Freedom

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 HCSB

Compared to Jewish law Jesus was indeed light. He constantly ran into trouble with the Pharisees and Saducees for His 'light' interpretation of the law. He also ran into grief from His own cousin-John the Baptist who questioned why the disciples did not fast like his group did.

We see in the early church new Gentile converts were constantly at risk from their Jewish brethren wanting to impose 'law' upon them, yet Paul, the pharisee of all pharisees defended their freedom against the exaction of the law. I suppose living so long under the law and knowing how keeping it pleased their God to suddenly be free in Christ and bringing other non-Jews in was fraught with difficulty.

I know a little of this is my movement from Catholicism to Protestantism, yet the Jews have so many more laws it is a wonder they can breathe.

Jesus could see the burden of the Law and its interpretation by the leaders and wanted to lift the burden for His disciples. Jesus came to set people free from the bondage of the law and He did this so completely that in Him we are indeed free because He fulfilled the Law and we do not have to. Amen!