(Source from The Word Among Us)

They tie up heavy burdens . . . and lay them on people’s shoulders. (Matthew 23:4)

Today we read how Jesus accused Jerusalem’s religious leaders of laying “heavy burdens” on people by imposing more and more rules on them (Matthew 23:4). But wasn’t he doing the same thing? After all, he’s the One who told people, “Take my yoke upon you” (11:29). Isn’t a yoke—a contraption made of iron and hardwood—a burden as well?

Maybe so, but anyone who spent time with Jesus saw that the burden he spoke about was completely different—and much more attractive!

First, Jesus said that the burdens imposed by these scribes and Pharisees “nullified the word of God” (Matthew 15:6). They consisted of rules and fasts and tithes that were nowhere to be found in the Law of Moses. Some of them even contradicted God’s will for his people. But Jesus’ yoke is meant to help us “fulfill” the word of God (5:17). It’s a yoke that calls us simply to love him and love our neighbor (22:34-40).

Jesus also said that his opponents placed burdens on people but did not “lift a finger” to help them (Matthew 23:4). By contrast, Jesus used the image of a yoke to describe his “burden.” A yoke is an instrument that links two oxen together so they can help each other bear the load. And that’s the point: Jesus wants to yoke himself to us so that he can walk beside us and help to lighten our burden.

Finally, and most important, the burdens of Jesus’ opponents were made up of human regulations and restrictions, of additional fasts and tithes, that could not bring people closer to God. But the exact opposite happens when we accept Jesus’ yoke. We come into an ever-deepening relationship with him. And that relationship fills us with the joy and comfort of his own Spirit.

So come to Jesus today. Let him yoke himself to you in a bond of everlasting love.

“Jesus, thank you that your burden is light!”