“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mat 11:29, NKJ)
“Learn from Me.”
What an invitation! The BBE translation states it like this: “become like Me”! And in the Message Christ says: “Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace … A more beautiful definition of the new covenant walk you’ll not find. In John 5:19 He spells it out: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
And so it is with us as well: we learn from Him, how He did it. “By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:5b-6; 1 Pet 2:21). Christ’s life is constantly characterised by that which is “decently and in order” (1 Cor 14:40). When John the Baptist said that it wouldn’t be fitting for him to baptise Jesus because he wasn’t worthy, Jesus answered: “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” (Matt 3:15). Thus He attended the feasts without people knowing about it (John 7:10-12); He paid Caesar what was due to Caesar (Matt 22:21); He fulfilled the law and the prophets (Matt 5:17).
But when His disciples were hungry, He didn’t hesitate to allow them to pluck heads of grain and to eat, even though the law forbids it (Matt 12:1). He healed a man on a day that the law didn’t allow it (Matt 12:10-13). He did not throw stones with the religious people at the woman caught in adultery (John 8:4-7), even though the law required it (Lev 20:10). When they tried to trap Him with the law, He consistently pointed out that: My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Thus He says to the Pharisees: “You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.” (John 8:15). The religious person in his captivity uses the law to judge others. Jesus says clearly: I judge no one. In Matt 7:1 He makes it a directive for His followers: “Judge not that you not be judged”. With this He brings new perspectives on divorce (Matt 19:3-10), capital punishment, lust, adultery, promises, enemies, whatever (Matt 5), and time and time again He shows, like David, that “Your law is within my heart” (Ps 40:8)!
- Sela: Use Matt 7:1-2 and confess to God that you have tried to take over His role.
- Read: Judg 16; Ps 106; Acts 16
- Memorise: Ps 106:15
- Going deeper: Read chapter 2 in Kelly Varner’ The more excellent ministry.
