Take My Yoke Upon You - Matthew 11:16-19 & 11:25-30

The Scripture which I chose to preach over this past Sunday is comprised of two readings from the 11th Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 11:16-19 (NRSV)
16 “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
    we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

Matthew 11:25-30 (NRSV)
25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank[a] you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.[b] 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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.”

These verses in Matthew start off contrasting the styles of John the Baptist and Jesus, but both styles have met with resistance from the Jewish people.  John in his ascetic manner living in the wilderness, living off the land as you will and calling for repentance, and Jesus who was no stranger to eating and drinking with sinners represent the two ends of the spectrum.  John represented by the reference to children playing "funeral" and Jesus compared to the children playing "wedding".  Neither of the two contrasting styles has been embraced by those in power and these verses speak to that lack of embrace. 

We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.

The reality is that far too many individuals are just plain contrary in this life.  No matter what angle or what logic you bring to the table they will contend with you because, that's just what they do.  But, that doesn't mean we stop coming or that we stop advocating for our Lord.  It's not for you or for I to judge when it's time to give up on someone, God could have easily given up on me but He didn't... and so I don't give up on others either.

In the sermon, I talk about the 'Yoke' of Christ.
28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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.”
In the time of Jesus, it was common for Rabbis to talk about the 'Yoke of the Law' or the 'Yoke of Torah'.  Likewise, the approach that each Rabbi taught concerning the Law was described as that Rabbi's 'Yoke'.  Jesus comes to us talking about the lightness of His 'Yoke', about how easy His approach to Torah is.  But just what was/is the 'Yoke' of Christ?  Let's jump to Chapter 22 in the Gospel of Matthew for some insight.

Matthew 22:36-40 (NRSV)
36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Here we learn what Jesus' 'Yoke' was... it's the burden of loving God and loving others.  The importance of this verse is highlighted in that this exchange was preserved in all three Synoptic Gospels. Here is first Mark's version and then Luke's version.

Mark 12:28-31 (NRSV)
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV)
25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.[a] “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii,[b] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Note that immediately following Luke's version is the story of the 'Good Samaritan'.  I've talked before about the role of the two great First Century Rabbis Shammi and Hillel.  These two Rabbis had conflicting views on who this 'neighbor' was that we are to love.  Shammi taught that only a fellow Hebrew was your neighbor, Hillel taught that all Hebrews and all Gentiles were your neighbors but... that the Samaritans were NOT your neighbor.  In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus casts as the hero the Samaritan and shows him to be the role model of what a neighbor should be.
36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Clearly, in Christ's definition, even the despised Samaritan is one's 'neighbor'.  This was incredibly radical and liberal thinking for the time.  Here Jesus was to the 'left' of even Hillel, but there are other times when he's to the right of Shammi, this is why I call Jesus a 'Radical Moderate' and why I too call myself a 'Radical Moderate'.

I did not mention in the sermon that when Jesus listed the 'Greatest Commandment' that he was actually quoting from Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NRSV)
6 Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, 2 so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Truly, loving God and loving others is the one thing above all else that we are called to as followers of Christ.  As Matthew tells us from this "Yoke" hangs all the Laws and all the Prophets.  It is by this 'Yoke' that we bear all the responsibilities assumed as Christ followers.  It is also through the 'lenses' of these two 'Loves' that we interpret all of the Law and Prophets.  We must view the Law and Prophets through the eyes of love, if our interpretation does not come out loving... then we have mistaken 'Earthly' yokes and lenses for the 'Yoke of Christ'.

Be a force of love to this wanting world...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Love & Care,
Roy