I admit these words from Matthew 11:29 have not always been my favorite.  The world places enough burdens upon us; I wasn’t keen to think of Jesus placing yet another heavy yoke upon my shoulders.

Listening to a preacher’s  message recently, I discovered that I had been way off track on this one.  I learned that wooden yokes were carved to fit the neck and shoulders of the animal; the intent was to prevent pain or discomfort.  The yoke eased the work of hauling a heavy load.  Two oxen were chosen to share a yoke.  One would be an older seasoned animal, trained and hardy.  He would be paired with a young and inexperienced ox.  By sharing the same yoke, the veteran animal would train the younger.  He would draw harder to bear the majority of the load.  And, the younger animal did not have to wonder what to do.  To me, that painted a whole new picture.

Jesus does not  put a heavy yoke upon us.  He invites us to share with Him, “My yoke is easy.”  Easy might not mean simple, but it would be good.  We would find peace in being yoked to someone who was good, patient and loving; some who knew “what to do,”  someone who would bear the brunt of the burden.

I was moved by this paraphrase of Matthew’s verses.
“Get in the yoke with me.  Let me disciple you.  I’ll bear the weight of your burden.  My yoke is good and you will find rest and companionship in our labor together.”    Brannon Deilbert

Take MY yoke.   The change in emphasis to that one word makes all the difference.  How blessed indeed to be yoked to the one who can keep us safe, lead us down the pathway of life, and carry the greater burden.

Yes, this is one more example of the unconditional love of our precious Savior.

Judy