How wonderful are these precious words of our Lord to us! Here, we can see that our humble Lord understands our burdens, our many needs, the difficulties of daily life, the needs of the poor and those who are suffering, especially now in this time of world-wide suffering. In this understanding, our Lord makes the profound promise to all who come to him: “you will find rest for your souls.” Oh, if our world today understood these words!

When Jesus says to us: “Take my yoke upon you” (Matthew 11:29), He is inviting us to place His yoke upon ourselves, His disciples. He is literally telling us to learn what it means to be His disciple, and as a result, we will find rest for our souls. He is calling us to submit ourselves to Him in everything. We know that a yoke was made of wood, carved to fit the neck and shoulders of the animal to prevent pain or discomfort. In Jesus’ day, the word “yoke” described submission. So, when someone was described as being yoked to someone or something it was communicating the idea that he or she was in submission to that person or thing.