The Yoke is On You
To get through this joke visualize two people having this back-and-forth:
How do you spell “poke”?
P-O-K-E
How do you spell “joke”?
J-O-K-E
How do you spell “folk”?
F-O-L-K
What do you call the white of an egg?
The yolk.
Nope, the white is called “albumin” so I guess the yolk is on you.
I apologize for that; you are asking what possessed me to tell it. I know it is light on humor, lighter than meringue, but I am aiming to describe word rhyming with these. I want to ponder not “yolk” but “yoke”. In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus weaves a combination of prayer and exhortation culminating with these comfortable words:
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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 will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
The great Bible scholar from a previous generation, William Barkley, emplanes that to the seeker of the day religion was a thing of rules, living life “in a forest of endless regulations which dictated every action of life.” Such a one must listen forever to a voice which says, “Thou shalt not.” He also mentioned that the wooden yoke of the ox could be tailored for the particular animal, and this would make it comfortable and right for efficient work to be done.
Another teacher said that when one sought a rabbi under which to study the Torah, Prophets, and Writings, the student had to consider the levels of burdens different rabbis might demand. The Scriptures make up a huge amount of material for memorization and interpretation. The load for the pupil was thought of as a yoke. Other rabbis of Jesus’s day might have proudly touted the heaviest loads for their disciples. Jesus beckons followers to come to him to carry his light burden, his easy yoke.
The Torah—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—constituted the word of Yahweh for the people of God. It was a gift to forge a covenantal relationship with God. This Sunday we will hear about a special full reading of the Torah. The Persian king has given leave to his cupbearer, Nehemiah, a Jew, to Jerusalem to oversee the rebuilding of the temple, destroyed centuries earlier by the Babylonians. In the scene we will take in, Nehemiah, named governor, has Ezra, the priest and scribe, read the whole Law of Moses out loud before the whole gathered people of Israel. All the women and men who could hear with understanding were gathered. These hours and hours of reading and hearing marked a poignant reform and renewal of Israel. The word remakes the people.
In the Gospel we will hear, Jesus is in the synagogue of his hometown of Nazareth. He stands and the scroll of Isaiah is handed to him. From it, Jesus reads and then makes a pronouncement:
Jesus stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:17-21)
What Jesus presents and fulfills is the whole of the Law and the Prophets. The yoke this Anointed One places upon you if you will have it is not a crushing load of regulations, but a gorgeous garment of relationship.
The Word remakes the people in the covenant he extends, and Jesus is that Word. He is not the forest of endless regulations. He is the guide with a lantern to guide you through whichever forest life has you in. You will be remade perpetually. This is the yoke he offers. He is gentle and humble of heart, and you will have rest for your soul. Take it; let this yoke be upon you.