Throw off the Yoke: Rest in Christ in You

Jesus invites us to rest in Him:

"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 lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11: 28-30)

This passage can be confusing if improperly construed.

First of all, Jesus actually says "I will rest you." He offers Himself to us. He does not just give us rest, He gives us Himself.

This rest, this satisfaction, Jesus illustrates in a different manner. John writes:

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

"But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not." (John 6: 35-36)

When Jesus speaks of a yoke, He is speaking of the demands of the law. Let us use Bible to interpret Bible in order to establish this truth. For the first mention of yoke,  we find:

"And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." (Genesis 27: 40)

Esau will be play the lesser, though he was the elder brother. Esau as a type of law, of flesh, of old covenant, will break free of the yoke.

In Leviticus, the Lord spoke:

"I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright." (Leviticus 26: 13)

Egypt also represents the world, the law, the flesh, for the Israelites had to work for everything, and yet received nothing for all that they did.

In Nahum (which means "Comfort" or "Rest"), the prophet foretells of the Israelites breaking free of the yoke of their oppressors (1: 13), then two verses later He prophesies the preaching of the Gospel (1: 15)

Paul especially points out that the yoke represents the law, which none of us can keep:

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5: 1)

After reading Matthew 11: 28, whenever I felt upset or uncomfortable, I would seek Jesus, think really hard about finding Him, or say to myself: "OK, Jesus, give me rest. Give me rest."

However, Jesus made this statement before His crucifixion, before His Holy Spirit was given, for it is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that breaks the yoke of bondage of law-keeping for every person (Isaiah 10: 17).  Christ lives in me now (Colossians 1: 27, Galatians 4: 9). I do not have to find Him anymore; instead, I accept by faith in His Word that He lives in me, that He has granted me the righteousness of the law (Romans 8: 4), having fulfilled the law ( Matthew 5: 17) and therefore cancelled its ordinances against me (Colossians 2: 14)

No longer do I labor, therefore, to "do something" when I panic or am troubled. I affirm to myself  who I am in Christ. I labor to enter and to abide in His rest (Hebrews 4: 11)) that He lives in me, and that nothing can separate me from Him (Romans 8: 38-39; Hebrews 13: 6)