dW 10.15.07

scripture

 

Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

 

thoughts

 

When I think of a yoke I think of the wood that presses in on an ox’s neck as it pulls the plow through the ground. It is an object that denotes submission to its master with a set of rules for it to follow. In the same way is this yoke which Jesus speaks of.

 

A Jewish teacher is called a rabbi. What a rabbi teaches is considered to be his yoke. If you wanted to be that rabbi’s disciple then you had to take on his yoke. You chose to submit to his teachings and to follow in his steps.

 

The yoke that the people knew was the law. It was a yoke that was so heavy no one could bear it. The more you tried to bear it the more you sank in its unquenchable demands for absolute perfection.

 

The yoke of Christ is one of liberation, not condemnation. The yoke of Christ is one of freedom, not bondage. The yoke of Christ is one that asks you for your obedience and brings you joy through that obedience.

 

quote

 

Worldly people imagine that the saints must find it difficult to live with so many restrictions, but the bondage is with the world, not with the saints.  There is no such thing as freedom in the world, and the higher we go in the social life the more bondage there is.

Oswald Chambers