Proper 9 - Take my yoke upon you

Some important names in the bible experienced extraordinary failures. Moses was a murderer, David an adulterer, Peter denied knowing Jesus, while Paul described himself as the chief among sinners.

            Whilst one side people struggle with sin and its effects on the other hand there are many who are living with failures, fears and problems in life. There are those who make many attempts to fulfill life’s dreams and ambitions and fail. There are those whose experiences of the past, place upon them suspicion and fear in the future. And then there are those who have a lot of struggles in life – relationships, finances, employment, education, family, health and the list goes on.

In this week's epistle, Paul describes a fierce struggle in his deeply divided self. He does things that he hates, and fails to do the good. He experiences covetous desires and sinful passions of every sort. Rather than doing the good he desires, he commits the evil he hates.  

He is speaking about a war within himself. A war that makes him a prisoner to his own situations. Finally, he confesses Ï don’t understand what I am doing” Romans 7:15, 23. It is an inner struggle, one that breaks the peace and harmony that one has. However, the good thing about Paul is he acknowledges his inner struggle and the war within.

This is what happens with sin when you know what is right but continue to sin. Some of the battles you may face – lies, deception, instigation, anger, hatred, holding on to grudges, refuse to forgive, refuse to be forgives.

            In the fourth century there were monks who fled the corruption of the world and the church and lived in monasteries or in the desert.

These monks were people who sought personal transformation. They were not ashamed or embarrassed to acknowledge and embrace one's brokenness, wounds, darkness, the inner struggles they had. They believed that struggle was a necessary component of Christian life maturity. The harshness and the quiet of the desert helped them to experiences the inner voices of their heart which heled them seek wholeness.

            These monks and their experiences and Paul and his experiences help us and encourage us to acknowledge and embrace our struggles and failures rather than to deny them or suppress them.

            At times our inner struggles and wars are apart from sin. The struggles of life – sickness, failure in life. Today we live in a society that acknowledge success. Education, employment, even families are success based. So there is no space for failure in society. Hence there is condemnation or isolation from community. 

And so Paul asks the question "Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Romans 7:24. The gospel for this week gives us the answer by pointing us to Jesus: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest v28. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, from I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls v29. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light v30".

            What was it that was a burden to the people of Jesus’ time? There were spiritual as well as the physical and materialistic burdens that they faced. Jesus is speaking about the people being burdened by the establishment. The burden of the law. For such people spirituality was a struggle and a burden.

            In the same manner there were the people who are burdened by the burdens of society – the physical and the material.

            To all people who are burdened, by the spiritual, the material and the physical, Jesus says, come to me, I will give you rest. He further says, take my yoke upon you.

            We all know what a yoke is. You put a yoke upon the neck of a pair of animals so that they can pull together. It unites two elements to work as one unit. So the yoke makes the workload lite. When there is no two units it is burdensome.

            So it is with Jesus. He is telling the people if you are burdened with being obedient to the scriptures in following my ways, if you are burdened with any sickness, if you are burdened with emotional scars and wounds, if you are burdened with struggles in your home, workplace, school, then come to me. Put on my yoke. Along with me let’s get through your burdens.

            Jesus is calling us bear his yoke. He, the owner of the yoke is gentle and humble in heart. He is calling us because we can trust him, and we can learn from him.

If you are in sin, the yoke helps you to reconcile to him. If you are struggling with challenges of the material the yoke of Jesus helps you to find solutions in him. If you are hurting from emotional scars and wounds the yoke helps you to find healing in him.

When we bear his yoke you are trusting Jesus to share in your struggles and burdens, you are willing to learn, you are willing to strengthen the relationship with him. And that helps you to grow.

When you are having an inner struggle with sin or when you are burden the spiritual, the physical and the material you can come to Jesus. In Jesus you find, inner peace, harmony and comfort, like no other can give. That is what we most often lack.

            You can trust Jesus to journey with you. You can trust Jesus to help you – to find answers in him. So on this day, trust Jesus, and take his yoke upon you and see the transformation he brings in your life.