“Take My Yoke”

In the eleventh chapter of Matthew, Jesus, as he often did, used an analogy to communicate truth. In this case, the analogy is one the nation of Israel had heard again and again, that of a yoke.

The Yoke That Oppresses
And of course you know what a yoke is. It’s a bar with a piece at each end, designed to fit two horses or oxen to enable them to pull a plow or other heavy load. The yoke puts them under the command of the master, who can pull it this way or that. If the animals don’t follow, they feel a literal “pain in the neck.”

Until these words from Jesus, the yoke was a symbol of oppression. In fact, all through the Old Testament, when the word is used, it almost always signifies oppression. And who’s the driver? Assyria. Babylon. In other words, not a just or kind driver. The people of Israel are under the yoke of slavery, crying out to God.

So when Jesus uses that same analogy, his hearers would have automatically assumed, “Oh, he’s going to speak against Rome and the cruelty we experience under the Roman oppressors.” But instead, he does something surprising. He says, “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” (Matt. 11:29).

The Yoke That Upholds
Yes, a yoke is how we find rest for our souls. But Jesus’ yoke, I’m convinced, is very different from the yoke of the Assyrian, the yoke of the Roman, the yoke of the oppressor. Because it’s both an outward and an inward yoke.

In other words, when I see the yoke of oppression, I can see the ring around the horse’s neck being pulled this way and that. And in Jesus, we do have one who works within us to guide us. So there is a rod, but it’s a good rod, not an oppressive one. We are trusting God to guide us in the way we should go, even when we don’t want to go there. We are trusting him to take us in his hand and lead us through places that may be difficult and painful at times, but we go through them in a sense of his sovereign care.

Even in the midst of hardship, because we bear the yoke, we know we are there by divine appointment. And therefore, we can trust that he will give us what we need to live in the midst of even the worst of difficulty. In other words, the yoke of God is permanent. We don’t bear it simply to deal with our orneriness but to carry out God’s good purpose.

And here’s where this yoke is different. I think it actually goes, in essence, across our shoulders. But instead of encircling our neck, it comes up underneath us. Because the yoke of God not only deals with external circumstances but also with the internal, those matters of the heart. After all, the promise of the new birth, the presence of Christ, is (again quoting the Old Testament), “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26).

So this yoke does more than just guide. Because it’s underneath us, it upholds: “Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isa. 41:10).

The Yoke That Brings Rest
And that is the difference between the yoke of oppression and the yoke of Jesus. Because the presence of the yoke of Jesus is actually the changed heart. Bearing this yoke means he is working in us something more than we could ever ask or imagine, so that the rest we experience is, in fact (even in the midst of tumultuous circumstances), a rest of the heart. A heart that says, “In the midst of difficulties that I do not understand, I know that I am not abandoned by God. I know that his presence and his power, the very same Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead, dwells in me.” And that is what upholds, which is why, even in the midst of difficult circumstances, Jesus can promise rest.

And this, you see, is exactly what his hearers knew. They were living under a terrible time of political as well as religious oppression. And yet in the midst of those difficulties—outrageous, painful difficulties—Jesus promises rest.

So when I think of his yoke, I don’t think I’m trading one oppressor for another. Instead, I’m coming into a yoke that is in fact a place of great breath, great protection, great trust, and deep companionship. The yoke of Jesus is all I need, in the midst of even the worst of circumstances, to be able to serve and to live with a level of poise and courage that difficult circumstances demand. But it’s not panicky, it’s not flighty, it’s not impulsive. Instead, this rest gives us the capacity to be able to think and operate in a way that expresses the very grace and guidance of God.

That is his yoke. It not only guides us in the midst of our rebellion but also poises and protects and leads our hearts. And so, in the midst of even the most difficult of circumstances, bearing his yoke allows us to lead and serve in a way that looks like the grace of Christ.

What does bearing Jesus’ yoke mean to you? Share this blog and your comments on Twitter. Please include my username, @revgregbrewer.

(This post is an adaption of Bishop Brewer’s sermon on July 14, 2016, in the Bishop’s Oratory of the Diocesan Office, Orlando.)

Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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