Matthew 11:28-30 is a very special place in God’s Word. It is the only place in Scripture where Jesus offers any kind of self-description. It is in this great invitation that He says ‘I am meek and lowly in heart.’ With this profoundly simple statement, He paints a word picture that describes two of his attributes, meekness and humility. Immediately following these two characteristics, Jesus ensures his followers that their loads will be lighter. Those who yoke up with Jesus, will actually find rest in their souls, while toiling and laboring with him. Our burdens will be lighter, because of His yoke that is ‘easier.’ What an amazing concept; we work for and with Jesus, while at the same time, we acquire rest! It is at this point that I wish to delve a little deeper, considering the yoke of Jesus and its relevance to us today. How may we practically apply this yoke to our Christian walk?
The Description of the Yoke
Throughout Scripture you find that a yoke was used literally on animals, captives and slaves. The word yoke is found fifty-three times in the Old Testament and six times in the New Testament. The symbolism is employed to speak of human oppression and hard service. Jeremiah records that a yoke symbolized entire nations being in submission to the nation of Babylon, (Jeremiah 27:8). Yokes were also used to portray being in bondage to sin. The Bible uses the phrase ‘the yoke of my transgressions’ (Lamentations 1:14).
In the New Testament the yoke principle is used by Christ in Matthew 11, speaking of Christian discipleship and growth. However, the concept points to legalism in Galatians where it says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). Finally Paul uses the image of the yoke to forbid Christians not to be ‘unequally yoked’ with unbelievers, (2 Corinthians 6:14). It is widely held that the Corinthian reference is a direct prohibition of the marriage of a Christian to a non-Christian. Paul uses strong terminology like light and darkness, righteousness and unrighteousness, and Christ and Belial (Satan). The Holy Spirit inspires Paul to spell it out plainly by saying . . . ‘or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?’ It is obvious that the analogies of the yoke are applied in various ways in Scripture. Let us now take a practical look at the yoke with particular reference to the modern-day Christian’s daily walk.
The Demands of the Yoke
If this article seems a bit “preachy,” it is because this is the subject at in my most recent Bible studies and I plan to preach it! Let us turn our attention to the aforementioned symbolism of the yoke. First of all, a yoke is a symbol of submission. This says that as we ‘yoke’ up with Jesus in salvation and discipleship, we are declaring that He is Master, Lord and boss of our lives. Whereas an ox or other animal often had to be forcible yoked, the child of God willingly and gladly puts on the yoke of Jesus. We submit to His will by putting our necks (lives) into his yoke and plowing and working with Him. The Bible says ‘The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord’ (Matthew 10:24). We should be willing to do whatever our Master does.
The yoke also is a symbol of sacrifice. To yoke up with Jesus implies that we are giving up what we want and doing what He wants. We are trading our wills for His. We exchange our desires for Jesus’. Further, the yoke is a symbol of suffering. By this I mean that you and I will often suffer persecution socially, verbally and sometimes physically. We live in a world that is growing more hostile toward conservative Christianity. We have heard the political left and a liberal news media, screaming intolerance for years now, but have you noticed how intolerant the unregenerate world is toward Christianity? We have recently seen what some have termed ‘religious profiling’ in the confirmation process of our Attorney General, John Ashcroft. Millions of Americans were appalled as the Senate Judiciary Committee drilled Senator Ashcroft for days. They were calloused, merciless and at times, haughty. I was astounded at those who probed and ridiculed a clean, decent Christian man. Senator Ashcroft has perhaps as good a record in racial matters as any governor or congressman in the nation, yet it was implied that he was racially biased. We watched as red-faced drunks and adulterers (guess who) verbally persecuted a man, whose only crime was being an honest, decent and conservative Christian. The committee assaulted the reputation of a godly man who loves Jesus with all his heart. Dear Christians, it will not get any better before Jesus comes! We will suffer reproach in the yoke of Jesus.
Additionally, the yoke means service. When we put on the yoke with Christ, it means hard work. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 for those who ‘labor’ and are ‘heavy laden’ to come to Him to find rest. There is work to do in the service of Christ. The family of God is no place for the slothful, lazy servant. There is work to do and burdens to bear. There is a daily, spiritual warfare going on all around us. The Bible says for us to work heartily, zealously for Jesus as we serve him.
In talking about the demands of the yoke, there is one more term I would like to address. The yoke is a symbol of sanctification. Do not let this term cause disinterest. It is a good word. In the Bible it refers to a holy and separate walk. It means to be set apart for service. It implies holiness in character and conduct. Simply put, to walk or plow with Jesus means that we must be in agreement with Him in doctrinal matters. Jesus said much about being holy and mature. The New Testament uses the word ‘perfect’ to point to our walk with him. Philippians 2:15 speaks of our lifestyle in this world as ‘blameless.’ Amos 3:3 says . . . “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” We must live holy, sanctified lives as we plow in the same yoke and harness with our Lord.
The Delights of the Yoke
When thinking of the yoke symbolism, there are many rewards or delights that accompany the yoke of Jesus. The first one I think of is the sharing of the yoke. We share both burdens and blessings with our Lord. He makes things easier and lighter. We are not in this alone. Man was not made to be alone, and Jesus is our constant companion in life. He shares our griefs and glories. We are beside Him, but more importantly HE is beside us through every day, over all the way!
Another delightful aspect of the yoke is the strength of it. While I can do nothing without Him (John 15:5), I can do all things through Christ which ‘strenghteneth me’ (Philippians 4:13). It is said that oxen or mules, etc., will triple or even quadruple their strength when they pull beside a partner. They will simply give more and pull harder alongside another. We do likewise in our service to Christ.
Finally, when thinking of the delights of the yoke, I have to mention the success of it. The Bible says that when God starts a good work in us, He will complete it. Philippians 1:6 says “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
Charlton Heston relates a story about the filming of the classic movie Ben Hur. The movie had many scenes involving some major chariot races. Heston had to literally learn how to drive the powerful horse teams which pulled his chariot, for the race scenes. He says it was a demanding task, to say the least. Once when Heston seemed to be getting the “hang of it”, but still had questions about his chariot-driving skills, he shared that concern with his director. The director of the movie replied firmly to Charlton Heston, “you stay in the chariot and drive, I’ll see to it that you win the race!” Beloved, all we have to do is stay in the yoke of Jesus, He will see to it that we win our race!