Genesis 2:15
“The LORD God took the man… in order to have him work…”
A minister once told the congregation an illustration of how doing God’s work is like a young ox bearing the yoke with a strong, mature bull to plough the farm: “Unless the two keep in line with each other, the younger ox would be choked by the yoke because the burden would then become too heavy for the ox if it turns away to the left and right from, if it lags behind, and if it attempts to overtake the strong bull; the primary strength and the sense of direction come from the strong bull, as the growing ox keeps in line and is subsequently trained.”
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens… Place my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls, because my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light.”
Jesus – [Matthew 11:28-30]
“Place my yoke on you…” with child-like faith [Matt 11:25]. Jesus never forces that yoke of his on anyone [John 6:66]; you – “… all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens…” – are to place his yoke on yourselves willingly, i.e. to pursue him and his will, by choice.
If you choose to carry the yoke of and with the Messiah, you must remember that it is indeed “…my yoke… my burden…”, not anyone else’s [John 5:19], and God really will do whatever he wants [John 3:8]! Certainly, “…my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light”, but not so unless and until you personally know God and keep yourself in line with his way!
When you continually keep his instructions, you eventually will know how to bear his yoke, perhaps like a companion, sharing not only his faith but also his suffering [John 15:14; Phil 1:29]. God might be silent at times, but he is never far; he is always helping and guiding you who are not just his servant but his child and friend [John 14:18; 15:15; 16:13].
You might even be tempted to abandon that yoke of his altogether, only to be enslaved by the yoke of the world [2 Corinth 6:1, 14]. Yet, his call and instruction, along with his promise for us, is to abandon the yoke of the world, “Come to me… place my yoke on you… learn from me… (be) gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls…”.
From him alone we receive for our souls his unique rest that the world is not able to give [John 14:27].
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