I'll Trade You

“Yoke” is one of those words that sounds like it was made for deep theological musings. I have never used the word outside of the context of scripture, not once. With that as a background, I think about the biblical representation of this agricultural word, yoke. Yokes were used to bind “weaker” or “stubborn” animals to “stronger” or more “mature” animals in an attempt to train the weaker animal. The training is complete once the weaker animal has learned the pattern and can do it on its own. 

This principle holds in our Christian walk as well. Before coming to Christ, many things had trained me in a pattern so well, I did them without thinking: pornography, greed, addictions, to name a few. I was yoked to these things, and to be honest, I liked doing them. Then something happened. I gave my life to Christ. In Christ, there is true freedom, but I was not transformed overnight. I am still far from it. Every day I wanted to be a “good” Christian, but most days I would slide right back into my “yokes." They were familiar, comforting, and felt great. Then I took a closer look at what Matthew says in verses 28-30.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus makes a bold claim: “...my yoke is easy and my burden is light". I have always loved the treasured childhood tradition of trading things with friends especially if they had something I wanted. In these verses, Jesus asks us to do the same thing I asked my middle school best friend - “I’ll trade you.” Jesus tells us that no matter what things you have been tied up to your whole life, or even how small these things are to you, his yoke is easy and his burden is light. When compared to a broken heart, a failed relationship, an addiction, the pain or even depression -- his yoke is still easy and his burden is light. It doesn’t matter if the addiction is not necessarily ruining your life (so it feels easy to deal with today) because his yoke is always going to be easy in comparison.

Jesus does not want you to work at being a better Christian - that negates the whole point of Him dying on the cross. He wants to trade you. He died on the cross so He can trade your emptiness for fulfillment. He died on the cross so He can trade your broken heart, for joy, regardless of the season you are in. He died on the cross so that He can trade the addiction to pornography that you have kept hidden so well, for freedom that does not come with bondage. I understand that for so long the yokes in our lives have trained us in a certain way so that we cannot imagine our lives without them. Yet, Jesus is the answer. He is the easy answer, the light answer. He wants to trade you. I am not saying that following Jesus will be all smiles, easy days and sudden spontaneous change. I am saying, however, that the daily choice to follow Jesus will bring you to this unassailable truth: his yoke is easy and his burden is light. 

So, today I invite you to sit across from Jesus like He is your middle school best friend and trade your yoke for his. He has been waiting for your whole life for this moment.