Connecting With Jesus

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus gave a wonderful invitation to everyone.

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.” (New King James Version)

A yoke was used to unite oxen or horses together to pull heavy equipment. Since that is not as common today, I would like to share a parable related to what Jesus said.

“Early one morning a farmer got up to work. He had a load of hay on a trailer that he wanted to put into the barn. Knowing he would need lots of energy, he had a good breakfast. Saying good-bye to his wife, he went out to begin his work.

Putting his hands on the back of the trailer, he began to push with all of his might. He strained and grunted. Pretty soon sweat began pouring down his face. This was indeed hard work. After a while he looked to see if he had made any progress. The wheels hadn’t moved an inch. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Again, he began to push as hard as he could. After several hours, his energy was almost spent. While he hadn’t gotten anywhere, he had certainly worked hard. Needing more energy, he went back into the house for lunch. The rest was also helpful.

In the afternoon he again tried to move the heavy load. After a while, the neighbor saw his hopeless struggle and decided to offer some help.

“Would you like to hook your trailer up to my tractor?”

“That would be wonderful!” the struggling farmer replied. When the trailer was connected, the tired farmer put the tractor in gear, increased the throttle, and the trailer moved forward effortlessly.

Life without Jesus is like trying to move a trailer full of hay without a tractor. It is impossible and leads us to feel discouraged, depressed, hopeless, and angry.

In the context of those feelings, Jesus invites us to come and receive the abundant life He wants to give. He uses another illustration to communicate the same message.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NKJV)

The fruit He promises to produce in our lives is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” Galatians 5:22,23 (NKJV).

This kind of fruit is what we all desire. However, many try to get them in ways that are destructive and discouraging. However, when we choose to abide in Jesus and let Him abide in us, they will grow in our lives naturally. His yoke will be easy, and His burden will be light.

—Clinton Meharry, Pastor

Moses Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church