The Humble and Gentle Teacher
…. learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29b
The metaphor of a young ox being yoked to a more experienced one is a fascinating picture of the kind of relationship Jesus wants to have with us and the work he wants to do in our souls. This metaphor is an invitation to take the yoke of apprenticeship under Jesus. Now, saying yes to Jesus’ invitation won’t be easy, for it requires surrendering our will to him to be spiritually formed as we learn to live in his way. However, this is the best decision we can make.
Being yoked to Jesus implies being in the right place learning from the right person. Maybe you are wondering if the yoke of apprenticeship is the best option for you, if that’s the case, let me assure you that learning from Jesus is the most exciting transformational journey a person can take. The other option is to go through life relying on other people’s instructions or advice.
In best-case scenarios, we might learn from human experts how to make good decisions in some particular matters. The problem is that no human expert is infallible. Human experts fail. But Jesus, the God-man, never fails! His teachings are infallible and his intentions are pure. In a world where there’s so much manipulation and abuse, Jesus presents himself as a gentle and humble Teacher. He’s the Teacher from whom we can learn and trust so that our souls can finally find rest from our weariness and burdens. His words and actions testify to his character and reliability!
Pastor Esteban
Stay Yoked
In years past, one of the most fun annual events at church was the Sunday School picnic. Families gathered for a delicious potluck featuring each family’s favorite recipe. There were laughing conversations and contests of all sorts. Some were water balloon tosses, egg tosses, and relay races, but one that was fun to watch was the three-legged race. In this event, two people would pair up and the right leg of one would be tied to the left leg of the other. Sometimes the pairs were similar in size, but often there was quite a disparity. Getting from the start of the race to the end involved often a lot of falling and laughing. But the ones who won were the ones who stayed tightly connected, moving their conjoined legs at the same time, focused on the end, and choosing not to be distracted by the others in the race. Often, the partners would wrap an arm around each other’s waist to stay united. Usually, their purposeful steady rhythm led them to victory.
When Jesus in Matthew 11:29 says, “Take my yoke upon you…”, I was reminded of how that race was won. Jesus’ hearers would have immediately thought of the heavy yoke used for oxen, uniting two of them to work plowing the fields. Often a younger ox would be yoked with an older one to teach and steady the young one. The LORD Jesus is inviting us to yoke ourselves with Him and learn from Him.
To complete this race, we need to stay yoked with Him. This is ongoing, not just the work of a moment in time. But a choice we continue to make. Dallas Willard tells us it is a set of the will. We still have the free will God has given each of us and it comes into the choice to live with Him daily or not. How can we do this? The answer may be found in the following verses:
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:1-2
To choose to set the will involves the heart and the mind, it keeps us focused on the LORD Jesus and the life He has for us. What will you choose? Will you set your will to stay yoked?
Ponder: What other things might you be yoked to? Why does Jesus want us to “Take my yoke upon you”? Take some time over the next few days, asking the Lord to show you where your hearts and minds are set. Remember that His yoke is easy!
Francie Overstreet
EFCC Member
Weary and Burdened
Matthew 11
Life can be heavy. For some of you reading this, that’s an understatement. Some of you have walked through the tragedy of the death of someone close to you, the painful end of a marriage, or a life that’s been filled with shattered dreams. In so many ways, that’s a product of living in a fallen world. However, even though we live in a fallen world, we don’t need to live as faltering people. Jesus comes to people who are weary and worn out, and he speaks a better word over them.
It was right after John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he really was the Messiah that Jesus gave this great invitation. He knew John was going to die and that many were distraught by that reality. It was into that pain that he spoke these words,
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
The invitation for rest is quite wonderful, but the requirement to get to that rest is something I want to avoid: laboring and being heavy laden. The invitation to Jesus’ rest is open to all… all who are burdened by life and need to find a different way of being. See, until we realize that our old way of life isn’t working, we’ll never come to him to find a different kind of rest.
I think it’s important to realize that Jesus doesn’t promise that we won’t be burdened, he states that we will be burdened by his easy yoke instead of the yoke that sin and hopelessness cast on us. The yoke Jesus gives is light because it frees us to have confidence that God is good and trustworthy.The easy yoke affirms that we don’t have to have all the answers or always get it right. The easy yoke affirms that God’s grace is sufficient for us even when we are at our worst. The easy yoke doesn’t necessarily change the world we live in, it changes the way we carry the weight of the world.
I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases this passage in The Message when he wrote:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Let’s do that today. Let’s keep company with Jesus and learn to live lightly; the way he designed and longs for us to live.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
Rest for the Weary
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Jesus says “Come to me.” That is his very personal invitation to all of us. We must be willing to lay all of our messiness in front of him and say, sorry Jesus. I’m a mess because I’ve made wrong choices, but here I am, broken, sorry for what I’ve done, and willing to let you change my life. I’m willing to stop trying to fix myself, earn God’s favor, and look for love in all the wrong places.
The word “rest” is the Greek word anapauo, it means to refresh, to rejuvenate, to reinvigorate, or to revitalize. And he says that “special rest” would come to those who labor and are heavy-laden. Who is that? It is those struggling through life without hope of an eternal home in heaven. Remember he isn’t talking to just the disciples here, but has proclaimed to many Jewish listeners that he can reveal the Father to anyone He chooses and He is the only one who knows God the Father. The religious leaders (Scribes and Pharisees) had placed enormous burdens on the people, yet Jesus said they don’t practice what they preach. In other words, they are hypocrites, who promote legalism or complicated religious rules added to the law of Moses, (with good original intent to help people), that with time, became something very different that they couldn’t even adhere to themselves.
So the people were laboring to carry those burdens with the hope of gaining God’s approval, and Jesus said “Come” and he will give them rest. Not necessarily physical rest, but rest for their souls. He offered an easier path to the Father, one not made up of impossible rules and regulations that left their souls weary, but through Jesus, they could lay down their load of sin at his feet and find hope of eternal life.
I met a lady once who had terminal cancer and she shared her story. She grew up in the church, but never connected. She’d never been in a small group. She’d never served or given, but now facing her mortality, she wanted to earn her way into heaven by serving the Father in some way. It was a blessing for her to learn over time that his gift of salvation and eternal life is a gift. There is no toiling, laboring, and carrying a heavy burden of sin, guilt, and shame, only accepting the gift and laying that heavy burden at his nail-scarred feet. Receiving that rest, mercy and grace is the first step to freedom in Christ and an abundant life of joy and peace, no matter where he finds you. He meets you where you are, even at the end of your earthly life, and offers restoration and hope in an eternal future.
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:29)
Wishing you peace and rest in Jesus!
Deb Hill
Exec. Admin. Assistant
Exaggeration in a Good Way!
The gospels record thirty-seven miracles of Jesus, and John 20:30-31 tells us that “Jesus did many other miracles in the presence of his followers that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you may have life through his name.” A brand new life.
In John 25:21 we are told there were many other “things” (not only miracles) Jesus did and if the Bible contained all of those things (not just miracles), the world couldn’t hold the books that could be written. That is known as hyperbole, a common figure of speech used in literature and the Bible defined as “when more is said than is meant, or exaggeration.”
When your teenager proclaims “Everybody is going to be at the party” does that mean the world’s population of 6.6 billion people? No, she or he is exaggerating to make a point. Similarly, the Bible uses hyperbole many times, i.e. the Samaritan woman spoke of Jesus saying “he told me all that I ever did”. Did he? No, she was exaggerating to make her point. We might say, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!” Obviously we can’t eat a horse or be strong as an ox, or be so full we could burst! Using hyperbole denotes extreme emotions, like happiness, frustration, or even fright!
(Want to know more, read Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (1968) by E.W. Bullinger.)
Studying to show ourselves approved (2nd Timothy 2:15), doesn’t mean just reading Scripture, or hearing Scripture preached on Sunday morning. It means diving deeper into it ourselves and studying God’s word where we learn who he is. That’s why we have so many small groups and bible studies every week on our campus, for learning and growing in faith, plus Life Groups that meet off campus. Not just for studying Scripture, but to be part of a community.
Everything God has put in Scripture is not enough to answer every possible question we may ever have. Yet it contains everything we must know to be restored with God and have a close relationship with Him. Isn’t that what we all want? It requires commitment, but the reward is beyond measure. . . .Then, by believing, you may have life through his name.
To hear from God, we study Scripture, pray we know and understand it, and listen for God’s whisper revealing his plan through it and comforting our fears. I know most of you know that, but sometimes we all need a little reminder. Me too. The great thing about Scripture is that you can read a verse multiple times and still find something new the millionth time you read it. (hyperbole 🙂) That is exciting, wouldn’t you agree?
Deb Hill
EFCC Exec. Assistant
“We’re Following the Leader”
A lovely bronze sculpture stands in Waterfront Park, in Ludington, Michigan. Five children and a dog are depicted playing a beloved game of “following the leader”. One child is in the lead with the others close behind, watching, mimicking her movements, climbing rocks, balancing just so, following the path, the adventure chosen by the leader.
When Jesus called his disciples, his simple statement to them was, “Follow Me.” The call was no silly game, it was a Rabbi’s challenging invite—to live as he lived, the adventure of a lifetime. For Peter, Andrew, James and John, “Follow Me” demanded leaving their fishing nets, hugging family good-bye, facing an unknown future. For Tax collector Matthew, “Follow me” meant leaving behind safety and the security of a steady income to join the company of fellow Jews who saw you as a traitor.
In Matthew 10, Jesus instructs his disciples, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”
In Luke 18, Jesus encounters a rich young ruler, an extremely moral man and says “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Luke 18)
Jesus tells his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) “and anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27)
What does Jesus mean when he says, “Follow me.”?
“Follow me” demands faith. There’s a zillion questions that “follow me” refuses to acknowledge nor answer. The details, the specifics are ignored. The disciples chose faith over fear when they obeyed the Rabbi’s call to “Follow me”.
Secondly, “Follow me” expects submissive obedience, which that rich young ruler wanted no part of. Obedience without arguments, excuses or delays.
Lastly, “Follow me” requires eyes on the teacher. If we’re going to follow Jesus, we must pay attention to the leader—like the bronzed children in the sculpture in the park. We watch the way he lived, the way he loved. We study his teachings and commands. We duplicate his actions and his attitudes.
To my knowledge, not one time in the gospels does Jesus ever ask anyone to accept him. He invited everyone to follow him. Because Christ-likeness was the goal….is the goal for the Jesus follower.
The instruction from God never changes. He calls to you today, “Follow Me.”
Donielle Winter
EFCC Member
Rejecting Comparison
The Lord commanded Peter not to compare his lot in life with John’s. I’m amazed at how Jesus put it so black and white. Jesus claims immense sovereignty and infers that he can go right ahead and bless John with several thousand more years of life, (hyperbole) and it shouldn’t make any difference to Peter. Peter should follow Jesus.
After studying this portion of scripture, my mind gravitated to a moment in high school when I asked the Lord “Why me?” in a moment of self-pity. The circumstances were different, but I was complaining about my situation being very different from everyone else. (Not everyone has cerebral palsy) Jesus took his time answering me, but his answer was the same. My walk with the Lord is my walk with him; he can do whatever he wants with my life. I am simply following him.
In isolation, this whole issue is reframed. If it is just the Lord and me/us, when he commands us to do something, no one else is around to compare. You’d have no clue if a task is hard or not. Jesus involves everyone in his plans, so we tend to make comparisons. Yet Jesus’ blunt command is clear, “you follow me!” Notice the exclamation mark. In other words, stay in your lane, and mind your own business.
Jesus called Peter and John to unique roles among the apostles and pointed out that he willed it to be exactly so. He insinuates that his plan for both men has zero bearing on each other's roles.
If you are focused on what Jesus has for someone else, you aren’t focused on what He has for you. Therefore, occupy yourself with following Jesus only, which is what he wants you to do for your good and his glory!
Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member
Losing Control for God’s Glory
Today is the first time I’ve imagined my death glorifying God. Not that I’m thinking about how I might die, just wondering if I’ll be able to glorify God through it. I started wondering this after reading Jesus’ words to Peter in John 21:18-19.
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Church tradition says that Peter was crucified to death like Jesus, but did not feel worthy enough to be crucified in the same manner so he asked to be nailed upside down.
Jesus’ words to Peter were not about crucifixion, they were about losing control. In youth, do what you want, wear what you want, go where you like. In old age, someone else will take over. I’ve always read, “stretch out your hands” like the motion of getting handcuffs, but it could have been just needing someone else to get clothes on. What if the person will “carry you where you do not want to go” wasn’t just because he would be a prisoner but because he would be unable to get around? The words could be read both ways, but either way, Peter was to glorify God not just in life, but in death.
I’ve seen God be glorified in many people’s deaths. It happens as the people still alive tell the stories of how the person who passed had blessed them, served them, and pointed them to Jesus.
Twenty-five years ago, I was a youth pastor in Littleton, CO when I attended the memorial of one of the boys killed in the Columbine shooting. His name was John Tomlin. According to the testimony of his friends, family, and some of his writing that was read at the memorial, he was a believer and he cared about the lost." His pastor presented the gospel clearly at the service and then took the mic again during the reception and invited students to respond. Thirty students accepted Jesus at the reception. It made me imagine John in heaven saying, “Wow God, thank you for using my life and my death to bring so many classmates into your kingdom!”
Believers are not in control of how they die, but they can “follow” Jesus until that time so that their lives and deaths bring him glory.
Pastor John Riley
Repentance and Restoration
His failure and Jesus’ subsequent crucifixion must have sent Peter into an emotional tail-spin. We don’t know how else Satan sifted Peter in the days that followed. With each post-resurrection appearance of Christ to the apostles, Satan probably hit Peter with another blast of guilt, self-loathing, and despair. Yet Jesus did not condemn Peter. He knew the Holy Spirit was doing a work in Peter’s heart. The third time that Jesus showed himself to Peter was at the Sea of Galilee. (John 21:14). As soon as Peter saw him on the shore he dove from his boat and swam with all his might to Jesus. His heart was repentant and finally ready to hear Jesus.
Three times Jesus asked him “Simon, do you love Me?” Each time Peter responded, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love You.” In English, this passage seems very repetitive, but if we look at the original Koine Greek text there’s more than meets the eye. The first two times, Jesus asks Peter “Do you agape (love) Me?” Jesus uses the Greek term indicating deepest, heartfelt love, “agape”. Both times Peter answers with “Yes, I phileo (love) You.” His answer uses a Greek word that normally means “brotherly” love. However, the third time Jesus changes the question to “Do you phileo (love) Me?” In this subtle change it seems the Lord Jesus is coming down to meet Peter at his present level. It was the only level of “love” Peter was ready to confess at that point in his emotional journey. Even the third time, Peter answers “Yes, I phileo You,” but Jesus is OK with that. He doesn’t insist Peter come up to “agape” love. He accepts Peter as he is.
I find that immensely encouraging. I’m sure the Lord often hopes we will have a stronger love for him and deeper obedience to his will. But this example shows that Jesus is willing to meet us on our plane. He is patient and full of grace. He waits for the Spirit to work in our hearts and lift us to the next level.
How might Jesus be inviting you to a higher level in your walk with Him? What is the Holy Spirit speaking to your soul about that? Is there some way you need to be renewed by the Lord? Start by telling Jesus how much you love him.
Pastor Dave Korinek
Chain-linked Humility
My childhood bike was fantastic! It had the beefiest training wheels ever; I used to tell kids they were concrete wheels. The velcro that held my feet to the pedals was the fuzziest I’ve ever seen. I rode my majestic chrome fendered beast at every recess through grade school. Once, I was riding on our street and noticed one of my neighbors had two new dogs behind their fence. I rode my bike up the little incline to parallel the fence, and the dogs were eager to drool their love all over me. I let go of my handlebars and turned to grab the chain-linked fence with both hands so the dogs could jump to lick my fingers. To my surprise, my bike started to roll down the incline, away from the fence. The velcro held better than ever as the bike slowly pulled me sideways over the asphalt, hanging on to the chain links outstretched. “I can still get out of this!” I thought. Just then, another neighbor pulled up in her car; I was so embarrassed. She was one of those awesome ladies who’s not surprised by anything but cares about everyone. She casually rolls down the window and says, “Oh hey, Jonathan… How ya doing?” Unphased by my predicament.
“Oh, hey, Mrs. Loopkey! Fine, fine, I’m doing just fine!” I struggled to say.
“Do you need any help?” She said with an audible smile.
“Oh no. I’m fine!” I blurted, my fingers hurting from supporting my weight. Mrs. Loopkey ignored my flawless bluff and helped me out of that bind with no small effort.
I wanted her not to see me so I could have gotten myself out of that bind. I was oblivious to my need, blinded by my confidence. She saw my need, and I was afraid she’d always see me as needy. Pretty arrogant, huh? I was super independent. I wanted to fight my limits, and I didn’t want help. God bless those who help anyway.
The passage of scripture we’ve been studying this week points out what happens if we humbly accept the Lord’s provisions. Notice Peter did not squawk about breakfast like he did with the previous foot-washing in the upper room. If the Lord gives you food when you can get your own, just accept it with gratitude. I have too many stories about learning humility. We’ll keep learning humility and how to receive what we need from the Lord together.
Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member