lowly in heart. That is why Jesus wants us to be in relationship with Him. When He says, “Take my yoke upon you,” this is what He means. A yoke is often used as a symbol of being in relationship with one another. A physical yoke is used to join two oxen together so that they could pull large loads together. Jesus offers us His yoke, which symbolizes being in relationship with Him, and it is light because He took our burden away from us. He carries it all for us and calls us to in response walk with Him in relationship. He walks with us to guide us. Like Paul on the road to Damascus, we are blinded by our sin; we are like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus keeps us on the right path and guides us, carrying our burden and leading us so that we can learn from Him and His ways.
We do not walk alone in our faith. You are never alone, because God is always with you. Imagine a yolk tied around your and Christ’s necks. He will NEVER leave your side. He carries all the weight, having taken all your burdens upon Himself and conquering them at the Cross, and desires to lead you, lost sheep, to safety and peace. He is in control, meaning He is steering, He controls the pace, He leads you where is best, He carries your load, and we need to trust and follow. When we go astray, He leads us back onto His path because He knows that His path is best: again, we have limited understanding.
We pray that our will might be conformed to His because that would mean that we would seek to walk on the right path instead of breaking free. When we take His yoke upon us, our burdens are lifted and we need not worry about the right way to go, because He leads us. We continue walking and following where He leads, but we relinquish control because we know that is not our role. Submission to Him is a blessing because it means we do not have to fear wherever we go because He is leading us and, “He works all things together for good for those who are called according to HIS PURPOSE” (Romans 8:28). Not our purpose, but His.
Part II: James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
We must walk a narrow road. We are blinded by sin and limited understanding. We are blinded by pride and arrogance. We believe we know the way, when in fact our way leads to certain death (Psalm 1:6). If we understand our dependence on someone else to show us the way and guide us, why on earth do we hold onto our pride? Why do we reject God’s help? We are not able on our own, yet He is. Is it not better to live in peace and spiritual prosperity as the result of His work, rather than to be spiritually impoverished and ultimately die just because we reject the guidance of One greater than us?
We need a leader, and Christ is truly the only viable option: all other people are also led astray just as we are. Because Christ also lived on earth as One who was fully man, He empathizes with us. He was tempted by every sin we face, from selfishness to idolatry to sexual immorality, but not once did He sin. He had His eyes fixed on His Father and because He was fully God as well, He was able to resist all temptation. That takes us back to the idea of being in a relationship with Him. Not only is He our leader, but He is also our companion. He is right there with us all the time, in good times and bad times.
This relationship means that our submission to Him is not like submission to an earthly master. He will always be good to us. This verse in James tells us that nothing is truly good if it is not of God. That includes the plans we make for ourselves, the relationships we bear with others, the actions we take each day, and anything else that is of human design. If these things are created and used for God’s glory, they are wonderful. But if we use the gifts God has given us to exploit our fortune on earth, whether that be in money, success, or fame. If we give glory to God in these things, they are good, but if truly in our hearts we are working for selfish ambitions and desires, we are not living like Christ.
In living for Christ, our lives should be dedicated to serving others. Christ lived a life of servitude and we are called to “take up [our] cross[es] and follow Him,” meaning we must endure all hardship so that others might know Him. Obviously, we cannot do this. We have gone astray. We are blind. But God is with us! He leads us, and we, by the power of the Holy Spirit (because again, God is leading, not us), we can reach out to others and show them the love of Christ. This is as simple as holding the door open for the person behind you, or asking your mom how her day was (and not just to get her in a good mood so you get your way!).
By submitting to God’s will and not our own, we learn to understand the Gospel and its application. It is revealed to us that only what comes from God is good. As we walk with Him, we begin to see and understand His Kingdom. As we learn to see what is good, we are conformed to His image, which we were created in. We bear His physical image, but His plan for us is not merely to look like Him but to live as sons and daughters of Him. To be sons and daughters means that we learn from Him and respond by acting like Him, as most children do of their earthly parents. “[Our Father] is a gracious God, slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love” (Jonah 4:2). “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Submission to the will of God means to be conformed to His image, which means to serve others. By the work of our hands, we have the opportunity to bless others in the name of the Lord and let His name be proclaimed! In submission to Christ and therefore service to others, true peace can be found through being conformed to the image of God, as we were created to be.
Comments