Jesus’ Yoke—A Lighter Load
Photo by Keagan Henman on Unsplash
Who removes the excess weight off of your shoulders? Who helps carry your heavy load?
There are at least two kinds of people in this world: those who weigh others down, create obstacles, and burden other people, and then there are those who help lighten the load of others, ease the burden, and make life easier and more bearable for others.
When the religious leaders, the Judaizers and the Pharisees, wanted to re-institute the law and to make unreasonable and unachievable demands on new Gentile followers of Jesus, the elders stepped in and lifted their crushing demands on the Gentiles joining the church.
The Apostles wrote this encouragement: “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” (Acts 15:28-29, ESV).
The Apostles were removing the crippling religious yoke of the law that was inhibiting the Gentiles from fully entering the family of God.
The Holy Spirit led these Apostles to lift the heavy load that was being laid upon the shoulders of these new believers in Jesus by the pharisaical Judaizers.
The requirements for the Gentiles were simplified and clarified and focused on a lighter load. The Apostles focused on four issues: avoiding idolatry, bloody meat, strangled animals, and sexual immorality.
This focused requirement was achievable and emphasized what was most important in putting God first, and living a holy life. These Gentile Jesus followers were now able to join the family of God and shoulder this lighter load of Jesus’ yoke.
In Luke’s gospel account, Jesus himself rebuked the experts of the law in his day when he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.” (Luke 11:46, ESV).
These legal practitioners loved to heap heavy helpings of hurtful hubris upon God’s children—without the first thought of lifting or lightening the the load of another brother, and helping them to have faith and to follow Jesus.
A lighter load is at the heart of the gospel—the good news of Jesus. Jesus’ yoke is a lighter load and this is good news for the followers Jesus and anyone looking to follow Jesus.
This is why Jesus himself said, “Come to me, all 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, ESV).
May we lift a lighter load as we come under the yoke of Jesus and may we share this good news and lift heavy burdens off the shoulders of those who are staggering under the crushing weight of works-based-legalism.
In Christ alone, Robbie
A Prayer For Mercy: “Almighty God, you have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; grant that we, who for our evil deeds deserve to be punished, by the might of your grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (#79, Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
Photo by Keagan Henman on Unsplash
