The Yoke of Christ

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  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.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV) 

I am reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, Discipleship.  Some may know it better under the older title, The Cost of Discipleship.  But a newer translation has been made and this is the title of the book I am working on at this time.  No matter the name, Bonhoeffer has in his preface a discussion of the yoke of Christ.  This idea has been in my mind this morning for a number of situations.  The least of which is the personal desire to follow Christ better.

The idea of the Yoke of Christ is taken from the quote above and from other areas in the Gospels.  Jesus tells His listeners and us today to take upon our selves the yoke He offers.  Now,  in most situations and through out the New Testament, many would consider taking on the yoke of Christ to mean something along the lines of following the grace brought through Christ and removing the burden of the law.  This would be a very simple and great gift to the people of Jesus time who were burdened by attempting to follow a very hard and arduous set of rules imposed by the religious elite.  Is this all Jesus was wanting to point out in the lives of His listeners and in our ears today?

I do not think this is the case.  Jesus not only asked people to listen, but He called people to follow Him.  This were His first words to the disciples, "Come and Follow me."  The idea of a yoke is that it is something used by farmers to guide the animals of work.  It also provided a way for the load from the work to be spread out on the shoulders and among other animals and not just a single being.  We are called to be guided and directed by the Jesus not just given a freedom from the law.  

This was the words in the preface of Bonhoffer's book.  Where are you being directed by God today?  What aspects of your life are you willing to give up for Christ to become central in your life?  The yoke is light not because Jesus will demand great work out of us.  It is light because it shares the load with others and we are equipped by Christ Himself to accomplish the life we are being directed towards.  Are you willing to take up the Yoke of Christ?