Clothesline 306 "Yoked with Jesus"

“Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Those are some of the most beautiful words from Jesus Himself. But have you ever thought about the “yoke” that Jesus wants you to take on?

It seems odd to link “rest” with a “yoke.” They seem to be totally incompatible. But the fact is the analogy is perfect. A yoke is a sturdy wooden frame with two loops hanging down, each loop large enough for the head of an ox. The yoke is placed over the team of oxen and hooked to a cart or plow. These yokes had to be heavy enough not to break since the oxen were huge and performed vigorous tasks. Furthermore, once the yoke was on the necks of the oxen, neither could lie down alone… or even together, for that matter. They were compelled to stand or walk as a team—as their “driver” desired. You see how perfect the analogy is when the two in the yoke are you and Jesus? Jesus wants us all to wear his yoke. He stands beside us in that yoke. He helps us with our burdens while giving us His grace. And while we are harnessed to the trials and tribulations of life, Jesus is right there with us, walking with us, struggling with us. We do not take a step without Him. We do not lie down without Him. “Come unto me…and I will give you rest…”

Now the Rabbis of Jesus’ time spoke of a yoke, but their yoke was the yoke of the law. For them the law was truly a yoke, a harness, a noose around their necks. They were bound up tight by the letter of the law. And nothing—not even Jesus could lighten their burden or give them rest. They couldn’t see beyond the yoke of the law. How many times did the scribes and Pharisees try to trick Jesus into supporting their yoke of the law? There was the time when the Pharisee brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus for her punishment: death by stoning. But Jesus said, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.” His yoke… is love and compassion. And when the Jews asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes, Jesus, knowing their thoughts said, “Give me a coin. Whose impression is on it?” They said: “Caesar’s.” And Jesus said: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

The analogy of the yoke is probably one of the few that doesn’t break down no matter how you look at it. Jesus’ yoke is sturdy, designed to withstand anything the world can present. While the yoke of the law is burdensome, the yoke of the Spirit is personal and does not and cannot break down if we trust in His grace. And like the two oxen who can neither walk nor lie down individually but are compelled to exist as a team, we too exist as a team with Jesus, as an inseparable couple…two souls who deeply love each other. “Come unto me…take my yoke upon you…and I will give you rest.”