Rest

God is always doing new things. Jesus said no one puts new wine into old wineskins because they would burst (Luke 5:33-39). Just as Jesus never performed a miracle in the same way, so He took old traditions and created something fresh and alive in innovative ways.

Jesus invites us into a relationship with Him. He doesn’t ask us to obey more rules and to take on more tasks, but He invites us to “come to me.” We like that invitation. However, His follow-up may be hard to understand because few of us have ever harnessed a pair of oxen together. “Take my yoke upon you” needs some explaining. In agrarian cultures, two oxen tied together can accomplish more than one. Often a strong ox is yoked to a weaker ox. Jesus is the strong ox. He does the heavy lifting and hard work. All we must do is walk with Him. The yoke won’t chafe our neck if we don’t try to lead the strong ox but let Him lead us. Staying yoked to Jesus results in the words He uses to describe this relationship: “rest, gentle, lowly, easy and light.” These ARE needed words of comfort and assurance. When worn out and exhausted from our heavy labors, it is good to know there is a place of rest, in Jesus. - Pastor Tom Harrison