Following Jesus

Tag: bible-study

  • Take my yoke. . .

    Take my yoke. . .

    Scripture

    Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)

    Observation (what do I see?)

    • Jesus invites all to come to him.
    • “Come,” “take” and “let” are all commands.
    • People must choose to come to Jesus as Savior and take his yoke of discipleship because he is God.
    • The reason to come to Jesus and take his yoke is because he is a humble and gentle master.
    • The fruit of this process of discipleship is that he gives internal rest to those who seek him.
    • Jesus describes his yoke as “easy.”
      • The word easy is in Greek chrēstos, which can mean well-fitting. In Palestine ox-yokes were made of wood; the ox was brought, and the measurements were taken. The yoke was then roughed out, and the ox was brought back to have the yoke tried on. The yoke was carefully adjusted, so that it would fit well, and not gall the neck of the patient beast. The yoke was tailor-made to fit the ox.“ There is a legend that Jesus made the best ox-yokes in all Galilee, and that from all over the country men came to him to buy the best yokes that skill could make. In those days, as now, shops had their signs above the door; and it has been suggested that the sign above the door of the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth may well have been: “My yokes fit well.” It may well be that Jesus is here using a picture from the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth where he had worked throughout the silent years. Jesus says, “My yoke fits well.” What he means is: “The life I give you is not a burden to gall you; your task is made to measure to fit you.”1
    • The yoke of Jesus is tailor-made for each person!

    Application (what must I do?)

    • The invitation to come to Jesus is a call for me to believe in him personally not to just acknowledge facts about him
    • Once I believe in Jesus, I need to take his perfectly fitting yoke upon me and learn from him. This is stressing the need for my submission and obedience. I must place myself under his authority, accept his teaching and live it out in all of my life.
    • His yoke is tailor-made for me not to produce sores but to allow me to live as he designed.
    • As I live under his leadership, I will find rest for my soul in the midst or life’s demands as I follow him.

    Prayer (talk to God about it)

    • Father, thank you for being a humble and gentle master. Thank you for designing your yoke to fit me. You know my strengths and weaknesses. I choose today to renew my desire to yield to your authority over my life. I look forward to learning from you and becoming the disciple you designed me to be.

    1 William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2, The Daily Study Bible (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 17–18.

  • Aging Well

    Aging Well

    S cripture

    “In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, . . . Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, “There is a covenant between me and you, . . .At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. . . For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison. . . Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians.” (2 Chron. 16:1-12)

    O bservations (what do I see?)

    • Asa had generally been a good king in Judah. He had been blessed by God to reign for 36 years!
    • In the 36th year, he failed to trust God. He tried to work things out on his own even though he knew better.
    • He did not respond well when a prophet confronted him with his sin. His heart had become hardened, and he persecuted the prophet rather than confess his sin to God.
    • His heart had become so calloused that he refused to seek God’s help even when he was sick.

    A pplication (what do I need to do?)

    • Asa is an example of a veteran follower of God who did not finish well.
    • I must be careful not to rely on my own wisdom or past successes. I must choose simple obedience to God each day.
    • I need a soft heart toward God when confronted with sin. I need to humbly admit it and ask for forgiveness.
    • I must not become complacent in life or in my relationship with God. I need to work hard to keep my friendship with God fresh and to continue finding my pleasure in Him! He is the only one who can truly satisfy me.

    P rayer (talk to God about it)

    Father, thank you for another warning of compromise and disobedience as we age. You have been so good to me; help me seek you first and not rely on myself. Help me to continue to see life as an exciting adventure of living with you. May the challenges of life not quench that spirit and perspective.