Double Yoke
“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. — Matthew 11:29
“Take my yoke upon you.”
It seems like our faith communities mistakenly believe that Jesus is talking about a single yoke, placed over our shoulders alone. We are expected to wear the yoke by ourselves, while Jesus sits on the driver’s seat of the wagon behind us. He directs our path, but from a distance. And instead of helping to pull the load, He actually adds to the burden.
But since Jesus describes His yoke as easy, light, and restful, it seems to me that He has to be referring to a double yoke. One in which He takes the lead position, doing all of the heavy pulling. While we only have to walk along at His side.
Which is an important distinction for at least two reasons.
First, in the single yoke scenario, Christianity becomes like every other religion to have ever existed, in which followers spend their lives striving to keep a list of rules and perform a series of duties in order to earn God’s approval. In the double yoke scenario, Christianity is about drawing near to a loving God who draws near to us, a God who welcomes us to walk along restfully at His side.
While the double yoke is about a relationship with God, the single yoke is about a performance for Him. Which leads to the second point.
In the end, a Christian’s job is not as much about pulling the wagon, as it is about revealing the One who actually is. When Christians choose to step under the double yoke alongside Jesus, it can be a powerful witness. Other people see mere humans moving enormous loads with superhuman strength, and they are alerted to the presence of God. By contrast, the Christian struggling along under a single yoke often falls somewhere on a continuum between unappealing and appaling. All of that grunting and pulling, while the wagon barely budges. Or, even worse—the anger, impatience, and resentment that seeps out of us when we fail to honor our human weaknesses and limitations.
In a world in desperate need of Jesus’s rest, which yoke will you choose?
Prayer: Jesus, I cannot pull this wagon by myself, and I keep forgetting that you never asked me to. Help me to remember that You are God and that the heavy pulling is Yours. Help me to simply stay at Your side.
