Bible Reading: Matthew 11:25-30 KJV
- Matthew 11:30 KJV
When a rabbi had authority (semikhah) he made his own context of teaching or interpretation of the Torah, and it was called his "yoke." That is why Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Have you ever wondered why Jesus was so popular and how He drew crowds of thousands to hear Him speak? The answer is simple.
Jesus was a rabbi with authority (semikhah). The people were hungry for a better way of life and were amazed at how Jesus wrecked all of the yokes of the religious leaders of His day because He spoke "as one having authority" (Matthew 7:29). The Pharisees didn't know what to do with Him. The story of His baptism had spread like wildfire throughout the land. They refused to recognize Him as the Son of God, but they could not deny that He was a rabbi with authority.
A rabbi needs disciples. We saw in an earlier devotional how the process worked and took 30 years before a rabbi's disciple became a rabbi. In 1 Corinthians 1:27 states, "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" and this is exactly how Jesus chose His disciples. He chose a bunch of nobodies and made them into somebodies, and for that we should all be thankful.
Sources:
- Portions of the above is from Dwain Miller's excellent book Jesus the Rabbi: Unlocking the Hebraic Teaching of Yeshua
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