The Bearable Lightness of Being

"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." -  Jesus

Mathew 11:28-30

I am sure a vast majority of us have always taken great comfort from the words, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” But strangely, I had never connected the earlier verses in Matthew leading up to this well known statement of encouragement.

We see earlier in verse 24, Jesus crying out to the cities who should have been his greatest “supporters.” Those who were most familiar with him, but who refused to repent either with the preaching of the "greatest of old testament prophets" John the Baptist or the miracles of Jesus.

In verse 25, there is the challenging revelation that Christ reveals himself to the "babes." The unexpected part of the population. Throughout the new testement, he brings out that he most often reveals himself to those who would not be considered wise and full of common sense by the establishment.

And to these, those who come to Christ by his call. Who the establishment would consider the least, to these who walk yoked, connected like oxen, to Christ. The burden or phortion  (the freight of a ship) is light or elaphros (agile).

The key word here that I have often missed is repentance. To be yoked with Christ, we must be repentant. We must turn from our selfishness, greed, love of the world, and love of the world's approval.

I also am suspect that in our pride and over zealousness, we try to carry burdens we aren't capable of carrying. Burdens that are Christ's, but we try to do alone. Things that belong to God.

The saving of the world…The changing of hearts...The separating of the chaff from the wheat....

Do you feel that we as Christians here in America feel unnecessarily burdened?