Perhaps it is because I have had some fairly stressful weeks recently, but I found myself reflecting the other day on Jesus’ words, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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” (Matthew 11:28-29).
If you have ever traveled to different areas of the world, or even if you have read National Geographic from time to time, you know that there are two basic kinds of yokes: single ones and shared ones. The single ones are surprisingly efficient. By placing a yoke across the shoulders and fitting buckets hung from poles on each side, a human being can carry almost as much weight as a donkey. Of course, you will tire easily and have to sit down to rest periodically, and your shoulders will probably ache most of the time—not to mention your back—but still, it is possible for a single person to move great loads from one place to another.
A shared yoke works quite differently. It requires twice as many workers for one thing. But if they are a well-matched pair, they can usually work all day long, because under a shared yoke system, one can rest a little while the other pulls. You can also take turns bearing the brunt of the load. Moreover, you have each other’s company the whole time, so when the day is done, both may be tired but neither is utterly exhausted.
It seems to me that too many of us labor under the illusion that our yokes are single ones … that we are expected to go it all alone … and that the only way to please God is load ourselves down with heavy requirements—good deeds, pure thoughts, blameless lives, perfect obedience, etc. However, if I understand Jesus’ words correctly, he is not talking about a single yoke. When he says, “Take my yoke upon you,” he is referring to a shared yoke.
In other words, the whole time that we are exhausting ourselves with our heavy loads, Jesus is standing right there offering to share the weight with us. Thus, the way to find rest for our souls is not to take on more, or try harder, or work faster in order to get through our “to do” lists. The way to find rest is to stop trying to carry the weight all by ourselves, and realize that Christ is willing to walk beside us and share the load.
If you have ever traveled to different areas of the world, or even if you have read National Geographic from time to time, you know that there are two basic kinds of yokes: single ones and shared ones. The single ones are surprisingly efficient. By placing a yoke across the shoulders and fitting buckets hung from poles on each side, a human being can carry almost as much weight as a donkey. Of course, you will tire easily and have to sit down to rest periodically, and your shoulders will probably ache most of the time—not to mention your back—but still, it is possible for a single person to move great loads from one place to another.
A shared yoke works quite differently. It requires twice as many workers for one thing. But if they are a well-matched pair, they can usually work all day long, because under a shared yoke system, one can rest a little while the other pulls. You can also take turns bearing the brunt of the load. Moreover, you have each other’s company the whole time, so when the day is done, both may be tired but neither is utterly exhausted.
It seems to me that too many of us labor under the illusion that our yokes are single ones … that we are expected to go it all alone … and that the only way to please God is load ourselves down with heavy requirements—good deeds, pure thoughts, blameless lives, perfect obedience, etc. However, if I understand Jesus’ words correctly, he is not talking about a single yoke. When he says, “Take my yoke upon you,” he is referring to a shared yoke.
In other words, the whole time that we are exhausting ourselves with our heavy loads, Jesus is standing right there offering to share the weight with us. Thus, the way to find rest for our souls is not to take on more, or try harder, or work faster in order to get through our “to do” lists. The way to find rest is to stop trying to carry the weight all by ourselves, and realize that Christ is willing to walk beside us and share the load.
posted by Dr. Robert Crilley at
8:23 AM
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