If youre going to share a yoke with one person ...

We're looking at this Sunday’s Gospel reading (in the postscript) with one of Jesus' most comforting invitations, "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."

There are two traditional understandings of why Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden light.

First, a yoke was usually custom fit to the oxen that would wear it - shaping it and sanding off any rough edges, so that it wouldn’t chafe or bruise.  Jesus, having been a wood worker, would have known all about that; and being a “soul worker” He knows the perfect fit for our “spiritual yoke.”

There are certain virtues, like fortitude and empathy, that only grow through trials.  Jesus knows exactly what we need for our spiritual growth.  It’s like an athlete working with a trainer.  While it’s true there’s no gain without pain, the athlete doesn’t want pain for pain’s sake.  That’s just masochism.  A skilled trainer will only recommend the pain that is needed for progress and victory.

This is why St. John Chrysostom says of Christ’s yoke, “For it does not at all bruise your neck, but is put on you for good order's sake only, and to persuade you to walk seemly, and to lead you unto the royal road, and to deliver you from the precipices on either side, and to make you walk with ease in the narrow way.”

Second, yokes were typically “built for two.”  When we accept the yoke of Christ, it’s not just that He only allow those trials that are necessary for us, but we are also then “yoked to Christ.”  He bears the load with us.  Guess who does the heavy lifting in that pairing?

This is why St. Augustine says of Christ’s yoke, “Any other burden oppresses and crushes you, but Christ’s actually takes weight off you. Any other burden weighs you down, but Christ’s gives you wings.  If you take a bird’s wings away, you might seem to be taking weight off it. But the more weight you take off, the more you tie it down to the earth.  There it is on the ground, and you wanted to relieve it of a weight.  Give it back the weight of its wings and you will see how it flies.”

Those are lovely and consoling words.  But the key, as always, is that we must take them into our interior.  That is why we have the gift of this scripture this Sunday – to remind us to pray with these words, and to ask Christ if perhaps what is wearing us down is a burden we are placing on ourself.

We’re very good at doing that, you know.  Many times we heap burdens on ourself for what seem like good reasons.  We think we need to solve a problem our way.  We think we must somehow bring about the outcome we think is best.  And so on.

In those situation Christ might be saying, “Let me give you rest.  I know how best to solve this problem.  Turn it over to me, let me take that burden from you, and you will see how I bring good from it that you hadn’t thought possible.  That is why we share this yoke.”

Sabbath blessings –

Steve and Karen Smith

Interior Life

Postscript:  Mt 11:25-30

At that time Jesus exclaimed:  "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.  Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father.  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

"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."