“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.”
-Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
The audience in Jesus’ time would have latched on to this farming analogy instantly. A yoke is a wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an animal, such as an ox. A piece of equipment is then attached to the yoke and the animals pull it around. It’s big. It’s heavy. It’s tiring.
In their day, being “yoked” to something was also a slang term for anything that was a burden. Specifically, it usually was a reference to Jewish laws and traditions, but also things such as sin and persecution, which we can relate to today.
No matter what it was, the point of Jesus’ comparison here was that being yoked to anything is exhausting. It wears us out, controls our lives, and is defeating. Simply put, we can’t carry the burden alone or we will fall short.
Jesus says that his yoke is easy, but does that mean that belief in him will instantly make your life simple? No, not at all. It’s still a yoke, and by nature yokes are uncomfortable and cumbersome. But the difference is that its a shared yoke… We have the unique opportunity to walk side by side through life with the world’s greatest partner. He is offering strength and companionship to help us keep moving forward.
Christ, whatever I am yoked to, whatever in my life is a burden, whatever is wearing me down… I’m officially unhooking myself from it. Thank you for desperately wanting to share the load.
