28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)
Close your eyes for a couple of minutes and imagine that you are standing in the crowd of people forming around Jesus. What are the people thinking when they hear His invitation?
Is this man Jesus asking me to come to Him? His invitation seems to be for everyone, but I am just one person in this crowd. Does He really want to meet me?
I try my best to follow the Law. But I often feel tired and weary not just because I work hard, but also because I know I cannot do things on my own, in my own strength. Will it be different if I learn from Him?
What does Jesus mean when he says to take His yoke upon me? Is He inviting me into a personal relationship with Him? Will I learn from Him as my young ox learns from my older ox in the field? Will I feel my burdens lighten as He shares the load?
What is Jesus requiring of me? Is he asking me to join Him and partner in His ministry? He says his yoke is easy and I will learn from Him. Will being yoked to a person be different from being yoked to the Law? Will I really find rest?
Who does this man Jesus think He is? I just heard Him pray to the Father as if He were His son. And then He said He has all authority from the Father to teach me. How can that be? I have spent my whole life working hard, memorizing the Torah, performing rituals, keeping the rules and regulations to become a priest. What more is there for me to learn?
Now open your eyes and reread this passage. What are the words saying to you? Are you burdened by unrealistic expectations that are being placed upon you by yourself or by others?
Are you doing all the church “work?” Cooking the meals at Church camp, teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir? Is your life so busy that you do not have the quiet time to spend reading your Bible and praying?
Are you laboring in vain to please God, hoping to gain His acceptance? Do you sometimes feel you are not good enough? Are you caught in a performance trap?
During my childhood living one mile from Lake Erie, my mom often took us to the beach. She would pack the cooler with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and celery and carrot sticks. Often, we did not want to come out of the water and eat lunch, because we knew that we would have to wait 30 -60 minutes after we ate to return to the water. If we did not wait, we would get tired and our legs and arms would cramp and we might even drown!
It is true that some of the blood is diverted away from the arms and legs to the stomach to aid in digestion. A swimmer may develop a stomach cramp or muscle cramp, but not enough to cause drowning. Common sense should tell a person to not jump into a swimming pool after a heavy meal.
Just as God created the human body to protect against dangerous circumstances, He also made it possible for the body to come back to rest. The parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system is in control of this reversal.
Going back to my story above, when it comes to eating a meal, a person will be more comfortable and satisfied when they are in a situation devoid of anxiety, stress and chaos. Have you ever eaten in a hurry? In a car on a road trip in heavy traffic? In front of the TV or at the movie theatre watching a horror movie?
Refer to the diagram below. The parasympathetic nervous system is often referred to as “rest and digest.” When a person is relaxed, his breathing rate and heart rate are brought back to normal resting pace.
The salivary glands are stimulated to release saliva. Digestive glands are stimulated to release enzymes, bile and acid. Wave-like peristalsis movements in the muscles lining the digestive tract are stimulated to move food along.
Along with the control from the parasympathetic nervous system, digestion is controlled by its own enteric nervous system. Net-like bundles of nerves line the digestive tract and under normal circumstances work in conjunction with the parasympathetic nervous system. However, there are times when the two nervous systems get out of sync. During times of anxiety and stress, the enteric nervous system can work independently and either slow down or speed up digestion. Have you ever experienced the feeling of “butterflies in your stomach” or “stomach growls?” These are mild symptoms that occur when the stomach muscles are overactive. However, major surgery in the abdominal area can cause the digestive process to slow down for days or weeks. Even when surgeons are being very careful, just the sheer handling of the internal organs along with possible scraping can cause the enteric nervous system to temporarily “go to sleep.” Hence, the requirement for normal bowel movement before being discharged from the hospital!
Looking back to the Scripture passage for this month and thinking about the kind of rest Jesus offers, how has “rest” looked for you during the COVID-19 pandemic? We in the United States are now in the eighteenth month. After a summer of businesses reopening and life looking somewhat more “normal,” we are now experiencing a new wave of shutdowns as the Delta variant surges through different cities and states. Many people who thought an end was in sight are now coming to grips with the reality that mask-wearing, Zoom meetings, and virtual school are still part of the conversation. How is the pandemic affecting you and your country? How are you and your family doing? Have you experienced major changes?
In the picture at the beginning of the post, the oxen are fitted with a crude yoke. While they’re working together, the yoke appears to make it difficult for them to function as a unit. Their burden seems heavy, doesn’t it? The kind of yoke Jesus offers may be more like the yoke in the image below. It appears to fit well, the oxen are in sync, and each of their burdens are lightened because the load is distributed evenly.
As you face a month of challenges, pandemic-related or not, try to picture yourself under a well-fitting yoke. It adjusts well to your shoulders, your burdens feel lighter, and the person on the other side? Well, He’s actually doing most of the work, and you can trust that He is doing it well. So rest, friend, and trust.
Photo 167686636 / Oxen © Joshua Wanyama | Dreamstime.com
Photo 68279781 / Oxen Yoke © Steve Callahan | Dreamstime.com
Photo 25474169 © Alila07 | Dreamstime.com
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 