yoke is easy, burden is light

[Andrew77]

Matthew 11:30 says "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"

Why does it say this, when it is clearly not true? Or is this true for everyone else but me?

 

[rockytopva]

The song goes....

His yoke is easy and his burden is light, and if your a child of God say alright!

 

[timewerx]

Matthew 11:30 says "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"

Why does it say this, when it is clearly not true? Or is this true for everyone else but me?

I think this verse is only figurative....Or simply a state of mind...

Because if you look at Christians in China, Middle East, 3rd world countries....

 

[rockytopva]

The song goes....

His yoke is easy and his burden is light, and if your a child of God say alright!

The full song...

 

[timewerx]

Because if you look at Christians in China, Middle East, 3rd world countries....

In this case, following Christ made quality of life worse for such Christians.

Obviously, I only meant this in the material / worldly sense. Opportunities for a better life -- in this world became worse. But hopefully, they had inner peace and better hope.

 

[Abaxvahl]

Matthew 11:30 says "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"

Why does it say this, when it is clearly not true? Or is this true for everyone else but me?

Because worldly comfort is entirely irrelevant for the faith. Also, once virtue is gained, doing what is right gives pleasure, as opposed to vice, where doing what is right is uncomfortable. So it feels like this (that it is difficult) until that state is reached.

 

[Southernscotty]

I know that sometimes it doesn't feel that it is easy friend, Being pruned hurts, [John 15:5] But it is growth everytime and that is why we should rejoice in persecution :]

 

[Halbhh]

To learn what this means and have this peace from Him you need all the verses of this section (the full passage) and then...once you read those verses, you'll see you need to learn what your Savior says, so here is a good link--

Matthew 3 NIV

Matthew 11:30 says "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"

Why does it say this, when it is clearly not true? Or is this true for everyone else but me?

 

[dreadnought]

Matthew 11:30 says "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"

Why does it say this, when it is clearly not true? Or is this true for everyone else but me?

When we do things the Lord's way, life is easy.

 

[timewerx]

When we do things the Lord's way, life is easy.

This is still one thing I haven't figure out and confuses me.

- Apostle Paul didn't have it easy - shipwrecked, sent to prison, etc
- Many disicples didn't have it easy either and do I have to mention, Jesus Himself
- Muslims who converted to Christianity are disowned by family / threatened to be killed (or actually killed in horrific ways) by other Muslims, not just their family.
- And many other examples.

These are some of the major things that Christianity completely stops making sense to me because it's contradictory to many examples in the Bible and in the real life.

 

[W2L]

The apostles referred to the OT law as a yoke. Perhaps the Lord is saying that His yoke/law is not a heavy burden.

 

[W2L]

1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

 

[timewerx]

The apostles referred to the OT law as a yoke. Perhaps the Lord is saying that His yoke/law is not a heavy burden.

I think that is a more accurate interpretation.

Not that your life will become easy literally-speaking because from many examples, I know that is not the case.

 

[com7fy8]

inner peace and better hope.

This is included, I would say, in what Jesus means by the yoke being easy and the burden being light.

worldly comfort is entirely irrelevant for the faith.

Paul says he learned how to be content in all things > Philippians 4:11-13. And Paul says he became able to take "pleasure" in his troubles. But I think he means the troubles which really were "for Christ's sake" > and not only what his own ego got him into!! > 2 Corinthians 12:7-15.

sometimes it doesn't feel that it is easy friend

It has to do with if things have you under their power. Paul says, "I will not be brought under the power of any," in 1 Corinthians 6:12. God's almighty grace can have us staying in peace, inside ourselves, in spite of troubles around us. But we grow in this, in Jesus.

So, if I am not in rest for my soul, this is a warning sign of how I need to submit to God for His correction and tuning and adjusting so I am with Him in His love and doing His will.

Now, by the way, I might be doing something He wants, but I might not spiritually be the way I need to be. So, I need to get more and more into submitting only to how God rules us in His own peace >

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)

This is for all > "in one body" ! ! ! But this comes with growing and correction. We are not spiritual enough to get our own selves to live like this > so, we trust You, O LORD our Heavenly Father to prove Yourself in us, by doing this in us.

 

[ValleyGal]

When we do things the Lord's way, life is easy.

Perhaps because the things of this world matter less and less? And your very life matters less and less as you die to self so the Christ in you lives more? Is that what you mean?

I agree with the yoke of the law being burdensome, and living under a legalism that earns salvation. The way of grace and mercy, having a pure heart and bearing good spiritual fruit... this is a light "burden" because the only burden is the effort to obey him borne out of love for him rather than a paternalistic and punitive expectation of obedience (law). Maybe the burden for believers is knowing that horrible death Jesus went through was to pay for our sin-debt, when it should have been our death to pay, and knowing/accepting we will never be able to pay him back, except by loving him - which motivates our obedience.

 

[hedrick]

Matthew 11:30 says "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"

Why does it say this, when it is clearly not true? Or is this true for everyone else but me?

I've looked at several exegeses. In my opinion they all end up avoiding what Jesus actually says. No one can avoid problems like persecution. But none of that is from God.

Jesus’ religion contrasts dramatically to the Pharisees’. The Pharisees had lots of rules, many of which were not actually in Scripture. He says “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.”

If Christianity doesn’t show that contrast, we’re not doing it right.

 

[dreadnought]

This is still one thing I haven't figure out and confuses me.

- Apostle Paul didn't have it easy - shipwrecked, sent to prison, etc
- Many disicples didn't have it easy either and do I have to mention, Jesus Himself
- Muslims who converted to Christianity are disowned by family / threatened to be killed (or actually killed in horrific ways) by other Muslims, not just their family.
- And many other examples.

These are some of the major things that Christianity completely stops making sense to me because it's contradictory to many examples in the Bible and in the real life.

Things don't bother us so much when we obey the commandments. Meanwhile, the Lord is teaching us how to live.

 

[lastofall]

[for me anyway] Christ is referring to the joining together and burden of the law which is judgment without mercy was far greater of a burden which no man could tolerate, compared to the joining together and burden of grace in Christ which is mercy without judgment, which is indeed much easier and lighter.

 

[Andrew77]

I've looked at several exegeses. In my opinion they all end up avoiding what Jesus actually says. No one can avoid problems like persecution. But none of that is from God.

Jesus’ religion contrasts dramatically to the Pharisees’. The Pharisees had lots of rules, many of which were not actually in Scripture. He says “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.”

If Christianity doesn’t show that contrast, we’re not doing it right.

So he's saying that the yoke and burden of following his laws, are easy and light.

Not that this miserable awful life is easy and light. I actually can understand that. That makes sense to me.

 

[timewerx]

Things don't bother us so much when we obey the commandments. Meanwhile, the Lord is teaching us how to live.

I'm bothered by the suffering of our brothers and sisters in other places.

I want to help them someday when I get myself out of poverty because St. John, a disciple of Christ said that we should help our brothers and sisters in need with the time and resources we have.