Reflection
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a masterful Teacher, weaving word pictures, parables, and metaphors into His teaching to offer both clear guidance and thought-provoking mystery.
In today’s reading, Jesus uses the metaphor and word picture of a yoke – a wooden brace that was placed on two oxen to hold them in unison as they worked. As I have reflected on this reading and metaphor, three ideas became salient for me.
First, Jesus is offering His followers the opportunity to release their cares and concerns in exchange for an ‘easy’ yoke and a ‘light’ burden that one enjoys in following Him. What a comforting offer!
Secondly, Jesus does not imply that He will remove the yoke altogether. As we follow Him, there is still work to do and thus a yoke to wear, but in wearing His yoke, we will find our work to be lighter and easier as we carry out His will. This is particularly true as we assume the posture of meekness and humility that our Lord demonstrates for us.
Lastly, Jesus does not clearly explain to whom or what His people are to be yoked. This affords the opportunity to envision being yoked to Him in carrying out His work here on earth, as well as being yoked to others – our co-workers, spouses, children, community – in living our lives in purposeful community. In either case, the more we are in unison, the easier our work will be and the lighter our load.
I pray that this Advent season will offer you and your loved ones the time for reflection and prayer to identify and release any burdens that you are carrying, and to accept the light and easy yoke that our Lord offers to guide your journey in following Him and living in community.
Brian Tietje, PhD
Dean, Professor of Marketing, Knauss School of Business