The Thursday after Ad te levavi Sunday, The First Sunday in Advent
Posted on December 5, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 11:25-30 (NKJV)
11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Devotion
What is Jesus’ yoke? It is His righteousness. How does one take Jesus’ yoke? When one believes that, not by any work or decision of man’s, but for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ—His death and resurrection—God truly forgives sins. When one believes this, the righteousness of Christ is put on him, meaning that God no longer condemns him, but sees only the righteousness of Jesus which covers him.
Why is Jesus’ yoke “easy”? It is comforting for the conscience. The burden of guilt on man is so heavy that it will drag him down to hell. But when, by faith, we put on the righteousness of Christ, the burden of guilt is removed. Jesus, who has no sin by nature, likewise has no guilt. With His righteousness upon us, we are given a clean conscience in the knowledge that God has forgiven us in Christ.
Why, then, is His righteousness called a “yoke” and a “burden”? Because faith in Christ comes at a cost. However, this cost is laughably small when compared with the benefit. Nonetheless, Christ suffered great torment in the flesh because He was righteous. Christians also should expect to suffer for believing in Christ. Moreover, His righteousness is a burden for our sinful flesh, which by nature despises God and rejects His righteousness. But this is a light burden compared with our natural guilt. For the burden of guilt leads to hell, but the yoke of Christ to eternal life.
Collect: Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins, and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
