Reading the Shema
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Mathew 11:29 NASB
Yoke – Yeshua quotes Jeremiah 6:16 in this famous passage. The context of the Jeremiah citation should help us understand the key words here. Those words are “rest” and “yoke.” But when you read the passage in Jeremiah, there isn’t any mention of a yoke at all. So why should we be looking for a Tanakh context to Yeshua’s choice of the word ‘ol (Hebrew for “yoke”)? The answer is found in the cultural ethos of the audience.
When we think of the yoke of Yeshua, what do we have in mind? Most Christians think first and foremost about the “law of love.” We imagine that this yoke is the urging to live a morally upright life, to encourage good behavior and acts of grace. But it is highly unlikely that anyone in the audience that day would have had these thoughts. Why? Because the connection of Jeremiah and “yoke” could only have meant one thing – Torah!
Look at the context of Jeremiah. First notice that it is YHWH who speaks. He says, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths; where the good way is, and walk in it.” What are the ancient paths? What is the good way? YHWH can only mean His instructions found in Torah. After we have found the ancient paths and walked in them, then “you will find rest for your souls.” And what of the “yoke”? The Mishnah and the Midrashim call the Shema kabbalath ‘ol malkhuth shamayim, “taking on oneself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.” Every Jew who said the Shema three times daily would have known what yoke Yeshua spoke about. It was the same yoke YHWH gave His people, the same yoke YHWH encouraged His people to renew in the prophecy of Jeremiah, the same yoke that governed the life of Yeshua. The only difference, and it is a very big difference, is that Yeshua calls this His yoke. No one except YHWH could ever make that claim.
The crowd understood. This was not a “new” commandment. This was a prophetic call that echoed Jeremiah. Come back to the ancient paths. Walk in the ancient ways. Take the yoke of the Kingdom upon yourself. Follow Yeshua in learned obedience. And discover that this burden brings rest.
Topical Index: yoke, ‘ol, rest, Jeremiah 6:16, Matthew 11:29
I have found such blessing in this one word- “shema.” The life of our LORD could be summed up in one word also, “shema.” As a follower of the Way, and as one of His talmudim, what is my part? “shema”- to listen and obey, – “whatever He says unto you- do it.” “Faith comes by hearing.”- “If any man (that’s me!) have ears to hear, -let him hear..” Who is our Master? Who is our Teacher? What is our textbook? Who is the Author of this book? Should we listen (shema) to Him? Are His words true and faithful?
Shall we hear (once again) His instructions to us? Will we “shema” the word of the LORD?
It is written: (is anyone listening?)
“Therefore, if you have any encouragement for me from your being in (blood-covenant) union with the Messiah, any comfort flowing from love, any fellowship with me in the Ruach HaKodesh, or any compassion and sympathy, then complete my joy by having a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and mind. Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves – look out for each other’s interests and not just for your own. Let your attitude toward one another be governed by your being in (blood-covenant) union with the Messiah Yeshua: Though he was in the form of Gd, He did not regard equality with G-d something to be possessed by force. On the contrary, He emptied Himself, in that He took the form of a slave by becoming like human beings are. And when He appeared as a human being, He humbled himself still more by becoming obedient even to death – death on a stake (the tslav) as a criminal! Therefore G-d raised Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above every name; (blessed be Hashem) that in honor of the name given Yeshua, every knee will bow – in heaven, on earth and under the earth and every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua the Messiah is ADONAI – to the glory of G-d the Father.”
Thank you Carl, I agree.
I am finding in this season of Passover that I am having to really listen and to see
what it is He is saying. He said to remember Him when we do this….that to me seems
to make things simple. To rest in who He is…..
Shalom
Skip,
Re: The prophetic call that echoed Jeremiah…”Come back to the ancient paths. Walk in the ancient ways. Take the yoke of the Kingdom upon yourself.”
Wouldn’t that include “living a morally upright life, encouraging good behavior and acts of grace?” Why is it highly unlikely that anyone in the audience that day would have had these thoughts?
Guess I am slow after traveling. Who said it was highly unlikely?
You did!
But, that’s O.K…we’ll cut you some slack since you’ve been traveling. 🙂
OK, I see it now. Here’s the point. While Christians think of moral uprightness and ethical behavior and being a good person, Jews would not have thought of this FIRST. FIRST they would have thought of Torah which covers a lot more than just being a better person or being ethical. Of course, it includes this, but there are also a substantial number of commandments about worship, food, dress, etc. Today we read this verse and others like it as if they have only ethical implications. Jews never had such a truncated view.
Thanks for the clarification. It makes sense.
“For seven days you shall offer a burnt offering to Yahweh. (Leviticus 23:7)”
Earlier in the passage Y’shua calls for all who labor and are heavy laden to come to him. This also reminded me of 1 Samuel 22:2 “And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him (David). So he became captain over them.” Those who were the cast offs of Saul’s society became the mighty men of David. Y’shua, the Son of David, seems to invite the same category of people to follow him and be transformed by his example as the Word of God into “mighty men and women of YHVH”.
Rhonda,
Matthew uses a word for “burden” here – phortion that is only used 5 times in the NT and only twice in the gospels – once here…
…and once here, speaking of the “burden” of the Pharisees…
I think that there is a sense in which Yeshua’s “burden” is contrasted with that of the Pharisees – Yeshua’s is the instructions contained in Torah – it is “light” (easy to carry) as compared to all of the additonal instructions (ma’asiym (the “traditions of the elders”), takanot (rabbinic precedents, based on the actions of previous rabbis – e.g. rabbi so-and-so did something, so now everyone must follow suit) and halakhah (rabbinic rulings regarding interpretations of instructions, literally “walking” or how to walk)) that the Pharisees had added to the Torah, the “fence around the Torah” collectively known as the “Oral Law”. The idea was that if you kept all of the “Oral” commandments of the rabbis, you couldn’t get close enough to the Torah commandments to be in danger of breaking one of them.
The problem is, God specifically commanded, “Do not add to, or take away from, these commandments that I have given you” so in adding their own huge list of extra commandments, placing a “heavy burden” on the people (over 1500 commandments just concerning what you could and could not do on Shabbat), they themselves were walking contrary to God’s specific instruction.
Torah (God’s instructions for living) was never meant to be a burden, hence Yeshua’s statement. His yoke is easy. Walk with him, learn to live the way he lived, follow the instructions he followed, leave the “traditions of men” aside. I know, from personal experience, that is easier said than done when you’ve been raised in a 20th or 21st century western society and culture. There is much to “unlearn”. I’m “unlearning” (and learning) every day (as I’m sure others here will testify as well). Praise God for his grace and patience! Without that, where would we be?