MATTHEW 11:29 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
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. The yoke — the rabbi's teaching, the system of interpretation that shaped one's entire life — is the metaphor for what Jesus offers as an alternative to the Pharisaic burden. The gentleness and lowliness of heart that characterize Jesus contrast with the pride that closed the wise and understanding to the revelation (verse 25). Matthew 11:29 is one of the only places in the Synoptic Gospels where Jesus explicitly describes his own inner character. Jeremiah 6:16 speaks of finding rest for your souls by standing at the crossroads and asking for the ancient path — Jesus applies that ancient invitation to himself.
Church Fathers on Matthew 11:29
By what He had said, He brought His disciples to have a desire towards Him, shewing them His unspeakable excellence; and now He invites them to Him, saying, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden.'
Whence do we all thus labour, but that we are mortal men, bearing vessels of clay which cause us much difficulty. But if the vessels of flesh are straitened, the regions of love will be enlarged. To what end then does He say, 'Come unto me,' all ye that labour, but that ye should not labour?
He calls to Him those that were labouring under the hardships of the Law, and those who are burdened with the sins of this world.
Read all 18 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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