I recently finished reading a very interesting book: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. In one of the chapters, “The Secret of the Easy Yoke”, he makes a reference to Matthew 11:28–30:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV)
This was probably Jesus’ most explicit statement regarding the issue of rest. From it, the author brings up an interesting observation. When we think about rest, our brains may naturally conjure images of our beds or an idyllic holiday by the beach. It is unlikely that we would associate rest with our work laptops or rush-hour commutes, which remind us of our jobs—the exact opposite of rest. However, that seems to be exactly what Jesus did when He used the imagery of a “yoke”. To His original audience, a yoke was an instrument of work; it was a wooden crosspiece used to join two animals, typically oxen, to plough a field or pull a cart. So why would Jesus use a work instrument to describe the rest that He gives?
As I reflected on this, I wondered if there was a need for us to rethink our usual definition of rest, which is often associated simply with the absence of work. I’m beginning to think that maybe Jesus’ use of the image of the yoke was to nudge us to consider that our ability to rest well is intimately connected to whether we have a healthy, biblical relationship with our work: to work like and alongside Jesus as if He was on one side of the yoke and us on the other, instead of trying to bear the whole yoke ourselves. That would mean that when Jesus works, we work, but when He stops, we stop as well, because there’s no way to operate a yoke without a partner.
To be honest, I must admit that when I think about Jesus’ earthly life, I don’t naturally associate it with an easy and “restful” life, as measured by most modern standards. I don’t see Him taking long holidays or planning for early retirement. In fact, He always appeared to be so busy! Busy speaking to the crowds that were clamouring for His attention, busy ministering to those that He cared for, busy trying to impart His life to a group of rather daft disciples … The list goes on. It really doesn’t feel “easy” to be in the same yoke as Jesus. Yet, for someone who was so busy, He was also incredibly patient, gentle, and warm. That’s the opposite of what I am like when I’m busy. When I feel that I don’t have the time to finish everything that I need to, I’m usually at my worst. I get frustrated easily, my temper is short, and I feel that the entire world is against me. I also tend to snap at the ones I love and lash out at my co-workers and friends.
Could it be that Jesus was busy, but He was never hurried? He knew there was always work to be done, but there is also a rhythm to the life that God has ordained for us so that we can enjoy both work and rest. John Mark Comer points to The Message translation of Matthew 11:28–30:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
He rightly focuses on the sentence: “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” And I think that was what Jesus did. Amid all His busyness, He always abided by the principle of the Sabbath, not as a strict observance on a particular day with a fixed set of dos and don’ts, but as a joyful acknowledgement and surrender to the natural rhythm of work and rest ordained by God for His creation. I am reminded that Adam was created on the sixth day, and so the first full day of his existence would have been the Sabbath. This means that before God set him to work in the garden, Adam had already experienced God’s rest. Maybe we need to stop viewing rest as something we do only when we are totally drained from our work and don’t have a choice, but instead as the foundation and prerequisite which allows us to do the work that is pleasing to God.