Hearing, Fearing, and Bearing Christ
—Words of Jesus
Jesus calls on all of us to HEAR his words, FEAR his authority, and BEAR his burden. He spoke only what his Father gave him to speak. He will punish those who do not listen, and reward those who do, provided they obey and bear his burden together with him.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24).
1 Hearing Jesus
"Hear and do these words of Mine" (Matthew 7:24)
When introducing one of his parables, Jesus said that hearing and doing his words is an act of wisdom
Jesus clearly says that if you don't listen to him, and if you don't do what he commands, you will make a mess of your life. It may look good, but like the house built on the sand, it is doomed to collapse. A sensible and wise person will listen to Jesus and be careful to do what he says (Matthew 7:24-27).
To understand that properly, we need to know where Jesus got his words from. "The word that you hear [me speak] is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me" (John 14:24). The words of Jesus, which he got from his Father, have been revealed and explained to us through his apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20).
The Authority of Jesus
Jesus has the full authority of his Father to speak the Father’s words. Indeed he is called "the Word" (John 1:1-5,14). As the Word of God Jesus created all that has been made, all that God spoke.
His authority, in word and creation, should stand us in awe of him, even make us fear him, and the more so when we realise that he who created us can also destroy us.
2 Fearing Jesus
" Fear God who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28)
When Jesus says, "Fear God who can destroy," he includes himself as God with the power to destroy, as much as he has the power to create. Paul makes this clear. He describes the second coming as follows...
"When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire [he will take] vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power " (2Thessalonians 1:7-10 NKJV).
Jesus would rejoice to come and find no one to punish and a great multitude of believers. He himself asked the question, "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8) He probably will find faithful people among the living, because he will certainly find them among the dead raised up (John 5:24-29).
We tremble to think of the destruction of body and soul in hell, but its a reality we must face up to, and avoid. "Watch therefore, for you don't know the day, or the hour, that the Son of Man is coming" (Matthew 25:13).
"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it" (Hebrews 4:1).
Since we fear God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, we take his yoke upon us. This "yoke" is what we now discuss...
3 Bearing Jesus
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me" (Matthew 11:29)
Jesus says, "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." (Matthew 11:29)
What a difference! Without his yoke, we fear the Lord who is coming in flaming fire. When we take his yoke upon us, however, we find him gentle and lowly in heart giving us rest from fear.
What is a Yoke?
A yoke is a slightly bow-shaped beam joining two oxen . It should fit comfortably across their necks, held by bands underneath. The device keeps the animals side by side, together pulling the burden they share.
In the colonial days of Australia, settlers assembled teams of bullocks, and drove them with the aid of yokes. The bullocks pulled large carts or logs along rough tracks. A novice beast was yoked with an experienced beast to learn, on the job, the meaning of the bullocky's commands.
Being Yoked with Jesus
Jesus invites you to take his yoke upon you, to learn from him and find rest for your souls. But if we take his yoke upon us, don't we have to work with Jesus and help pull his burden? How then does he say that we shall find rest?
Jesus means that when we pull his burden, sharing together with him, we find it easy and light compared to the burdens of the world without his yoke. And when our work with him is done, there is a place prepared for our souls (John 14:3).
Paul, Christ's apostle, says, "Our light affliction, which is only for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2Corinthians 4:17).
Bearing Jesus
When two beasts are yoked together, they must first move their own bodies so as to move the burden they are hauling. The two beasts share this initial load. When you are yoked to Jesus, he bears a part of you, and and you bear a part of him.
Paul wrote along similar lines describing the inheritance we share with Christ as "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together [with him]. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:16-18 NKJV).
Another Wooden Beam
Here's a closing thought: Besides the yoke, there is another wooden beam that Jesus speaks of — "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).