The Yoke Of Jesus

In 21st-century America, the concept of a yoke is viewed negatively. It is considered a burden, something we are forced to carry, limiting our freedom. The yoke of God is not like that. Instead of being a burden or limiting our freedom, only when we embrace God’s yoke can we find peace and truly be free. Consider that as Jesus invites us to take up his yoke in today’s Gospel passage.

Gospel - Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus said to the crowds:

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am meek and humble of heart;

and you will find rest for yourselves.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Scriptural Analysis

Jesus was addressing his Father, and now he turns his attention to the crowds: those who may become disciples. He presents them with a simple invitation, “Come to me.” That invitation is addressed to all those who have become burdened and tried. In the context of his ministry, he is likely addressing those who have struggled to live under the demands of the Scribes and the Pharisees. Later in Matthew’s Gospel, we will hear Jesus say that the Pharisees “Bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders.” (Matthew 23:4) Jesus invites them into a relationship which him: a relationship that promises not just reward in the life to come but inner peace in the life here and now. Of course, that does not mean that life will not have its challenges but that those challenges will be more bearable with the Lord’s help.

Jesus then invites his listeners to take up his yoke. In the Jewish tradition, a yoke is a metaphor for religious instructions. It can mean the commandments of the Torah, and it can also mean the divine wisdom that guides men and women in living in accordance with God’s law. Jesus probably intended both meanings in this passage. Jesus brings to fulfillment the Torah while also bringing forth new Wisdom. We can compare Jesus’s invitation to the invitation found in the book of Sirach, “Put your neck under the yoke, and let your souls receive instruction; it is to be found close by. See with your eyes that I have labored little and found for myself much rest. “(Sirach 51:26-27) Jesus is the embodiment of the new Torah and the incarnation of divine Wisdom.

The call here is a call to discipleship: to submit oneself to the instructions of Jesus. We are to follow his words as well as the example of his life. In Christ and Christ alone, we find the message and the messenger as one and the same person. Finally, Jesus mentions that his yoke is easy and the burden is light. This is an odd mention, as peasants typically used a yoke to carry heavy objects. This would have been difficult work.

If we look at this more deeply, the Greek word translated here as “easy,” chréstos, can also mean well-fitting. Yokes were tailor-made to fit each ox, so that it would not hurt their neck. There is a legend that Jesus made the best ox-yokes in all of Galilee. Jesus is using this image of a yoke to convey that we can handle the demand of following him that he places upon each of us with His grace.

Daily Application

God never gives us more than we can handle. That is a common expression I imagine most of us have heard at some point. That is an inaccurate saying. It should be said that God never gives us more than we can handle with him. Perhaps that seems like an insignificant distinction, but it is not.

The yoke that Jesus invites us to carry is tailor-made for each of us. If we accept that yoke, which is an invitation to walk with him, then we can handle the burdens of life because we are walking with him. The burdens become too much for us to handle when we reject his yoke and refuse to walk with him.

Taking up the yoke of Jesus does one final thing. It brings us lasting peace and freedom. It allows us to live out the words of our Lord, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.” (Matthew 6:34) It brings us peace because we realize that any and every challenge, obstacle, or burden we face in this life, through the Grace of God we can handle. We understand and live as one who is not journeying through life on their own but traveling through life with him who created all things.