“Come to Me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." ~ Matthew 11:28-30
(Around 6 AD)
As boys, we played together in
the streets of Nazareth. He was the kind
of kid who lived how people should, as if only sunshine radiated from those he
met, their flaws entirely invisible. Most
of all, he was my friend.
We loved watching his dad make all kinds of things from
wood. A carpenter in the 1st
century built everything from plows and wheels, to house beams and every need
in between. He might have been best known
for his skill in making yokes so necessary to guide oxen in the fields.
A yoke is a piece of wood used to hold two animals together
in order to plow fields. The stronger
one bears most of the weight, yet they share the load, doing the work
together. Joseph designed them for
specific teams of animals, carefully measured height and shoulder widths.
When my family moved to Capernaum, everything seemed to
change. The laws have become
worrisome. We’re barely making it; our
savings are gone. I miss my friend; the
kindness in his smile, his calming influence.
Today at the Temple, I found my childhood friend …
preaching. Melting into the crowd, I
listened in awe as he “sat among the religious teachers, praising God and discussing
deep questions with them; amazed at his understanding and his responses.” (Luke 2:46–47)
As he caught my eye, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. I felt as if our childhood days suddenly came to mind, inspiring him. I could almost smell the sawdust and hear the sandpaper moving across bare wood as his father silently coaxed the perfect yoke into shape.
His words stole my breath. “Come to Me, all who are heavily
burdened,” Jesus said staring directly at me. “For My yoke is easy; My burden is light.”
It was as if He could see my inner struggles, my anxious
life.
He’d learned how to fashion a yoke from his father. Hearing Jesus gave me courage. I felt renewed hope. I went to the village looking for temporary
solutions to temporal problems. I returned
with a longer-term solution: reliance on the providence of God.
Could my old playmate really be God’s anointed one?
As we yoke ourselves with Christ, walking through the
hardships and challenges of life, we’re connected with the One who’s the
ultimate burden bearer and lifter. We’re
reminded that the problems we bear aren’t to be dismissed as insignificant
(they truly matter to Him!). He longs
for us to trade for his ‘gentle, calm’ support. One that adds new vigor to our lives as we
continue to do the good work that God prepared for us; one that offers our
greatest hope eternal salvation.
Father God, the battle feels intense some
days. We feel tired, weary and worn. It’s hard to keep going in the face of defeat.
But help us remember that You’ll never
leave us; that You alone have the power to make all things new. Amen
