The Seven Part Yoke

UV 2061/10000 The Seven Part Yoke
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls
Matthew 11 v 29

All those who do not trust in Jesus are heavily burdened, restless and weary. They are weighed down by their own pride that does not let them admit that they are overburdened and tired. Their pride is manifested in anger and aggression that produces conflicts at the individual level and wars at the level of nations. Jesus is the ultimate teacher of wisdom. He beckons every individual to get rid of the burden of sin and guilt, fear and shame that weighs him down. Instead, He asks us to model our lives on Him and His teachings. If we place our trust in Him, He lifts the weight of sin and its curses off our back. Our souls or our inner being will be greatly blessed with a wholesome peace that invades our spirit, minds and bodies. We will not be restless or weary. We will rise in every situation and circumstance on the wings of prayer and the word. We need never strive to be who we cannot be or to have what we cannot have.

Jesus modelled humility and gentleness. We will realize that we do not have to prove to anyone that we are superior to them. We will rise in life not due to aggression and ruthless competition but by imitating Jesus in humility and gentleness. Our behaviour or our communication need not be abrasive or hurtful to others. Even as we are meek, the Lord will lift us up and manifest His power on our behalf. The Lord found Moses to be the humblest person on the earth and therefore, chose Him to confront the proudest and most powerful person on the earth at the time- Pharaoh, the king of the old world’s superpower.

A plough has many parts: it has a heavy wooden log into which are fixed sharp blades that are meant to churn up the earth. The heavier the wooden block and the stronger and heavier the metal parts, the more effective the plough. Believers in Jesus are given a light plough to carry on their shoulders as the major part of the weight rests on Jesus. We have no need to be stressed out, frustrated or hopeless. We only need to humble ourselves and trust Him to operate His power and grace through us. We need to learn lifelong from Jesus how to speak, how to think, how to feel and how to act or react. Our identity is derived from Him- the I Am who I Am. As Jesus teaches us, “ I am who I am- the Good Shepherd,” we need to take His guidance, listen to His voice and follow Him. He protects us and hence, we need not worry about threats and fear of danger. As He teaches, “ I am who I am- the Bread of Life, we need to trust and believe that He will meet all our needs- physical or otherwise. As He teaches, “ I am who I am- the true vine”, we need to be grafted on Him to bear fruit- the nine dimensions of spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and humility. As He teaches us “ I am who I am- the light of the world,” we derive knowledge and wisdom from Him. As He teaches us, “ I am the Gate or Door”, we find every opportunity to improve and progress in Him. As He teaches us, “ I am who I am- the life and the Resurrection,” we believe we have eternal life here and now and beyond death. As He teaches, I am who I am- the Way, the Truth and the Life, He is the way to lead a truthful and blessed life. These seven identities are the seven parts of the yoke of Jesus. It is not a yoke that burdens us but one that lightens our load, one that eases our pain, one that meets our need, one that equips us, one that leads and guides us, one that lights up our lives.

Prateep V Philip