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| Photo: Wikimedia Commons* |
"My Yoke is Easy"
** The following quotations are from the devotional Quiet Moments on the Way Home
by H.E. Wisloff.
Take my yoke upon you (Matthew 11:29)
“The Christian's life is compared to a walk toward the
goal. But this walk is a walk under the yoke.
“Some see in this truth only darkness. It reveals
how heavy the Christian life must be, they say. For the natural man, the
yoke is truly a burden.”
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| Artwork: public domain |
In fact most examples of the word “yoke” in the Bible are negative.
Out of about 60 uses of the Hebrew word “ol” in the English Standard Version (ESV)
most are in the Old Testament, and those typically have connotations of restraint,
subjection, slavery, and stooping under a heavy load. [Gen. 27:40, Lev. 26:13, 1Kings 12:4] Even oxen which had worked under a yoke could not qualify for sacrifices and
religious purposes. [Num. 19:2, Deut. 21:3, 1 Sam. 6:7]
At times God uses circumstances as a yoke to discipline wayward
people. [Isa. 47:6, Jer. 27-28, Hos. 10:10-11] Lamentations 3:27-28 goes so far as
to say “It is good for a man to bear the
yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it
on him.” As encouraging as are the surrounding verses in Lamentations 3,
this yoke can still sound rather oppressive to me.
In the New Testament we see the yokes of physical slavery/servanthood
[1 Tim. 6:1] and the unbearable load of manmade rules and pharisaical laws [Acts
15:10 & Gal. 5:1].
And yet, shining through the gloom is this one recorded instance
where Jesus turns standard associations on their head and tells us about His yoke:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
**“What is the yoke?
“It is that which unites. The yoke makes me one
with my yoke-mate. To take up the yoke means to be in partnership with
God. His joys become my joys, His sorrows become mine, His tasks mine,
and I am privileged to share His concern for souls.
“Therefore yoke-bearing is to have part in the power of
Christ, His peace and His joy. No one can live more richly and blessedly.
The yoke is grace, because it gives rest. "My yoke is
easy," He whispers to the tired who accept the yoke along with Him.”
Obviously I should take Christ at His word and believe that His
yoke would ease my burden and give me the rest I long for. But instead I too
often resist His yoke, with the result that I am left helplessly trying to pull my own load.
In her delightful
book, Farmer Boy, Laura Ingalls
Wilder tells stories from her husband’s childhood in rural New York in the
1860s. Before he was allowed to own horses, Almanzo was given two young oxen
and directed by his father how to train them. To do that, he had to custom-build a small, light yoke – meticulously shaping and smoothing the wood to perfectly
fit his charges.
Think of that! If even faulty humans know how to make a yoke that
will be perfectly suited to their dumb beasts, how much more does our loving God
know how to craft our yokes to fit each of our lives?
When little Almanzo began driving his team, there were plenty of
troubles. They wouldn’t work together! That resulted in some tangled messes in
the ditch. The yoke would only work if the team faced the same direction and
pulled together. As they listened and obeyed, they learned to turn in unison
upon command. Then the work could go smoothly and pleasantly for boy and
beasts.
This example and the devotional excerpts quoted above are
completely changing the way I view Jesus’ yoke. When I keep this in mind, I can
be at peace knowing that every circumstance He sends my way is perfectly shaped
for me. But not if I try to meet them in my strength alone.
Not being a trained biblical scholar, I cannot say if this is a completely
accurate interpretation… but I am greatly encouraged at picturing Jesus sharing
His yoke with me by pulling together, side by side with me in the same yoke. No
wonder every burden is lightened when I let Him share the weight! And when I am
tempted to worry about the future, I can remember Who is beside me. He knows
the way. I must just keep in step, follow when He turns, and wait patiently when He has me stop.
“And you will find
rest for your souls.”
** Quiet Moments on the Way Home, devotional for October 26 by H.E. Wisloff.
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