Taking up His Yoke
Matthew 11:29
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.
What exactly is a yoke? In this day and age it takes some work to figure out what Jesus was talking about in scripture. But luckily I am a big fan of the Little House in the Prairie books and I have learned a lot about yokes. Allow me to enlighten you.
A yoke was a large wooden harness that was used to strap two oxen together so that they could pull a plow or a wagon. I am sure you have seen a picture of it at some point. It doesn’t look like the most comfortable thing in the world- it actually looks a lot like a medieval torture device. But it was an invaluable tool for farmers because it allowed them to harness a lot of strength to get their work done – long before the invention of the tractor.
Yokes are interesting things. They had to be custom made for the ox. Farmers took a lot of time caring for and crafting the yoke because if they did not do it exactly right- if there was a section that was not sanded properly or if it was not fit exactly for the ox- it would give the ox sores and infections and it would ruin the ox for farming forever. Oxen were a valuable commodity that could cost as much as a year’s wages. Farmers would treat their ox like an extended member of their family.
Once the yoke had been custom fit for the ox…the farmer would need to “break the calves” for the yoke. This involved teaching both of the calves to become a team and obey the commands. They needed to learn how to work together because if one of the calves started walking and the other stood still…they would get all tangled up and be unable to move. This could actually injure the calves. They needed to learn to walk together- step by step and in this way they became an exceptional force of energy. The farmer would have to be very patient and gentle with the calves in order to get them to work together. He would not whip them or raise his voice to get them to do what he wanted. This would break their spirits and then they would not be able to work at all. The farmer would take as much time as he would need to teach the calves…he knew this was not a job that could be rushed.
So what exactly does Jesus mean when he tells us to take his yoke upon you?
When I hear that phrase I get a beautiful picture in my head. I see God the Father sitting for hours on end crafting a yoke that is made just for me. It fits me perfectly. He takes into account every facet and nuance that makes me unique and fashions the perfect yoke that is not going to hurt me in any way. Then God the Father takes that yoke and gently places it on my neck – fastening it into place with the utmost care. Then He takes his son, Jesus, and places the other side of the yoke around his neck. I am now tethered to Jesus and we will need to work together to move. Then God the Father patiently teaches us how to move together. It is hard at first. I keep forgetting to pace myself with Jesus. Sometimes I want to run out ahead and sometimes I want to lag behind. This just gets us all tangled up and then God has to set us straight again. I am amazed by the gentleness of God as He teaches me how to walk with Jesus. When we first started out the yoke seemed heavy and cumbersome- but as we learn how to walk together – I stop trying to bear the load on my own and let Jesus carry it as well. Pretty soon I forget it is there at all.
After lots of practice getting used to the yoke- God the Father opens the gates of the pasture and leads us outside. It is scary outside of the safety of the pasture…but Jesus is with me every step of the way. We are able to do so many things together – things that I never would be able to accomplish on my own. We are able to carry others burdens and pull heavy loads. It is exhilarating.
The interesting thing about God’s yoke is that it brings us rest for our souls. I think oftentimes we think of walking with Jesus as work…especially when we picture a huge yoke shackled around our neck. It seems as if it would be confining and burdensome. But actually it is just the opposite. When we walk with Jesus and allow God to guide our footsteps – it frees us. It frees us from worries. It frees us from guilt. It frees us up to do things out of love and not out of “should” or “have to”. Walking with Jesus allows us to learn from Him…learn how He would handle situations and people. Allows us to go to Him with our sorrows and our issues and have Him listen and love and heal.
So now when I look at Jesus’ words in Matthew – I have a whole new understanding of what it looks like to walk with Jesus. I can hear the love of my Father as He gently calls me to take on His yoke. I don’t see this as just one more thing I have to do. I now can see it as God wanting to care for me and love on me by sharing my burdens with His son. I can see Him patiently teaching me how to live so that I in turn can share His love with others…not because I should or have to…but because I am so filled up by walking so close with Him that I can’t help it.
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.
What exactly is a yoke? In this day and age it takes some work to figure out what Jesus was talking about in scripture. But luckily I am a big fan of the Little House in the Prairie books and I have learned a lot about yokes. Allow me to enlighten you.
A yoke was a large wooden harness that was used to strap two oxen together so that they could pull a plow or a wagon. I am sure you have seen a picture of it at some point. It doesn’t look like the most comfortable thing in the world- it actually looks a lot like a medieval torture device. But it was an invaluable tool for farmers because it allowed them to harness a lot of strength to get their work done – long before the invention of the tractor.
Yokes are interesting things. They had to be custom made for the ox. Farmers took a lot of time caring for and crafting the yoke because if they did not do it exactly right- if there was a section that was not sanded properly or if it was not fit exactly for the ox- it would give the ox sores and infections and it would ruin the ox for farming forever. Oxen were a valuable commodity that could cost as much as a year’s wages. Farmers would treat their ox like an extended member of their family.
Once the yoke had been custom fit for the ox…the farmer would need to “break the calves” for the yoke. This involved teaching both of the calves to become a team and obey the commands. They needed to learn how to work together because if one of the calves started walking and the other stood still…they would get all tangled up and be unable to move. This could actually injure the calves. They needed to learn to walk together- step by step and in this way they became an exceptional force of energy. The farmer would have to be very patient and gentle with the calves in order to get them to work together. He would not whip them or raise his voice to get them to do what he wanted. This would break their spirits and then they would not be able to work at all. The farmer would take as much time as he would need to teach the calves…he knew this was not a job that could be rushed.
So what exactly does Jesus mean when he tells us to take his yoke upon you?
When I hear that phrase I get a beautiful picture in my head. I see God the Father sitting for hours on end crafting a yoke that is made just for me. It fits me perfectly. He takes into account every facet and nuance that makes me unique and fashions the perfect yoke that is not going to hurt me in any way. Then God the Father takes that yoke and gently places it on my neck – fastening it into place with the utmost care. Then He takes his son, Jesus, and places the other side of the yoke around his neck. I am now tethered to Jesus and we will need to work together to move. Then God the Father patiently teaches us how to move together. It is hard at first. I keep forgetting to pace myself with Jesus. Sometimes I want to run out ahead and sometimes I want to lag behind. This just gets us all tangled up and then God has to set us straight again. I am amazed by the gentleness of God as He teaches me how to walk with Jesus. When we first started out the yoke seemed heavy and cumbersome- but as we learn how to walk together – I stop trying to bear the load on my own and let Jesus carry it as well. Pretty soon I forget it is there at all.
After lots of practice getting used to the yoke- God the Father opens the gates of the pasture and leads us outside. It is scary outside of the safety of the pasture…but Jesus is with me every step of the way. We are able to do so many things together – things that I never would be able to accomplish on my own. We are able to carry others burdens and pull heavy loads. It is exhilarating.
The interesting thing about God’s yoke is that it brings us rest for our souls. I think oftentimes we think of walking with Jesus as work…especially when we picture a huge yoke shackled around our neck. It seems as if it would be confining and burdensome. But actually it is just the opposite. When we walk with Jesus and allow God to guide our footsteps – it frees us. It frees us from worries. It frees us from guilt. It frees us up to do things out of love and not out of “should” or “have to”. Walking with Jesus allows us to learn from Him…learn how He would handle situations and people. Allows us to go to Him with our sorrows and our issues and have Him listen and love and heal.
So now when I look at Jesus’ words in Matthew – I have a whole new understanding of what it looks like to walk with Jesus. I can hear the love of my Father as He gently calls me to take on His yoke. I don’t see this as just one more thing I have to do. I now can see it as God wanting to care for me and love on me by sharing my burdens with His son. I can see Him patiently teaching me how to live so that I in turn can share His love with others…not because I should or have to…but because I am so filled up by walking so close with Him that I can’t help it.
posted by Amie at 2:51 PM
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