Take My Yoke Upon You

One of the themes of NT lesson 10 comes from Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Most often this scripture is interpreted by referring to the yoke that joins two animals together so that they may share the load of whatever they are pulling. In fact, President Hunter used this metaphor in his General Conference talk, Come Unto Me, from October 1990. "In biblical times the yoke was a device of great assistance to those who tilled the field. It allowed the strength of a second animal to be linked and coupled with the effort of a single animal, sharing and reducing the heavy labor of the plow or wagon. A burden that was overwhelming or perhaps impossible for one to bear could be equitably and comfortably borne by two bound together with a common yoke. His [Christ's] yoke requires a great and earnest effort, but for those who truly are converted, the yoke is easy and the burden becomes light. ("Come Unto Me," Ensign, Nov. 1990, 17.)"

However, I would like to consider an additional interpretation of this scripture based on another type of yoke -- the type of yoke that the ancient Romans used to subjugate their conquered enemies in order to force them to march in subjection. Much like a mobile stockade, this type of yoke was intended to bind hands and arms, and sometimes head and neck. I can't help but imagine that since Jerusalem was subject to Rome at the time of Christ, that this type of yoke was just as common as a yoke that balances oxen. Even today, we refer to any type of bondage as a "yoke" – the yoke of drug addiction, for example. A yoke in this case doesn't refer to something that eases the load – but rather something that creates a burden, something we become subject to.

Is it possible that this is the type of yoke that Jesus is referring to when he tells us that his "yoke is easy"? After all, other scriptures refer to the yoke of Satan -- which is not easy. Nephi refers to how we can become yoked and brought down into captivity by the founder of the great and abominable Church, even the devil, in 1 Nephi 13:5-6. The Lord reinforced this in D&C 123:8 when he taught that "it is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell."

So, with this new perspective on the yoke of Christ, what is he asking us to do when he bids us to take his yoke upon us? He is calling us to repent, to forsake the world, to come unto him, to believe his gospel, to conform to his teachings—with the sure promise that in such a course will be found spiritual rest and peace. And in fact, he has done more than just share the burden with us -- through his atonement he completely removes the burden. The image of being yoked to Christ is one of those gospel paradoxes – (like the greatest should be the least among you). By taking on his yoke, we aren’t burdened; it doesn’t restrict us but rather it frees us.