Rest for Our Souls
In part two of this series on Matthew 11:28–30, Jules Badger explores the connection between Jesus’ offer of rest for our souls and the invitation to take up His yoke.
In the second part of this powerful verse, Jesus says, ‘Take my yoke upon you’. Hold the phone—what?
To our 21st-century ears, that sounds odd! It’s nothing to do with eggs, but unless you have an agricultural background—and that’s even a stretch these days in the age of mechanisation—many of us are left confused. What on earth is Jesus saying? How can a burden be light and a yoke easy? It seems like a contradiction in terms.
A traditional yoke is a wooden beam used to hold a pair of oxen (or other animals) together, enabling them to share the load being pulled or carried equally. The yoke distributes the weight between the animals, making the task easier. It also keeps them in step with each other, which is where we get the verb yoke, as in ‘to yoke a pair of oxen’.
Is this a yoke?
When Jesus invites us to take up His yoke, He’s not asking us to carry the weight of the world. Or, for that matter, the weight of the Church or its ministry and mission. Instead, Jesus is inviting us to notice how He works, what He carries, how He rests, the time He spends with His Father, and to learn from His pattern of living. He wants to teach us His ways, so that we learn the ‘unforced rhythms of grace’—a phrase beautifully used by Eugene Peterson in The Message paraphrase of the Bible.
‘Are you tired? Worn out? Burnt out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you will recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.’
In the first part of this series, we affirmed that Jesus’ invitation to rest for our souls begins when we choose to come to Him.
And coming to Jesus means just that—stopping what we are doing for a while and regularly paying attention to our inner life. It’s not about adding to our schedule, but discerning what we can let go of to carve out precious, life-giving time with our Creator. Only Jesus can attend to the deep needs of our soul. In His presence we are seen, fully known and held. Jesus is the rest we need.
Many of us take years to grasp the truth that real soul satisfying and sustainable rest is only found in the person and presence of Jesus. While we can certainly sense His presence—and pleasure—when we are serving and ministering to others, Jesus ‘on the go’ is not the same as sitting quietly and attentively at His feet.
For many years I didn’t understand this, because there was always so much to do for God. God had given my life purpose and I was on a mission! I fell prey to the lie that I needed to somehow earn my salvation—as though it were not the free gift of God. I said yes to lots of ministry opportunities, many of which overwhelmed me with anxiety, all because I thought I should. Later, I complained to God about all the heavy burdens and ill-fitting yokes He had given me to carry over the years, and how desperately my soul needed rest. I found myself stunned and speechless when God gently but clearly showed me that He had not asked me to carry half the things I had picked up in His name over the years!
The yoke’s on you…
As we learn to walk closely with Jesus, we discover how to work with Him because we are already yoked together. The yoke that Jesus gives us is easy to bear, and the burden is light because we are not carrying anything alone. When we pick up yokes or burdens not designed for us, of course they are ill-fitting and heavy. One of the most wonderful gifts Jesus has given me is the revelation of what work is mine to do, and what work is not for me to pick up.
This has been a hard, humbling, but life-changing lesson for me to learn. And the great beauty of it came when I finally slowed down and began to ‘keep company’ with Jesus regularly in a way that was nurturing and meaningful, and devoid of ‘should’ and ‘must’. Instead, I walked with Jesus and let Him set the pace for my life and I was able to put down the ill-fitting yokes I thought I should—or had to—wear as His follower. Jesus gave me a new yoke—the yoke He had designed specifically for me—and it is light and it is easy to carry because it fits me perfectly!
Living freely and lightly is about allowing the One who knows us fully and loves us completely to place His yoke upon us and set the sacred pace of our lives. The rest for our souls Jesus promises is not something that begins when we stop working; it’s a posture that pervades our entire lives.
Writer, mother, psychologist and rest specialist, Nicola Jane Hobbs says, ‘Instead of asking, “Have I worked hard enough to deserve a rest?” I’ve started asking, “Have I rested enough to do my most loving and meaningful work?”’
I wonder if this is a question Jesus may be asking of His people in these days…
What thoughts come to mind when you consider the pace of your life? Do you use the words ‘busy’ or ‘stressed’ to describe your life? What feelings surface when you ponder slowing down: relief, anxiety, desire or fear? Notice and name these thoughts and feelings. Don’t pass judgement on yourself. Come to Jesus in prayer. Allow the One who loves you completely to set a sacred pace for your life as you walk together and work together. This is the nature of the rest for your soul Jesus promises.
