What does it mean when Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30)?

Response

The statement “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” is part of a larger passage (Matthew 11:28-30), where Jesus invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest. He is not referring to physical burdens but to the heavy burden of the works system imposed by the Pharisees on the people, which Jesus offers to alleviate. Later in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus will criticize the Pharisees for imposing heavy burdens on the people’s shoulders “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”, (Matthew 23:4).

The “yoke of the Pharisees” represents the burdensome yoke of self-righteousness and legalistic adherence to the law. According to biblical scholars, the Pharisees had imposed over 600 regulations on what constituted “work” on the Sabbath. That is indeed a heavy burden! Remember the incident when a lawyer asked Jesus about the greatest commandment of the Law “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”, (Matthew 22:36). One can almost sense the underlying question in the man’s inquiry: “Out of all the laws we have, which one must I absolutely follow?”

Jesus was conveying that any form of legalism is burdensome and results in a “heavy yoke” of oppression because no amount of legal observance can bridge the gap between our sinful nature and God’s holiness. God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, declares that

All of our righteous deeds are like a “polluted garment,” and Paul reiterated to the Romans that “no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law” «Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.», (Romans 3:20). The good news is that Jesus promises to all who come to Him that He will give them rest from the heavy burden of trying to earn their way into heaven and rest from the oppressive yoke of self-righteousness and legalism. Jesus encourages those who are “heavy laden” to take His yoke upon them, and in so doing they will find rest for their souls. The yoke of Jesus is light and easy to carry because it is the yoke of repentance and faith followed by a singular commitment to follow Him. As the apostle John says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” «For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.», (1 John 5:3).

This is what Jesus says in Matthew 11:30. His yoke is easy and His burden light. Now, we might think that there is really no difference between the commandments of Jesus and the Jewish Law. Isn’t the same God responsible for both? Technically speaking, yes. If anything, one might argue that the commands of Jesus are even more burdensome because His reformulation of the Mosaic Law in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7) actually goes above and beyond a mere outward conformity to the Law and deals instead with the inner person.

What makes Jesus’ yoke easy and His burden light is that in Jesus’ own active obedience (i.e., His perfect fulfillment of the Law of God), He carried the burden that we were meant to carry. His perfect obedience is applied (imputed) to us through faith, just as His righteousness is imputed to us.Our sinfulness was exchanged for our sin at the cross «For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.», (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our obedience to Jesus then becomes our “spiritual worship” «I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. », (Romans 12:1). Furthermore, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit who works in our lives to mold us into the image of Christ, thereby making the yoke of Jesus easy and His burden light. The life lived by faith is a much lighter yoke and a much easier burden to carry than the heavy and burdensome yoke of self-righteousness under which some continually strive to make themselves acceptable to God through works.