As we have listened to the story of
Moses yesterday, we heard about the important Message that God said
to Moses, to reassure him of presence. God said to Moses: “I will
be with you.” That reassurance helped Moses to carry out the work
that God wanted him to do for his people Israel.
My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
For many of us who did not grow up on a
farm, a yoke is not an egg yolk. But it is a wooden crosspiece that
is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or
cart that they pull. When the oxen are young, they are taught to
pull together when hitched to the yoke. When one ox tries to go one
way, and the other a different way, they experience the pain of
pulling against the yoke. The harder that they fight it, the worse
it gets. But when the young ox works with the more experienced one,
and going in the same direction, it makes the work much more
efficient. A modern day example is when an athlete, who is a
beginner, learns from their coach, or a student who learns from an
experienced teacher. Jesus wants to build the kingdom of God, but
for us, he knows that it's not going to be easy at times. Jesus says
my yoke is easy and my burden is light. He wants us to be yoked to
him, and to let him set the course. We follow him, who has yoked
himself to us in a covenant of love. When we try to go our own way,
and set our own course, it may not be the most favorable, and it may
not be what God wants. So we have to constantly discern and remain
close to the Lord, to be yoked to him. Jesus' yoke is easy and his
burden is light, because he who leads us is also walking beside us.
He shares all of our burdens and pains, and he invites us into his
rest. All he asks is that we remain close to Jesus, and to follow
his lead.
