SHOULDN'T IT BE EASIER? - Part 11

"Come to Me," "I will cause you" to rest! INACTIVITY after your EXERTION.

Come to Me is my exertion. and then rest/inactivity? But I'm not looking for inactivity I just want rest. In...act...ivity? No... I have things that I want to do rather than the things I'm doing now and I'm sure those things will make me rested.

I don't really think that inactivity is what everyone else has in mind either. Look at what we call a vacation. For many years it was how much could we pack into a day or a week of what we thought was fun filled activity yet when completed was exhausting and we needed a vacation after our vacation. Then how about what we call a day off? We mow the lawn, plant things, trim things, paint things, clean things, go places and do so many things that we hardly remember the days off by the time our head hits the pillow.

Fortunately Jesus speaks on in verse 29 and gives us a visual picture (of His day) and of what it looks like to come to Him.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]
Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.

Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me................? Yoke? Isn't that what they put on those big animals....... oxen, to get them to work together? Sounds like more work, another thing requiring more of the time which I don't have enough of already.

Maybe this is a call to full time work in ministry? I can assure you that there is no more rest in full time ministry than there is elsewhere. Ministry people fill there schedules to overflowing just as quick as non-ministry workers. Don't believe me? Why is the divorce rate the same for Christians and non-Christians? Why are 78% of all pastors involved in pornography? Why have 87% of pk's (pastor's kids) experimented with drugs, alcohol and sex?

Remember that Jesus is speaking to people who have been overburdened and heavy laden with religious responsibilities and He is offering them an alternative. It is definitely time for a definition of the word yoke.

Yoke: something that couples or binds together; to join, couple, link, or unite; to be or become joined, linked, or united.

I'm not getting that Jesus is saying, come and do as you please and everything will be great. Anything that couples, binds together, links or is joined will have structure or some form and function to it. So Jesus must be saying that the structure, form and function, that I am offering you is different from that which you have now. On the surface it would make sense that being joined with Jesus would be easier than being joined with the priests, rabbis, scribes, and Pharisees. Four groups of people telling you what to do verses one. That's surface. Jesus is more substance than that, so we need to keep looking or as the verse says, "Take My yoke upon you and LEARN of Me."

You have to appreciate the way Jesus teaches. He never says anything just once and that's the case here. Usually for me the second and sometimes the third time He says it I get it. The second or third time for me offers a visual picture or more details and that satisfies my curiosity. Ouch!

He says "Come to Me all who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened and I will cause you to rest."

And for anyone who did not understand let Me say it again. "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.