Tired

I work nights, what that actually means is that I have gotten use to the feeling of being tired. It's a different feeling when you are leaving for work, and you know that by the time you get off work in the morning you will have been up for 24hrs. It's a strange feeling when you realize that you actually have a chance to get 7 straight hours of sleep on a certain day. You hear people say that they could never do it, but over the years you get so use to it, that you actually can't imagine anything else. That is why I have always felt an attachment to the verses in Matthew 11. Listen to what Jesus says to the people who are standing there.

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.”

The promise of rest is comforting to me. I have to admit I have days that I feel weary and burdened. When people meet someone who works nights, it seems like one of two things happens. Either they stay far away for fear of waking you up, or they think that it means you have a whole bunch of free time and that you are available day and night no matter what. For most people when someone calls or texts and they say that they want help, you genuinely want to help. So, sleep or no sleep, you try and help. So, as much as I would love it if Jesus was talking to a bunch of people who worked nights, I know that isn't the case. So, if he isn't talking to bunch of people about lack of sleep, who is he talking to and about what?

The first thing we need to address is the word yoke. When I first hear of yoke, I think of eggs. He's definitely not having a conversation about chickens or what is for breakfast. And, as much as people want to say that he is referring to oxen and how they work together, I've never thought that they made tons of sense either. The people of that time had priests who gave them direction, all those priests at some point had a rabbi that they learned from. When people heard certain priests talk, they could tell who their rabbi was. To give it a modern-day spin that most of us can relate to, I will put it to you like this, we all know that speeding is wrong. BUT, if I am on the interstate and the speed limit says 70MPH, how fast does that mean I can go. Depending on how you were taught, some might say 70, others might say 75, some creative people believe in some sort of highway patrol math and say that 77 is ok. So, if you said today that your priest told you that you could drive 75 on the interstate, you would know that his rabbi was a specific person, because that was in line with his training. So, the "yoke" refers to the teachings of a rabbi. What people were used to dealing with in those days was all of the laws they had to follow. They had 613 specific laws they had to follow, plus all of the other parts of the "yoke" from their rabbi that would help make sure that they never got close to sinning. So, if you were a good Jewish person, you had to follow all of these laws, and if you were not a Jew, well then salvation wasn't even an option. So now let's go back and read verse 30 from the listeners perspective.

30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Most people felt completely overwhelmed and in a lot of ways it felt hopeless. I can't raise a family, do all of my work and follow all of these laws. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt like being a good Christian person is just way too hard? Have you ever felt like every time you mess up the world is watching and judging, and they can't wait to tell you how you messed up and that you are probably going to hell now. What Jesus says is a lesson to everyone. First for the person who is feeling overwhelmed, Jesus said to come to him, and he will give you rest. He won't make sure you get a good nights sleep, he will give you rest for your soul. Yes, you are a sinner, but now you are saved!  And now to the person who loves to point out everyone else's mistakes. I hope you understand how you are hurting the church, I hope you understand that when you heap all of your judgement on people, they are leaving Jesus behind. Why do I want to be a part of something that makes people feel the way you made them feel. Jesus was saying that he can save you from that way of thinking. He isn't harsh or hateful, his burden is light.