Take My Yoke Upon You

The Dictionary defines "injustice" as a violation of right or the rights of another; unfair treatment; a situation in which the rights of a person or group are ignored. I think of Jesus, I think of His timeline and the ironies of the injustices that He had to endure from the 'manger to the tomb' - He once said, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of man has no place to lay His head?" Matthew 8:20. From the manger to Joseph's tomb, Jesus' words rang true, His mission was costly; so too is Discipleship. Following Jesus means everything but comfort and privilege. It comes at a price. Jesus' mission necessitated that He leave His Throne in Glory to become of no reputation so that you and I can be saved and redeemed by His shed Blood on Calvary. Yet all the while, He remained ruler of Heaven and earth. Scripture exhorts, "And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist!" Col. 1:17. "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power, after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." Heb. 1:3

For all of His Authority Dominion and Glory, Jesus succumbed and surrendered to life on earth as a servant. As if this were not gracious and humble in itself, He was never fully acknowledged or commended for it, far from it. Right from the start He bore disapproval, condemnation and death threats from those who branded Him a liar, a heretic, and a threat to Rome and Judaism. Jesus persevered. Turned in for silver and betrayed with a kiss, He stood before political and religious leaders, who taunted, mocked and scoffed at His admission of being King of the Jews. He was spat on, mocked, flogged mercilessly and killed on the Cross. He was spotless, without sin or blemish, innocent of his accusers' indictments, yet He met this violent end. He fulfilled His Fathers will - It was finished. The Blood stained cross had 'paid in full' written all over it.

In His weakest moments, Jesus prayed and waited on the Father. His replenishment came from Heavens provisions. His dependency on His Father was not weakness, but strength, His humility and obedience to His Fathers will propelled Him to fulfill His purpose especially under the weight of the sin of the world. Jesus is the perfect example of submission and humility. The pride of man is best seen in his determination to live by his own solutions, independent from God. Under persecution, man's tendency is to strike back, or take matters into his own hands, rather than submit to the Hand of God. The root for true submission under Gods Hand is to cast our cares onto Him. Casting our cares on Him becomes the foundation and the means for the humbling process to take place. In so doing, we reach a place where all that weighs us down, that stifles and restricts, that overwhelms and confuses, that traps and ensnares us; we have the avenue the invitation, the means to casting it all on to our Heavenly Father.

Nothing is more liberating, nothing more freeing than to let it all go and let God take control. It is a wonderful blessing and privilege to remain at peace even in the midst of a storm. This is the stoic fortitude of God's presence in our wind battered boat. We have no reason to fear for perfect love casts out all fear. In these times of fear and uncertainty let us look up, let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. That no matter what we face, what is leveled at us, how unjustly we may be treated, we no longer carry the weight of this load, neither do we need to resolve it in our own capacity, rather, we remain true to our calling and to our God. "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." Matthew 11:29.