“Gentle humility in the life of Jesus was a willingness to be low and to consider others. This was deeply rooted in his heart and at the core of who he was. . . . Humility shaped and influenced his greatness. It was also the backdrop of his gentleness.”- Joel Muddamalle
“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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”- Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV)
In Chapter 10(“Embody It: Like Jesus”) of The Hidden Peace, Joel Muddamalle notes that the first followers of Jesus called themselves ‘the Way.’ Also, that name reflected their shared approach to life. Thus, the name referred to following the life and ways of Jesus, the Messiah.
Hence, in Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus contrasted His way of life with the religious leaders’ way of life. Because, while Jesus’ life was light, their way weighed down God’s people with a load of extra rules. As a result, this created a seriously heavy burden for the people.
However, since the religious leaders used those rules to maintain authority, they felt no burden. But living up to those expectations defeated the people.
Consequently, as Leon Morris writes in The Gospel According to Matthew, rabbis often spoke of the ‘yoke of Law’ in loving and favorable terms. And that makes sense, because they were the ones in authority. So, the rabbis weaponized the law to remind the people of their need to do better and be better. An unbearable, cruel task.
In conclusion, Joel notes, Jesus’ reference to the yoke could either be a human yoke or an animal yoke. A person placed a human yoke on their shoulders to balance the load and lessen the strain on the body.
Therefore, Joel cites two reasons for this beautiful and rich imagery:
“First, because God in his kindness never desires his children to be crushed by unbearable weight. This is why he gives us a yoke. Further, the yoke is bearable because Jesus himself carries the burden with us and, in fact, front-loaded it.”
Today’s question: How do you apply the gentle humility you find in Jesus’ life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The yoke of Jesus: a good fit”