Week 23 The Easy Yoke in the Storm
“The yoke you wear determines the burden you bear.”
Edwin Louis Cole
Passage
28“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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.”
Matthew 11:28–30 (NASB95)
"File:Giovanni Fattori, Oxen Yoked to the Cart (Maremma) (Bovi al carro (Maremma)), 1886-1887, NGA 160782.jpg" by Giovanni Fattori is marked with CC0 1.0.
Background
Quote- Edwin Louis Cole (1922–2002), also known as Ed Cole, was the founder of the Christian Men's Network, an American religious organization devoted to helping Christian men and fathers. He published many books and preached numerous sermons relating to men and religion. Cole eventually became a full-time district men’s minister. He spent the next two decades undertaking a number of religious endeavors, including mission trips, evangelizing, and Christian TV stations.
In 1977 Cole founded the Christian Men's Network. At that time he was still actively ministering on two Christian television networks, acting as chancellor of a ministry school, and helping to establish a radio ministry. In April 1984 Cole resigned from these positions to focus exclusively on his men's ministry, which started slowly but grew in the 1980s and 1990s.
Passage- The book of Matthew is a Gospel that contains Narrative History, Genealogy, Parables, Sermons, and some Prophetic Oracles. It was written by Matthew (Levi), the Disciple of Christ around 48-50 A.D. The key word in Matthew is "Kingdom" and is used 28 times.
The personalities of this book include the Messiah Jesus Christ, His parents Mary and Joseph, the Twelve Disciples, the prophet John the Baptist, and other kinds of leaders. These leaders include those in government like Pilate and religious leaders such as the Pharisees (who attempt to hinder the work of Jesus).
The book of Matthew is the first of the synoptic gospels and it was written to reveal the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, the King of the Jews, from the line of David. It also was written to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ was indeed their long-awaited Messiah.
Lesson Notes
Opening Statement
Jesus offers us a choice His yoke or the yoke of the world. With Jesus’ yoke we have God the Father listening to our prayers, Jesus advocating for us, and the Holy Spirit helping us make sense of His Word. The World throws us into the deep end of the ocean in the midst of the storm, throws us an anvil, and tells us to swim all by ourselves. Which yoke is easier and which burden lighter?
Ask: Does Jesus’ words, “My yoke is easy and my burden light” mean He has easy, simple things for us to do?
Point: No. This statement by Christ has nothing to do with the tasks we have along our path from God.
Ask: If verse thirty from Today’s Passage isn’t about actual burdens, what are Christ’s words about?
Point: Please re-read Today’s Passage:
28“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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.”
Matthew 11:28–30 (NASB95)
Ask: Where is the answer to the previous question in Today’s Passage?
Point: Verse twenty-nine.
Ask: How does verse twenty-nine explain what Jesus meant in verse thirty?
Point: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…”
Ask: What does that mean to learn from Jesus? What did Jesus primarily do?
Point: Please read the following:
39And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
40And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?
41“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
Matthew 26:39–42 (NASB95)
Ask: Is there a single word for what Jesus did in that passage?
Point: He was obedient to the calling God had for His life. He did what God asked Him to do.
Ask: Is being obedient to God all that we can learn from Jesus?
Point: No.
Ask: What else can we learn from Jesus?
Point: Please read the following:
15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
16“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
17that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
18“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:15–18 (NASB95)
Ask: What commandments did Jesus give us?
Point: please read the following:
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18–20 (NASB95)
Ask: Go and make disciples but it also says to “…observe all that I commanded you…” so what else did Jesus command us?
Point: Please read the following:
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 (NASB95)14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (NASB95)
Closing Statement
The Word, the Logos, Jesus was with God and was God then the Word became flesh. What does that mean? It means John wants us to understand he believed Jesus was God. John walked, talked, ate, slept, and learned from Jesus. If anyone had a good handle on who Jesus was, it would be one of the disciples and arguably “the Disciple whom Jesus loved.” How does that answer the question what commandments does Jesus want us to keep when he says “…keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) and “…observe all that I commanded you…” (Matthew 28:20)? If Jesus was God and He gave us the Bible, then it means we are to keep God’s Word as given to us in scripture.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 Pray and ask God to guide you to the things of His commandments He wants you to focus on right now.
Question 2 Read the first chapter of the Gospel of John and focus on what John thought of Jesus.
Question 3 Consider God’s answer(s) to your prayers in question 1 and what if anything that offers you as a decision.
Question 4 Contemplate Jesus’ same steps in the garden of Gethsemane and His response when He realized what God’s path for His life meant (Matthew 26:36-44)
John’s Statement About Jesus Christ
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was in the beginning with God.
3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
8He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
9There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
10He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ”
16For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
17For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
19This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.
25They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.
27“It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
28These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30“This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’
31“I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”
32John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.
33“I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’
34“I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
35Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,
36and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
John 1:1–36 (NASB95)