“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30)

What does it mean to take the yoke of the Lord Jesus? A little knowledge of first century Judaism helps us understand this concept. When we in our day hear the words “take my yoke upon you,” we think of an apparatus used to control a beast of burden. Yet, is that what Jesus is really talking about here? Does God really treat us like dumb animals that need to be controlled? Taking Jesus’ words out of their first century context might lead us to this conclusion.

The folks in Jesus’ day would have interpreted the Lord’s invitation quite differently than we in the 21st century. A beast of burden would have been far from their minds. In that day the great teachers were called Rabbis. When a student agreed to become a Rabbi’s disciple, it was called taking the Rabbi’s yoke. This no doubt was what Jesus was referring to. He was inviting people to be His disciples. That is why He said, “take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.”

In the ancient world, sitting at a Rabbi’s feet was far more than learning a bunch of facts or doctrines. In that day discipleship was the process of becoming like your Rabbi. The disciple’s goal was to become like his Rabbi in every way possible. Thus true discipleship is the process of becoming like our Rabbi, the Lord Jesus. If we are going to follow Jesus and be his disciples, this is where He is going to take us—to Himself and His likeness.