Frederick Dale Bruner is a top scholar on the gospel of Matthew, and his insight into the paradox of an “easy yoke” is worth reading: A yoke is a work instrument. Thus when Jesus offers a yoke he offers what we might think tired workers need least. They need a mattress or a vacation, not a yoke.
I hope you’re laughing right now; that’s so insightful and true. But Jesus realizes that the most restful gift he can give the tired is a new way to carry life, a fresh way to bear responsibilities. … Realism sees that life is a succession of burdens; we cannot get away from them; thus instead of offering escape, Jesus offers equipment. Jesus means that obedience to his Sermon on the Mount [his yoke] will develop in us a balance and a “way” of carrying life that will give more rest than the way we have been living.
John Mark Comer – American Pastor (1980 – )
From the book “The ruthless elimination of hurry”