As was often so with Jesus, He used this word “meek” in a brief, crisp sentence, and not until some time later did He go on to explain it. In the same book of Matthew He tells us more about it and applies it to our lives. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Here we have two things standing in contrast to each other: a burden and a rest. The burden is not a local one, peculiar to those first hearers, but one which is borne by the whole human race. It consists not of political oppression or poverty or hard work. It is far deeper than that. It is felt by the rich as well as the poor, for it is something from which wealth and idleness can never deliver us.​
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• Tozer, A. W.. The Pursuit of God

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I have always in my head had the kind of picture of Jesus holding a yoke, and offering it to me.

But if I just said to someone, "Look, my yoke is easy and my burden is light," the picture is one of my carrying a yoke and a burden, and pointing out that it is easy and light.

Maybe Jesus was telling us that He was carrying a yoke and a burden that was easy and light. Later He tells us to take up our cross -- which was the yoke He ended up carrying. It looked very heavy, but He said it was light, and we are told later that it was for the joy set before Him, that He endured the cross.

What made Jesus's yoke and burden easy and light, was that it came from a deep sense of meaning. It removes all the false pretenses of trying to be what we are not and trying to accomplish what we have not been called to - so that all that remains is pleasing God.

When I think about every situation in which I ever felt a sense of crushing stress or anxiety, or even crushing depression -- Was it not in situations where I was trying to avoid failure in the eyes of the world? It was not even where I was trying to be particularly successful in the eyes of the world -- no, much more it has been that avoidance of failure, avoidance of being seen as unimportant, avoidance of being seen as moving backwards, rather than forwards in my career, avoidance of being seen as not being able to add value … and so I can continue. Every insecurity becomes a little idol to which I had to sacrifice a piece of my soul -- and that is the crushing yoke of this world.

Jesus, however, cared not what anyone thought, or expected of him. Satan offered him all the basic needs and greeds of the human heart, but he was not to put that burden on himself. His brothers suggested he go to Jerusalem to become known -- after all, with such a calling on his life, not being known could put all at risk. But he was not interested. He simply listened and obeyed. That was the yoke and the burden He was carrying.

May you have a blessed week

Ashton

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