TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU – MATTHEW 11:28-30 – BUT HOW WILL THAT YOKE FIT ME?
THE THREE COMMANDS THAT ARE REALLY INVITATIONS
{{Matthew 11:28 “COME to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Matt 11:29 TAKE My yoke upon you, and LEARN from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls, Matt 11:30 for My yoke is easy and My load is light.”}}
There are three commands here but “commands” is too strong a word. They are invitations and they are compassionate invitations. Human beings can be kind; some remnants remain after the fall. It is what Shakespeare calls “the milk of human kindness” when Lady Macbeth chastised her husband. No matter though how kind human beings might be, it just can not measure up to the kindness and compassion of Christ. People are kind from a sinful nature, while the Lord is kind from a spotless, divine nature.
Looking at those loving invitations they are:-
1. Come to Me.
2. Take My yoke.
3. Learn from Me.
One is a command of acceptance. One is a command of commitment and service. One is a command of growing enjoyment.
I looked up “yoke” in a dictionary and got this:-
YOKE
(a). A crossbar with two U-shaped pieces that encircle the necks of a pair of oxen or other draught animals working together.
(b). Yoke or yokes - A pair of draught animals, such as oxen, joined by a yoke.
(c). A bar used with a double harness to connect the collar of each horse to the pole of a wagon or coach.
(d). A frame designed to be carried across a person's shoulders with equal loads suspended from each end.
AND in another explanation:-
yoke - yokes or yoke
(1). (Agriculture) a wooden frame, usually consisting of a bar with an oxbow or similar collar-like piece at either end, for attaching to the necks of a pair of draught animals, esp oxen, so that they can be worked as a team.
(2). (Tools) something resembling a yoke in form or function, such as a frame fitting over a person's shoulders for carrying buckets suspended at either end.
We may ask, “How did the Lord mean the word to apply in Matthew 11:29?” We will look at examples in the bible of the word “yoke” and then come back to answer that question.
(A). THE STUDY OF YOKES IN SCRIPTURE BRINGS OUT THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS –
[A]. A YOKE CAN BE A PRISON OF RESENTMENT – {{Genesis 27:39 “Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, and away from the dew of heaven from above. Gen 27:40 and by your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother, but it shall come about when you become restless, that you shall break his YOKE from your neck,” Gen 27:41 so Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near. Then I will kill my brother Jacob.”}}
Resentment is a horrible thing as ill-feeling festers away in a person’s being. It causes hate and revenge, destruction of one’s soul, and many other personality disorders. It is a terrible sin. In the case here, Esau was promised a hard life, and it was his sin that wrought that for him. He would be under his brother Jacob’s dominance but in time would break that yoke and continue in his self-separation from God. Christian, always be very certain that you are not harbouring resentment in your life of a root of bitterness that will lead to resentment. You must be free from all that. Keep short accounts of yourself.
That incident with Isaac and Esau was the basis for this verse – {{Hebrews 12:15-16 “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled, that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.”}}
[B]. A YOKE CAN BE THE SHACKLES OF BONDAGE – {{Leviticus 26:13 I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you should not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your YOKE and made you walk erect.”}}
Before we look at an application from this verse here is a quote taken from Bishop Ellicott that clarifies the meaning of the verse – [[“To remind them of the abject state from which they were rescued, the illustration is taken from the way in which oxen are still harnessed in the East. The bands or the rods are straight pieces of wood, which are inserted in the yoke, or laid across the necks of the animals, to fasten together their heads and keep them level with each other. These bands, which are then attached to the pole of the wagon, are not only oppressive, but exhibit the beasts as perfectly helpless to resist the cruel treatment of the driver.”]]
That is a nasty way to treat the animals, cruel and “oppressive” as Ellicott used the word. In type, each one of the Jews had a bar and yoke which spoke of bondage. God broke them all. He set the nation free. Notice the expression “and made you walk erect” which is a picture of deliverance from the oppressive burdens that bent the people over, then released by God so the people regained their erect posture.
We were all in bondage to Satan and the fallen nature but the Lord smashed the bars of our yoke and caused us to walk upright before God instead of groaning under the burden of sin’s bondage.
[C]. A YOKE CAN BE IMPOSED BY ONE’S OWN NATION AND KINDRED AND FAMILY – {{1Kings 12:3 Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam saying, 1Kings 12:4 “Your father made our YOKE hard. Now therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy YOKE which he put on us, and we will serve you.”}}
Solomon was supposed to be the wisest man but I think he departed from God in the second half of his life. He turned to idolatry and oppression. I think he passed on his stupidity to his son, Rehoboam, who wanted to increase the oppression forced on the nation by Solomon. It is what split the nation in two.
What about the ordinary people living in that regime? Well, they were oppressed by their government (King Solomon). Governments and rulers can behave in awful ways and create burdens for their people, putting the citizens under the yoke of oppression and mismanagement. The world is at that point now. Policies as I write this, have created a fuel and power crisis. Bodies such as the WEF and agenda socialism are placing burdens on people. They will get worse. God says so. Oppression will get worse. – {{2Timothy 3:12-13 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”}}
[D]. A YOKE OF SUBMISSION IS GOD’S COMPASSION IN SPITE OF GROSS EVIL AND IDOLATRY – {{Jeremiah 27:8-12 “And it will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the YOKE of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, until I have destroyed it by his hand,” declares the LORD, Jer 27:9 but as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ Jer 27:10 for they prophesy a lie to you, in order to remove you far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish. Jer 27:11 But the nation which will bring its neck under the YOKE of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let remain on its land, and they will till it and dwell in it,” declares the LORD. Jer 27:12 I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah saying, “Bring your necks under the YOKE of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.”
This may seem a bit bizarre, for God tells the nations to place themselves under the yoke (control) of Nebuchadnezzar, but the prophet warned the people, pleading with them, for what was best, to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, but they ignored Jeremiah and went to their destruction. This was to be the best because it came from God. To refuse the yoke of mercy is to pursue the yoke of oppression and death. Christians need to be under the yoke of Christ – more on that soon.
[E]. A YOKE OF HARDSHIP CAN DEVELOP FROM A POSITION OF PRIVILEGE – {{Isaiah 47:5 “Sit silently, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for you will no more be called The queen of kingdoms. Isa 47:6 I was angry with My people. I profaned My heritage, and gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them. On the aged you made your YOKE very heavy.”}}
Nebuchadnezzar was in a privileged position. As leader of Babylon he was appointed by God to punish the people of Israel, called “My heritage” in the passage. It was a great responsibility to be selected as God’s punishing rod as it required fairness and decent dealing, and Babylon did neither. It was ruthless, cruel, murderous, merciless, and treated the aged extremely pitifully.
Three times in Jeremiah, the king of Babylon is called “My servant” as in this one verse – {{Jeremiah 27:6 “And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him.”}} However, instead of being a servant to punish Judah, he became a tyrant; or it was Babyon that became the tyrant. In that regard, Babylon itself became the object of punishment for what it did, and the Medo-Persian Empire did that to Babylon.
The specific reference to the yoke, was that it was upon the aged. Those defenceless, and often frail, were the recipients of vile treatment, the Holy Spirit even choosing the words “VERY heavy” in verse 6. As Christians, we must be most diligent to treat the aged well and care for them, especially the believers among us.
[F]. A YOKE OF BONDAGE RESULTS FROM CHRISTIAN FAILURE AND AFFECTS OTHER CHRISTIANS – {{Acts 15:10 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a YOKE which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?”}}
This is the upbraiding of the legalists who were trying to place a yoke on the necks of Gentile Christians that Israel itself could not bear. Certain legalists were trying to force particular elements of the Law upon the Gentiles. The Law was a failure in that the people failed, so the covenant of grace through Calvary replaced it. The message was spoken to the Jewish leaders and it was their responsibility to serve correctly.
[G]. A YOKE CAN BE IMPOSED BY CHRISTIAN LEADERS AND DENOMINATIONS AND RITUALISTS – {{Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a YOKE of slavery.”}}
This was spoken/written to God’s people throughout Galatia. Jewish ritualists went through the area trying to get these Gentiles to keep the Law. It was so important that the Gentiles be free of the Law that Paul said any person who tried placing people under the Law should be cursed – {{Galatians 1:8 “Even though we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Gal 1:9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.”}} There is a denomination today that does that very thing condemned by God. Be warned! The responsibility we have is to stand firm rejecting leaders and taskmasters who want to enslave Christians under the Law.
(B). RETURNING TO THE MATTHEW PASSAGE – THE CHRISTIAN APPLICATIONS
{{Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Matt 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls, Matt 11:30 for My YOKE is easy and My load is light.”}}
On one of the cruises we did, a Christian named Steve on the ship and spoke on this passage in one of the meditations we had, and he raised a matter I had never considered. The Lord was a carpenter and would have made yokes for the farmers’ animals to work on the land but He would carefully fit each yoke made to suit the animal it was intended for. You could not use generic yokes. The Lord was experienced in yokes and knew the problems with ill-fitting yokes. It was an individual matter matching the yoke to the animal.
He was the carpenter who fitted the yokes for the animals. It had to be a perfect fit. What care He would have taken.
A yoke has to be fitted. Your yoke has to be fitted. The Lord will fit it just right for you.
You will be working as a team. There is no room for self-will and self-determination or rebellion – for then the animals under the yoke will go off on a crooked track with the plough. Yoked for ownership. Yoked for service. Yoked for fellowship and joy.
The Lord goes with us. What you bear is light. When yoked to the Lord you will be under the Lord’s control and His guidance. The yoke is easy and the load is light. He will not laden you up with more than you can bear. He is not a cruel Owner. Are your hardships onerous? The Lord is the yoke-maker.
The Matthew passage is a call to all the heavy-laden and the weary. It has application to the unsaved who are laden down by sin, and weary through a sinful life. They kick against the traces and expend energy in worthless pursuits opposing God.
It has a major application for Christians who become weary in the way and get heavy-laden. This is sometimes because they have strained against the yoke by pride and self-will instead of surrendering fully to the Lord’s yoke. He gives rest, the only One who can do so.
Being yoked means surrender to a master. Are you surrendered to the Lord in full trust and reliance? Do you spend time with Him? Why must we do that?
Why should you be yoked to the Lord? He answers that – it is because He is gentle and humble in heart and gives rest. Taking the Lord’s yoke means not only commitment and surrender, but it means an eagerness to learn of Him. He said here to “learn from Him”. Not learn from me, the speaker, but from the One who fitted your yoke so perfectly. We must learn from Him. You can’t have the yoke of the Lord and not learn your path, and the ways of the Master who controls the reins, and manages your yoke. Come willingly and surrender.
When the farmer had the yoke made for the animal he had to train the animal so they could work together. The animal (ox, buffalo) had to learn the ways of the master. It had to know his commands to stop and turn, for example. The animal needed to be in sync with its master.
All that is applicable to the Christian. I think the hymn writer captured something of that in the chorus of his hymn – “I Come to the Garden Alone”. Chorus = “And He walks with me and He talks with me and tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, no other has ever known.”
Have you ever seen a man try to put a saddle on a horse or the bit and bridle but the horse is unwilling and rears up and snorts and resists. Yes, that they do, but once broken in and trusting the master, they willingly accept the saddle and bit. How many Christians are acting as if they are unbroken? They snort about their lot, and rear up at events. They resist the Holy Spirit as He tries to draw them even closer to the Lord.
Today, take His yoke and learn from Him for He is kind and gentle and you can trust Him! Above all, take His yoke and learn from Him.
There was the other sort of yoke more common in SE Asia where the bar is across the shoulders but with the yoke over the shoulders, it is balanced. Often we unbalance it by adding uneven weights to one side or the other. The Lord’s load is light and always balanced for you. He knows best.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
