I need to understand what a yoke is exactly.

[willsmom]

Would someone please explain to me what "My Yoke is easy" means. I know what a yoke is but I need a deeper understanding.

Thanks,

Kelly

[EricH]

My guess is you are making a reference to Jesus' statement in Matthew 11:28-30:

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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 shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 NASB

A yoke, as you probably know, was placed on farm animals for pulling heavy loads. In Jesus' teachings, the yoke became symbolic for the "discipline of discipleship". Jesus was not offering the "yoke of the law" that placed heavy burdens on men's necks that they could not bear. He was also not offering freedom from all contraints. The yoke Jesus offers is discipleship to him. When we become a disciple, rather than being yoked to the heavy load of the law, we become yoked to Jesus Himself. We can rest when we are yoked to Jesus because He is gentle and humble. He can promise rest, because as we tie our selves to Him and His teachings, we find true shalom.

[Catsmeow]

Good answer from Eric.

My understanding is pretty simple: I understand a yoke as a burden. A draft animal, like an ox, carries a heavy burden. Jesus took the burden from us, (the burden of Judgement) when He took our place on the cross.

Our burden became His burden and this lightened us from the horrible consequence of sin, the burden of guilt.

He's taken our guilt; He's removed the weight of the burden of our sin.

That's been my understanding. The weight of our burden has been placed upon His back (the cross), and we've been clothed in His righteousness - a free gift of grace, thus lightening our load and easing our burden.

[ruah brit]

Would someone please explain to me what "My Yoke is easy" means. I know what a yoke is but I need a deeper understanding.

Thanks,

Kelly

The yolk symbolizes the Burdens of work and the cares of this life as setup by the prince of this world. Being Christ like takes away the cares and burdens of this life because we no longer work for food that perishes or the things of this world. We no longer worry about anything because we know who is in charge of everything. Faith feeds us and clothes us and we have no need of anything else.

Matthew 11

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

John 6

27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

1 Timothy 6

8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Truth is truth.

Denise

[Adarian]

Nicely said folks.

[Catsmeow]

The yolk symbolizes the Burdens of work and the cares of this life as setup by the prince of this world. Being Christ like takes away the cares and burdens of this life because we no longer work for food that perishes or the things of this world. We no longer worry about anything because we know who is in charge of everything. Faith feeds us and clothes us and we have no need of anything else.

Denise

Great answer, Denise. Just one small correction. It's "yoke" (a crossbar pulled by oxen), not "yolk" (the yellow part of the egg).

[Marnie]

And sometimes it's that yellow part of the egg...

[Guest NewPilgrim]

I am in agreement with pabrain. A yoke is traditionally not designed as a burden, but as a way of bearing load. The yolk itself may be heavy, or light, but of its own it is without purpose. The yolk is attached to the load and the yoke-bearer takes the burden of the load. The heavier the load, the heavier the yoke must be as sturdier materials at least until the last century, are invariably heavier. Yeshua however says that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. His yoke is easy because the yolk is faith and Yeshua himself taught us that faith as a mustard seed can move a mountain. His burden is light because he has all power authority and sovereignty and so through his strength all things are possible. God can overcome any burden, and by being yoked to him through faith, we too can acieve the same, through his power and authority

[Guest candy5]

i've actually done a lot of research on this and what i've come to understand is this:

when a person would follow a rabbi they would take on all of the rabbi's teachings about scripture and such...well Jesus was the Rabbi that the disciples followed...a rabbi's teachings and interpretations of scripture were called his yoke...that is why Jesus calls us to take His yoke upon us and that His yoke is easy....it's not (in my opinion) some burden that we have to carry that to me doesnt make any sense because He takes upon Himself our burdens...but the yoke He refers to is His teachings about Scripture and life and how to love etc.

[amazedbyhislove]

My pastor preached on the Yoke of Christ recently. He also talked about the Yoke of Sin and how heavy & burdensome it is and how so many people are in bondage to it. Then he talked about the Yoke of Legalism and also how it is too heavy to bear. The Lord does not want us to be under the Yoke of Sin or Legalism.

He talked about how yokes were back in those days. When they were training an animal, they used a very heavy yoke. When the animal got to know the master and obedied willingly out of love, they put on a much lighter yoke.

The Yoke of Christ is light, because we obey Him willingly out of love.