His Yoke Is Easy

For beginning my time of contemplative prayer I sometimes use the invitation that Jesus makes to all of us:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” MT 11:28-30

This is my go-to passage when my level of distraction is high and my mind is active with the cares of daily life. This is what I call an extra ‘lovey’ communication from our All-Loving God and I usually feel that way from reading it only half-way through. But, I hear so many people, even respectable scholars, who liken this passage and definition of “yoke” to more of a partnership with Jesus. And, if you apply this nomenclature to mean ‘side-by-side’ there is an inference that this may be an almost equal sharing of the load between the two. This explanation of what Jesus means by “yoke” never sits well with an unwavering devotee of Total Abandonment to God’s (Perfect) Providence.

What I always hear in this beckoning is for me to allow Him to take full charge of my entire way, not just sharing the load. He is inviting me, and everyone He came to call to Himself, to entrust every step of my path to His fully capable steering, acceleration, braking and speed to the location of HIS choice. He is the driver and we are the oxen. He is not another ox pulling the load of what may be necessary in my path by being right next to me to just help me with it. No, this is way too limited in fathoming what He is actually offering.

We, the oxen, are not capable of directing our own lives. Jesus is masterful in guiding His oxen each moment at the perfect speed; utilizing the perfect route to the perfect places; with avoidance of the pitfalls, and providing complete and perfect abundance for all that is needed to finish the journey. We simply cooperate with His nudges, urgings, obstacles, turns and pace. We don’t spend time pulling against the yoke or heaven forbid, try to escape the enclosure of this yoke. It is the best way of fulfillment of His plan and the culmination our heart’s desire; the fulfillment of our entire purpose for being created to live on this earth.

I am such a habitual user of analogies in almost every conversation that I have, I cannot pass up the chance to give my analogy, of Jesus’ analogy, to augment my explanation of how I understand ‘yoke.’ Don’t even struggle to understand what it is to properly respond to this master driving his oxen, rather, compare the response of how a newborn baby would respond to the arms of its mother.

Just as a yoke encloses and traps the ox, making it go only where it is led, so too, do the arms of a mother enclose the infant. The mother has full charge of where, when, and how the newborn moves from moment to moment. Everything the baby requires for nourishment, comfort, protection, affection and development is beyond its capacity. The helpless newborn does not feel trapped. There is no point in struggling against what is provided and where it is to be laid. The newborn’s only task is to not REFUSE the mother’s adept nurturing in every moment. When the baby does not cooperate it is very easy to see that there is unhappiness, frustration, hunger, fatigue and loud wailing.

The only requirement that is necessary is our cooperation with the loving Master, our loving Father. Say, “Yes” to whatever and wherever you are led in every present moment. Receive the nourishment and all that is always provided for fulfilling your duty, or embracing the cross or avoiding the evil of that precise spot where your perfect driver has led you. It really is that simple to find the rest that Jesus assures us that we will find for ourselves.