Take Your Yoke

Usually, when you think of a yoke, you think of oxen. An ox is an amazing animal. A working ox has a life expectancy of up to twenty years! An ox is not an animal species. Instead, it is any bovine that is trained to pull a load. A well-trained team of oxen will cost around $1,000 to $2,500. And, a team of oxen, when combined with two “operators,” can often plow one acre per day¹.

Take It

In America, where many farmers plow hundreds of acres, one acre may not seem like much, but to people in impoverished parts of the world, an acre of arable² ground can prevent a family from starvation. As students of the Bible, we know that Jesus told us:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy to bear, and I give you the burden of light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT (biblegateway.com)

Notice that Jesus told us to take His yoke. Having spent most of His life as a carpenter (τέκτονος (tektonos), a craftsman in wood), Jesus Christ of Nazareth knew a thing or two about quality yokes. When He said, “Take My yoke,” Jesus was offering a hand-crafted yoke tailor-made for each of His followers.

It Is a Tool

Now, when we take our yoke, it is not something for us to hang on the wall in our den and admire. It’s a tool. Its purpose is to harness us to Jesus so we can work for Him. Without wearing it, we are useless for the work Jesus would have us do. Too many Christians have slipped out of their yokes; they are filling their time with activities that look good and feel good, but they are not doing the work Jesus demands of them.

It is not surprising that churches are closing, ministries are insolvent, and Christians are lethargic. Good things to do cannot feed our souls. Only when Christians are connected to Jesus and plowing His fields will they fulfill God’s purpose for their lives. Christians can’t guess what Jesus wants them to do. They must be in His yoke and being directed by the Holy Spirit. Only then will Christians begin to have a use, something that’s bigger than themselves.

Lean In

If we (Christians) will take upon us our yokes from Jesus, let them fit on our shoulders. If we lean into them and learn to feel the tugs and pulls of God’s guidance, then God’s work will take place, flowing through our lives. This will change everything.

When Christians are directed by God, churches grow, ministries thrive, and believers are energized. We can look back over two thousand years of history and see when Christians lived by the power of the Holy Spirit and when they lived by the power of their flesh. So, are you spending enough time in your yoke? Does God’s work come before everything else? Can you say as Jesus did:

And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:49-50 ESV – Bible Gateway

** No part of this article was produced by artificial intelligence (AI). **

Image by Thorge from Pixabay

Footnote

1. Collins, R. (2013, January 29). Small Farming With Oxen. Grit – Rural American Know-How. https://www.grit.com/farm-and-garden/farming-with-oxen-zm0z13mazgou/ ↩︎
2. Wikipedia contributors. (2024, January 15). Arable land. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arable_land&oldid=1195876084 ↩︎