“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
I recently heard a very inspiring story that I hadn’t heard before. I tried to find the story on the internet and found several sites that had referenced it. The version that I’ll use in tonight’s study was from http://thinsilkthreads.com/worrytree.html
I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work (& his electric drill quit) his ancient one ton truck refused to start.
While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.
When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
“Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again."
“Funny thing is," he smiled", when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."
Worries and troubles can consume us, if we let them. Most of our worries deal with things which we can’t control. For example, how some people view us, how the government works, or how the company you work for treats their employees. The truth is that we can only control ourselves and how we react to life. Regardless, our worries are heavy burdens and within our own power – hard or impossible to shake.
This passage in Matthew is one of many where Jesus teaches his disciples. Just before this passage, Jesus had given warnings to unrepentant cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Jesus chastises them for their unbelief in God and in Him. Jesus had done mighty works of grace in theses cities but they still didn’t believe. Jesus points out that the believers in Tyre and Sidon would be amazed and would believe. “For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”
From that discussion, Jesus goes on to thank God for revealing His word to babes (Christians who have not matured in their faith yet) and not to wise (learned, cultivated, clever) or prudent (wisdom by personal – not Godly - comprehension). These young Christians have not had their faith skewed or tainted by the world. They see the Truth for what it is – from God.
Now, let’s look deeper into our passage.
Come (or in the Greek – deute – an excited come hither, follow) to Me (Jesus) all you who labor (kopiaó – work either mentally or physically until exhaustion) and are heavy laden (phortizó – overloaded, causing someone to be literally weighted-down, the burden was given sometime in the past to which you still carry), and I will give you rest (anapauó – rest or give intermission after precious toil and care).
This first verse calls out to people who have been trying to carry the impossible load of the Jewish law and other standards imposed by religious leaders. These people were exhausted from trying to meet the expectations of the law. Furthermore, the people were burdened by the thoughts of their own sin.
Yoke is defined as “a device for joining together a pair of draft animals, especially oxen, usually consisting of a crosspiece with two bow-shaped pieces, each enclosing the head of an animal.” The Greek word here is zugos which is heavy yokes (burdens) resting on the animals' necks, a balance, a coupling, or figuratively a servitude to law or obligation. The animals' master used the yoke to control and guide them to perform work. Don’t miss this picture though. The yoke was for two animals. Together, they could pull a load that was impossible for one animal to pull on its own.
In the second verse, Jesus tells us two things. First, take Jesus’ yoke upon you. Let Jesus be the leader of your life. Jesus implores you to learn or manthanó which is to receive instruction, learning key facts, or gaining fact-knowledge as someone learns from experience, often with reflection. You need to come to realize that Jesus is gentle (praus – humble, mild, meek) and lowly in heart (tapeinos Having dependence in a gentle and humble Jesus, you will find rest (anapausis which is refreshment, ceasing of labor) for your souls. Second, the yoke is for two. Not only does Jesus want to lead you but He also wants to share in or carry your burdens.
In the last verse, Jesus describes how his yoke is different from the burdens of the law. His direction or obligations are easy. In the Greek, easy is chréstos which is useful, gentle, pleasant, kind. Jesus’ teachings are both kind and good at the same time. The burdens we carry under Jesus are light which is elaphros or not burdensome, of little weight, or figuratively - easily managed (carried) because easy to bear.
Taking upon His yoke, we must follow God’s instructions. In Matthew 6, Jesus instructs us not to worry.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Worry is a sin. I have difficulty not worrying about tomorrow. I have trouble not having a poor attitude. So, just as in the Worry Tree, I cast my worries and my poor attitudes aside trusting Jesus’ yoke that He will correctly guide me and He will carry me. What a relief I experience every time that I give my poor attitudes and worries to Jesus.
To help remind me to pray for God’s help, I’ve posted the sign below at my work and my home. With Scripture references to help me stay grounded in Jesus’ yoke. I cast my A&W’s to him, my attitudes and worries.
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