Matthew 11:29

“Take my yoke upon you, etc.] The phrase is Rabbinical. The Jewish doctors often speak f702 of µymç twklm lw[, “the yoke of the kingdom of heaven”, and of persons taking it upon them; and which they exhort to, and express in much such language as here f703; açydq atwklm lw[ wkyyl[ wlybq, “take upon you the yoke of the holy kingdom”, every day. They distinguish this from the yoke of the law, and say f00 “a man must first take upon him the yoke of the kingdom of heaven, and after that take upon him the “yoke” of the commandment.” Their sense I take to be this, that a man must first make a profession of his faith in the God of Israel, and then live conformably to his law: agreeably to this,…”

“Take my yoke upon you--the yoke of subjection to Jesus. and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls--As Christ's willingness to empty Himself to the uttermost of His Father's requirements was the spring of ineffable repose to His own Spirit, so in the same track does He invite all to follow Him, with the assurance of the same experience.”

“Take my yoke - This is a figure taken from the use of oxen, and hence signifying to labor for one, or in the service of anyone. The “yoke” is used in the Bible as an emblem: (1)Of bondage or slavery, Leviticus 26:13; Deuteronomy 28:38. (2)Of afflictions or crosses, Lamentations 3:27. (3)Of the punishment of sin, Lamentations 1:14, (4)Of the commandments of God. (5)Of legal ceremonies, Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1. It refers here to the religion of the Redeemer; and the idea is, that they should embrace his system of religion and obey him. All virtue and all religion imply “restraint” - the restraint of our bad passions and inclinations - and subjection to laws; and the Saviour here means to say…”

“Take my yoke upon you - Believe in me: receive me as your prophet, priest, and king. For I am meek and lowly in heart - Meek toward all men, lowly toward God: and ye shall find rest - Whoever therefore does not find rest of soul, is not meek and lowly. The fault is not in the yoke of Christ: but in thee, who hast not taken it upon thee. Nor is it possible for any one to be discontented, but through want of meekness or lowliness. Matthew 11:30”

“11:29-30 A yoke, which forms a harness between two animals, is a metaphor for the demands of discipleship. In contrast to the “yoke” of the religious leaders, Jesus’ yoke is easy and light, not because it is less demanding (see 7:13-14), but because the power of the Messiah (by the Holy Spirit) makes it possible (see Acts 15:10; 1 Jn 5:3). The religious demands of Israel’s spiritual leaders (Matt 23:4; Acts 15:10) included 613 Old Testament commands and their expansion through tradition. Jesus urged those who were suffering from the burdens of the Pharisees’ stipulations to come to him (Matt 11:28) in order to find the salvation their hearts desired. It is a call to salvation involving a…”

“my: Mat 7:24, Mat 17:5; Joh 13:17, Joh 14:21-24, Joh 15:10-14; Co1 9:21; Co2 10:5; Th1 4:2; Th2 1:8; Heb 5:9 and learn: Mat 11:27, Mat 28:20; Luk 6:46-48, Luk 8:35, Luk 10:39-42; Joh 13:15; Act 3:22, Act 3:23, Act 7:37; Eph 4:20, Eph 4:21; Phi 2:5; Jo1 2:6 for: Mat 12:19, Mat 12:20, Mat 21:5; Num 12:3; Psa 131:1; Isa 42:1-4; Zac 9:9; Luk 9:51-56; Co2 10:1; Phi 2:7, Phi 2:8; Pe1 2:21-23 and ye: Mat 11:28; Jer 6:16; Heb 4:3-11 Matthew 11:30”