Christian Lachers message from last night: Who was Jesus’ Earthly Father? Joseph What was Joseph’s Occupation? Carpenter In the time of Jesus, it was very common for the children to follow in the footsteps of their fathers. They would begin learning from them at a very early age, and the father would pass down all of the knowledge that they had acquired to their son. It is highly likely that when Jesus was a young man, he would spend hours each day sitting with Joseph in his shop while he worked on any number of possible projects that people in the village needed completed. Jesus learned all of the tools of the trade, and he is found to speak of them throughout his teachings in the New Testament. One of the most vivid examples of this is found in Matthew 11:25-30. The Father Revealed in the Son 25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. 27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” There is a story told about Jesus’ carpentry skills in which people come from all over Jerusalem in order for Him to make them a very special piece of equipment. You heard about this piece in the passage above, it is called a “Yoke”. The Yoke is one of the most important pieces of equipment used during the time of Jesus. The Yoke was the piece of wood that was tailored to drape across the shoulder of the oxen in order to carry any number of items, from large carts filled with goods for sale, to plows to help the farmers tend to the fields. The most important aspect of the Yoke in that it has to be measured and engineered to fit precisely across the shoulders of the oxen in order to create an even carrying capacity for the animals. If the yoke was out of balance at all, it could cause injury to the Oxen, or make the load too unstable to transport. The story goes that Jesus was able to build the most perfect Yoke in Jerusalem that would fit perfectly across the shoulders of any team of oxen, thus allowing the oxen to carry more weight with greater ease because it was perfectly balanced. This concept is the premise for this passage. Jesus is the one who invites us to be yoked with Him! He invites all who are Weary and Burdened and He will give us rest. There is one thing that Jesus does that changes things…. He not only wants us to Yoke with him, but he created the yoke so that the weight and burden you lie on HIS shoulders, not yours! Jesus takes the brunt of our burdens in order to give us an easy load. I believe in the term that a Picture is worth a thousand words, and as such, the video at the bottom will explain this far better than I would be able to: Jesus wants nothing more in this World than for you to call on Him, and give Him the opportunity to give you rest. I know there are people who are struggling, and who need Jesus to come into their situation and grant them peace. All He asks from us is to CALL ON HIM! https://youtube/watch?v=jLPy_h8IzQg
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:27:03 +0000
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