Jesus Promises Us Rest (and an Easy Yoke)

(The meditation on Matthew 11:28-29 begins at 6:42.)

 One of the many literary devices Jesus uses is paradox, as when we offers the weary and burdened rest--by bearing his yoke.

Bearing the yoke of Jesus means surrendering our freedom to say and do what we want. It means never committing to things before a chat with him.  It means checking in to make sure that we are indeed doing things in his way--for he always has a surprisingly better way of doing things!

Jesus specifically promises us rest if we learn gentleness and humility from him. And that does not come from willpower or behaviour modification. It is a fruit of the seed of the Spirit within us. 

Jesus considered the Spirit's power so essential that after commissioning his disciples to the greatest of tasks: to preach the Gospel to all nations, he told them to remain exactly where they were until they were clothed with "power from on high." The Spirit's power--that is our hope for the personality and character change to become gentle and humble, as Jesus described himself, and so find rest for our souls. 

My memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India UK USA

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My book of essays: Wandering Between Two Worlds (US) and UK

Transcript

He was the cleverest human who ever lived, a master of 

humour, and of literary devices such as paradox, as when he

offers the weary and burdened, rest. Rest--by bearing his yoke.  

Bearing the yoke of Jesus means developing the habit of checking

in with him before we speak, act or commit ourselves. For he

always has a surprisingly better, more efficient way of doing things 

and will show us all the things that simply do not need to be done.

Jesus promises us rest if we learn gentleness and humility

from him. As we never fully master a language, gardening

or writing, we, the naturally fiery, cranky, worn-out and

hot-tempered, will keep learning gentleness all our lives. “Oops,

I’ve slipped again. I will arise and go to Jesus. Jesus, please

help me for the next minute.” Desperate arrow prayers! 

Jesus is too kind to demand massive behaviour modification 

to layer onto the burdens he promises us deliverance from—many

self-imposed, stemming from our pride and desire to impress.

He promises us the Spirit, a helper, a seed, and living water within us,

whose fruit is gentleness, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

faithfulness and self-control, as the Apostle Paul writes.

We acquire the Spirit’s power to change, firstly, by asking for it.

Jesus says that as a good father wouldn’t deny his hungry child

food, his Father will not refuse us the Spirit when we ask. 

Does praying for God’s spirit work? Yes, it does. Will he come?

He will. But it takes daily prayer, for we leak.

Secondly, we must prioritise praying for the Spirit. 

The apostles were given the greatest, biggest commission:

To preach to all nations. And Jesus recommended their first

move: To remain exactly where they were until they were “clothed

with power from on high.” So perhaps we, under Jesus’s easy yoke,

should also remain where we are, not taking on any new great things

for ourselves, for God, or for the world, until we have been clothed

with the Spirit’s power which makes difficult things easy and light. 

As we quieten down and progressively pray to be filled with God’s Spirit,

and God answers our prayers as He promised, our personality changes.

We become ever gentler. May it be so. Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.