Yoke Lesson for everyone

Matthew 11: 28-30   “Come to me, all you who are exhausted and weighted down beneath your burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Refection 

Jesus was speaking to men who were desperately trying to find God and desperately trying to be good very much like you guys are doing, but yet finding it difficult to do.  Here Jesus invites us to take his yoke upon our shoulders.  The Jews used this phase “the yoke” for entering into submission.  They spoke of the yoke of the Law, or the yoke of God.  Jesus says, “My yoke is easy.”   During the time of Christ the ox-yoke were made of wood and the ox was brought to a carpenter and measurements were taken. The  yoke was then roughed out, and the ox was brought back to have the yoke fitted. The yoke was carefully adjusted, so that it would fit well, and not dig at the neck of the ox.  The yoke was tailor-made to fit the ox.  There is a legend that Jesus made the best ox yokes in all Galilee, and that from all over the country men came to him to buy the best yokes that money could buy.  In those days as now the shop had their signs above the door; and it has been suggested that the sign above the door of the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth may well have been :  “My yoke fits well.”.  Can I ask you this question – Does your yoke that you have now need adjustment or does it fit well?  Jesus say, “My yoke fits all, which means the life I give you is not a burden to injure you, but the task is made to measure to fit you. It is not that the burden is easy to carry, but it is laid on us in love and is meant to be carried in love, and love makes even the heaviest burden light.

There is a story which tells how a man came upon a little boy carrying a still smaller boy, on his back because he was lame.  “That’s a heavy burden for you to carry,” said the man.  “That’s no burden” came the answer. “That’s my little brother.”  The burden which is given in love and carried in love is always light.