Matthew 11:29-30 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The only way this Bible verse makes sense is if you know what a yoke is.  I have not worked with livestock, even though I have lived in Texas my entire life, so naturally I had to do a little research to figure out exactly what it is. 

Essentially, a yoke is a harness used by a pair of oxen to ease the work of hauling a load.  The wood is hand carved to fit over the neck and shoulders of both oxen so that it would prevent pain.  The oxen need to be about the same size so that the yoke sits comfortably on both animals.

Typically, the pair of oxen includes an older seasoned ox that has been well trained from years of routine and a new young ox that has potential but is inexperienced.  By sharing the same yoke with a veteran ox, the younger ox does not have to wonder what to do. Plus, the experienced one pulls harder and bears most of the load until the younger ox is trained up. 

How awesome is that?  In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus is saying that he wants me to be harnessed to him.  He wants to take me under his wing and learn the ropes from him.  He is not a fierce and cruel teacher but gentle and humble in heart.  He is stronger and more experienced than I am so he will be pulling harder and bearing most of the load.

I don’t know what your burden is.  It might be an addiction to shopping, alcohol or sex.  It might be a spirit of lying and gossiping.  Or perhaps you have a desire for something that is not yours.  Whatever it is, if you harness yourself to Jesus, he will carry most of the load for you.  That is His promise to you. 

Jesus, thank you for bearing the load of the sins in my life. When I forget to give my worries to you, remind me that I can find rest in you. Amen.