Welcome to the Daily Disciples Podcast, where we seek daily to be with and to become like Jesus, our teacher. Welcome to the Daily Disciples Podcast, it's Travis, and we're going to talk about one of my very favorite passages today. And of course, if you've been a part of this podcast for a while, or if you know me, you know I'm a big Jesus fan, big Jesus fan. And I think that Jesus has so many moments, I mean just so many moments, and I think this is one of those moments, like one of those moments.
And this is a very recognizable passage because it's been taught and said, quoted so many times. And I just want to title the podcast today, Depression. Depression. And depression is an epidemic in our world.
And we could use all kinds of different words to describe depression. We could talk about sadness, we could talk about heaviness, weariness, deep sadness, you know, clinical depression, chemical depression. I mean there's all kinds of ways, I mean I think that sometimes we even use words like angry, or frustrated, or irritated, or pissed, or whatever. To describe what really would best be described as I'm feeling heavy.
You know, I'm not okay. And the prevalent word in our modern culture is depressed. And of course there are, there's a range, there's a spectrum. You know, depression can be incredibly severe, or it can be minor, it can be constant, or it can be intermittent.
And sometimes we can put our finger on it. Like I know exactly what it is, I know the cause of it. And sometimes we can't. And that's part of the frustration and confusion concerning depression, sometimes we can't put our finger on it.
Now I don't think depression is such a dangerous thing, although it's a bummer, and it's tough, and it sucks, and it's irritating and frustrating, I think, and I've experienced, that it's the symptoms or the result of our depression. That actually become dangerous. Whether a symptom is checking out of life, or grinding life out, and pushing and pulling people, or going to substance abuse, drugs, food, drink, blaming everyone for what you feel like is wrong with your life. And so it's those symptoms that are really hurting relationships.
And we know this, we experience it, or we live with those that do. And Jesus talked about depression, which might come as a surprise to you. In Matthew 11 verse 28, Jesus says, come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Now that is a beautiful invitation to everyone, as weary and burdened, and most every one then and now is weary and burdened.
Wearing and burdened is a first century way of talking about depression, and Jesus is offering rest, and that really is what we're looking for. We really are looking for rest. And when we blame people, when we abuse substances, when we grind out life, when we check out of life as a result of depression, we really are trying to do it. We really are trying to arrange for a little bit of rest right now.
Now we don't find it, at least ultimately, but that's what we're looking for. And Jesus says, that's the gift that I have. That's the gift that I have available. Well, how do we get that gift?
Because we need it, we want it, and those around us want us to have it as well. Because our depression and particularly our symptoms are sloshing over onto so many folks that we love the most. So Jesus says, okay, keep listening. He says, all right, I want you to take my yoke upon you and learn from me.
And as you may have heard, a yoke in the first century is a way to describe or euphemism for a particular teaching of a particular rabbi. Of course, it came from the Grian culture where two oxen would be yoked together so that they would be able to plow straight. And so it became this image of a disciple being yoked together with a rabbi learning his life, learning his teaching, learning to walk straight, learning to walk a straight line. So Jesus says, yoke yourself to me.
Learn from me. Learn my teaching. Learn my life. Put my teaching into practice.
And Jesus says, all right, here's one thing you're going to find that I'm gentle. I'm gentle and I'm humble in heart. And I know that this is something maybe that you've never said. I've maybe never said it, but I've felt it that people have not been gentle to me in my depression.
People have not been gentle to you in your depression. People have not been humble towards you in your depression or anxiety or struggle or heaviness or weariness. They've not been humble or gentle towards you. And the world has not been humble or gentle toward us.
And Jesus says, I will be. You will find that my yoke will not chafe you. It will not further burden you. It will lift you up and you will find rest for your soul.
And soul is that deep part within us, that deep part, deep rest. Because let's be honest, all of the ways or most of the ways that we seek out to find rest if we find rest at all through those ways, they're very surface. I mean, addiction is so surface. And we know that.
And a life of blaming others for our life is so surface, right? A life of just always staying on the go and never stopping is so surface and superficial, right? Or zoning out and hiding. However, we might do that even if we've honed in the art of hiding what we don't really look like.
We're hiding. I mean, whatever it is, it's so surface. And Jesus says, I get it. You know, you're weary, you're burdened.
But give that strategy up. In fact, take that yoke off of you because really the church religion has given us a yoke. Our parents have given us a yoke. Maybe our marriage has given us a yoke.
Maybe the world has given us a yoke. Maybe we've given ourselves a yoke. We might want to just think for a minute as daily disciples how many people or entities have given us a yoke. And what would it look like to take that yoke off as scary as that might be?
Because even a yoke that chafes is familiar. And to put this new yoke on is teaching of Jesus. He's gentle. He's humble.
We'll find rest for ourselves. And Jesus says to finish off this passage verse 30, my yoke is easy. My burden is light. And the world has not been easy on us.
And the yoke's that the world has given us have not been easy. And the burden's that have been put on us. Even the strategies that have been put on us to eliminate our depression or anxiety have not been light. They've been heavy.
So you've got the heaviness of depression and the heaviness of the strategy that people put on us to try to find out. To fix depression or whatever it might be, anxiety, worry, heaviness, and worryiness. And Jesus says, oh, God, just stop with all that. Just stop with all that.
Come to me. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. Now, what I profound teaching and in eight or so minutes we can't really talk about specific practical ramifications.
But we can work them out. Let's spend some time today just thinking about what yoke are we wearing? Who gave it to us? Is it easy?
Is it light? And what would it look like? What are steps we could take to take that off? And to put on this yoke that Jesus is offering.
This yoke is truly easy, truly light. And this yoke that according to Jesus is at least the beginning of the antidote to a life of depression, weariness, heaviness. Thanks for listening to the daily disciple podcast. We truly hope that you were encouraged by it today.
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