Bible Study series: Matthew 11:28-30. These are the three most beloved verses in all the Bible, so I approach them with humility and even fear and trembling. Wonderful.
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In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to me, everyone who has been worn down and loaded down, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your lives, 30 for my yoke is easy. and my load is light. (Matt. 11:28-30)
Comments:
These are the three most beloved verses in all the Bible, so I approach them with humility and even fear and trembling. They probably refer to Exod. 33:14. “The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’” (NIV)
Here we go.
28:
“A yoke signified submission to another’s rule or authority (e.g. Gen 27:40 …)” Keener, p. 348).
These verses stand in contrast to the old religion of Jesus’s day, which got heavier as the years rolled on. In the Sermon on the Mount, it is true that Jesus upped his requirements, but he also streamlined things to basic kingdom living: righteousness. Here, in these three verses, he teaches us that the source of living righteously comes by surrendering to him and letting him guide us after he put his yoke upon us. Surrendering everything to Jesus is the only way to have peace. I have made so many foolish errors in my life, because certain areas of my life—usually relationships—were unsurrendered to him. I was not fully yielded. I did not let him guide me. I was my own yoke master. Bad idea, when it comes to life, because we have limited knowledge and can’t figure it out by our own brainpower.
“At one level it [your burden] speaks to those forced to carry the burden or ‘yoke’ of the law with all its regulations (here Jesus contrasts himself with the Pharisees; cf. 23:4 on the ‘heavy burdens …’ the scribes and Pharisees place on the people); on another level it is all who are burdened with life’s afflictions. They are not yet disciples, but those among the crowds are searching (called ‘seekers’ today)” (Osborne, comment on 11:28).
“worn down”: this verb could also be translated as “become weary, tired”; “work hard, toil, strive, struggle; labor for.” The whole image in this context is a man or woman who has been struggling too hard with life. They have not found the ease of living, after they have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus.
“loaded down”: it could be translated as “burdened.” The “heavy burdened,” as some translations have, is an insertion of an extra word, but it captures what Jesus means. The old Judaism and all religions generally are too burdensome. This is why you see monks of all religions separate themselves from people. I admire them in a superficial way, but their discipline is too burdensome. I don’t believe God intended this for them, but their choice is none of my business, so let me move on.
“In addition, ‘yoke’ implies a personal relationship with Christ as the disciple relinquishes control over to Jesus. … The essence of discipleship is hearing and doing all that Jesus teaches (cf. 28:19, ‘teaching them to keep everything I have commanded you’). This in fact is the meaning of ‘righteousness’ in Matthew, living life by God’s (and Jesus’) rules (see 3:15; 5:6, 10, 20; 6:1, 33). For Jesus (indeed, for the entire NT as a whole) to ‘hear’ is to ‘obey,’ to ‘learn’ is to do’ (Osborne, comment on 11:28).
“give you rest”: literally the verb could be translated “rest you,” that is, Jesus causes you to rest. It can also be translated as “refresh” or “remain quiet.” In this context, Jesus is the one who makes you lie down in green pastures; he’s the one who leads you beside still waters; he’s the one who restores your soul (Ps. 23:1-3). Even when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you don’t have to fear evil, because Jesus is with you and his rod and staff comfort you (v. 4). Ps. 23 is about the shepherd and his sheep, while Matt. 11:28-30 is about an ox or donkey that pulls the plow. But the results are the same. Let him guide you, and life goes much more smoothly. There is a certain rhythm of grace and flow to it.
The image of a yoke connotes social and political oppression (Gen. 27:40; Exod. 6:6-7; 1 Kings 12:4-14; Is. 58:6-9; Jer. 28:14), and that’s true here, but it also refers to the ethical demands put on people by the teachers of the law and Pharisees. You put on the “yoke of the Torah” (France p. 448). Some people are naturally disciplined, and they meet the demands of the Torah and moral law generally. Most people, however, are sloppy and undisciplined. They cannot meet those demands. What about them? They recognize their needs and call out to God in repentance, and he fills them with his Spirit, who helps them day by day to walk righteously.
29:
“learn”: this verb is related to the noun “disciple” in Greek. And it means simply “learn” “find out.” In one verse, the verb could mean “hear” (Rev. 14:3), but in that verse “learn” and “understand” are possible.
“gentle”: it is the noun praüs (pronounced prah-ooss; it’s a two-syllable word), and it does not mean weak. It means “mild, soft, gentle, meek” (Liddell and Scott); a horse can be praüs, and it is not physically weak.
“humble in heart”: only Jesus can get away with announcing his humble heart! But remember this statement comes in the context of religious teachers of the law and Pharisees loading people down with heavy burdens that they themselves won’t do, as Jesus is about to declare (Matt. 23:4). They strutted around, but they did not live up to their own standards.
“humble”: The adjective can be translated as literally “low,” figuratively, of low social status or position, “poor,” “lowly”, “undistinguished.” In a good sense (used here) it means “lowly, humble.” Jesus is simply saying that he does not stand above people as a religious taskmaster and force people to make bricks. Instead, he guides them on their level. He gets down to where they live, unlike the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who stood above everyone else as the demanding legalists. They were oppressive.
“lives”: it can definitely be translated as “souls,” but I like the word lives because it is broader than just our interior life. Now let’s look at the word more generally. it is the noun psuchē (pronounced ps-oo-khay, and be sure to pronounce the p in s-, and our word psychology comes from it). It can mean, depending on the context: “soul, life” and it is hard to draw a firm line between the two. “Breath, life principle, soul”; “earthly life”; “the soul as seat and center of the inner life of man in its many and varied aspects, desires, feelings, emotions”; “self”; or “that which possesses life, a soul, creature, person.”
“rest for your souls” also comes from Jer. 6:16. “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (NIV).
30:
We are not left without a yoke. Jesus takes off the yoke of sin and oppression and our own self-righteousness, and he places his yoke on us. We are not yoke-free. So what kind of yoke is it?
“easy”: the adjective’s basic meaning is “useful,” “worthy,” “good.” Of things (as here): “good,” “pleasant,” or “easy.” Of people: “morally good,” “reputable,” “kind,” “loving,” “benevolent.” Since the yoke is a thing, it can be seen in this verse even as “pleasant.”
“light”: it means “light in weight.” Lexicographers Liddell and Scott add: “light to bear,” “not burdensome, easy.”
I used to teach world religions at two community colleges, and I learned that they are all about piles of rules that only the most discipled can follow. Buddhism says that unless you rigorously tame your desires, then you will be reincarnated to life on earth. If you failed by bad living, you would come back as a lower life; if you succeeded, you would come back as a higher human, possibly a monk. And the same is true of Hinduism, though a high level is Brahminism. Islam is the worst example, for they have literally thousands of strict rules. Judaism has 613 laws, and it is about law-keeping; though grace does enter in for those who know how to look for it, the dominant picture is rituals and rules.
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Jesus sweeps all those things away with the words in these three verses.
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GrowApp for Matthew 11:28-30
1. How has Jesus caused you to rest and lighten your burden?
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SOURCES
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