About ten years ago, my husband found a battered wooden yoke to hang on the wall in our rustic living room. It was more than an unusual bit of décor. The image of the yoke has great spiritual and biblical significance.
In my devotions last week, I read Jesus’ question to his close disciples, “Will you also go away?” followed by the suggestion by Oswald Chambers that Jesus was (and is) looking not for casual hangers-on, but for true yokefellows.
This naturally (rather, spiritually) brought to mind the wonderful exhortation from Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In our flesh, most of us are not inclined to desire being yoked to anything or anyone. Yokes are for harnessing together the energy of two or more animals, usually to plow or harvest a field. Yokes are about hard work, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of another.
The image is timeless, but Jesus offered a new perspective and application for his followers.
Jesus saw that in his day, ordinary people were yoked to the law and tradition of Pharisaical leaders, men who were unwilling to carry the same burdens they imposed upon others, those they considered beneath them.
In his day, privileged students of the Scriptures and the Jewish religion were said to come under the yoke of a particular rabbi. This meant that they accepted the accuracy of the rabbi’s teaching, memorized it, and shared it with others. They imitated the rabbi’s lifestyle and style of ministry, adopting them as best practices.
Jesus told his disciples—not from the privileged classes or elite rabbinical schools, but ordinary workers, craftsmen, fishermen, moms, dads, farmers, children, sinners, tax-collectors, and prostitutes—that they could consciously choose to substitute the yoke they were strapped into for his yoke.
Most of us are in these same categories of humanity and can apply this exhortation to our discipleship under Rabbi Jesus. These are the benefits and reasons to do so:
• It keeps us close to him; this is what a yoke does
• It keeps us in step with him in a disciplined way
• It allows us to learn from him as we walk together
• We enjoy his constant, gentle, and humble company
• We find rest for our weary souls
• We are relieved from unreasonable religious burdens
• We are given a grace-filled, light, and manageable burden
• Every burden we carry is shared by Jesus, who has the strength to help us
Our burdens might be different than those carried by those ancient Jews, but our needs and motivations are much the same.
What are we yoked to?
o Technology?
o Unhealthy relationships?
o Addictions?
o Compulsions?
o Anxiety?
o Depression?
o Sexual immorality?
o Conflict and strife?
o Religious cultism?
o Occultism?
o Other?
I believe this is one of our key Scriptures for living a life of freedom in Christ, choosing to stay yoked to the only one worthy to lead and plow the ground with us. What a privilege to be a co-laborer with him, participating in his great, eternal work! We are freed from our heavy burdens, serving his purposes and not just our smaller, self-interested goals.
Will you choose to be yoked with Jesus Christ today?
