Bearing the Burden

Gospel: Matthew 11: 28-30

An oxen team works together in order to move a load, whether it be a plow or a cart.  They are joined together by a yoke so that they move in tandem.  Very often a farmer would train a younger ox by pairing it with a more experienced animal who will help the younger mate by example and prompting to move in unison with the entire team.  

Everyone has burdens to bear in life; no one is exempt.  The question is how we are going to bear these burdens.  Jesus yokes himself to us in order to teach us by example and prompting how to bear the burdens of life with greater ease - so that our burdens will be productive, fruitful, and helpful for others and not meaningless wandering and toiling.  

This image was a familiar one to Jesus' audience who were mainly farmers.  It is perhaps less familiar to us today where mechanical farming has largely replaced teams of oxen and where most of us live in cities unfamiliar with farming entirely.  But we all understand that cooperation and working together are more fruitful than rivalry and competition, that learning from the example and wisdom of others makes our work more fruitful and productive.  By cooperating with the example and prodding of the Lord will make our work for others more beneficial to them and to us.