Loving Ties

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Has anyone else ever wondered what the heck this means? I mean, it's nice and comforting; it's certainly quoted quite regularly, but no one ever bothers to define "my yoke". We were talking about this scripture in Relief Society a couple of months ago when this very difficulty was brought to my attention. I replied with a quick by-the-books answer at the moment, but was led to further study. My understanding of a possible definition has lead me to MUCH introspection and has been the basis of my study and ponderings since that enlightening day.

First things first, what is a yoke (in technical terms)? This from Miriam Webster online: Main Entry: yoke Etymology: Middle English yok, from Old English geoc; akin to Old High German joh yoke, Latin jugum, Greek zygon, Sanskrit yuga, Latin jungere to join 1 a : a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals (as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for working together b : an arched device formerly laid on the neck of a defeated person c : a frame fitted to a person's shoulders to carry a load in two equal portions d : a bar by which the end of the tongue of a wagon or carriage is suspended from the collars of the harness e (1) : a crosspiece on the head of a boat's rudder (2) : the control device for an airplane's ailerons that is mounted on a column which also serves to operate the elevator f : a frame from which a bell is hung g : a clamp or similar piece that embraces two parts to hold or unite them in position (emphasis added)

Well, that's the specific definition; you can see where I am going with this by the selections I put in bold. When the above mentioned scriptural reference was mentioned, followed by the question, "what exactly is His yoke?" my first thought was to question the meaning of the word itself. Observe below --

(Isn't that a lovely picture?) So there we have a yoke. It's a piece of wood, let's remember that the Savior often spoke using imagery and symbolism, but the references don't have to be as complex as we sometimes make them. He spoke of a yoke because his audience knew very well what it was, indeed they made good use of this effective tool. It is a piece of wood; it's purpose is to bind two animals together to make it easier for them to be directed and increase the work the team was able to perform. Aha! So, contrary to popular culture (Well, now, here I can't really say whether or not it's really a popular belief. Perhaps it is different for others, but it seems to be my experience that while this scripture is often quoted, it is always sort of referred to in tones of "well, of course everyone knows what it means," but nobody every actually tries to say what the yoke symbolizes; they just talk around it. What follows, however, seems to be a common theme of the understood definition of a yoke.) the yoke is NOT a burden. Consider it, perhaps at times the bindings seem slightly annoying and restrictive, but it's a piece of wood! To an ox, this is nothing; I can honestly say I've never been an ox, but I don't imagine that this small weight on its back could in anyway be considered a load that is difficult to carry. Restrictive, yes, but not heavy. I find that the scripture itself separates the burden from the yoke; the burden is the task that must be accomplished, while the yoke is the tool used to accomplish said task.

Huh hem, on to the point of all this (slightly) pointless rambling. What then does the yoke symbolize? What is it that "binds" us to Christ? The answer to this question came to my mind so clearly that I haven't been able to forget it. Covenants. That's the answer. The Lord's people are a covenant-making people indeed. Covenants bring us in line with God's way. Through making and keeping sacred covenants, we come closer to Christ. The burden is life and the challenges we face and must bear, the ultimate goal being eternal life. But we are not left to carry the burden alone. If we will permit ourselves to be bound to Christ (by our covenants), we don't have to pull the load ourselves. That doesn't leave us free to sit in the dirt; we must still walk, but we don't have the load ourselves as we would have otherwise. Without Christ it would be impossible. This post is already crazy long and I have so much homework to do, so I will have to save the elaboration of the covenants we make as we progress in the Lord's kingdom for another day, but I have already touched on this subject in a previous post (temple day). Important point to remember: The covenant in NOT the burden!

How does keeping our covenants give us rest even in this life? I think this is best answered by a prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson: "That man is greatest and most blessed and joyful whose life most closely approaches the pattern of the Christ. This has nothing to do with earthly wealth, power, or prestige. The only true test of greatness, blessedness, joyfulness is how close a life can come to being like the Master, Jesus Christ. He is the right way, the full truth, and the abundant life." Being like the Savior is happiness. And our covenants are the tool used to bind us to Him and His ways. Through becoming as He is, we find comfort and rest even in days when the burden is heaviest.

A few more side notes that will require more pondering: 1-Heb mentioned this to me as we were discussing this scripture. Note the double meaning of the word light. His burden is Light, not as in matters of weight, but in spiritual matters, but carrying the burdens of life, we can, if we are bound to Christ, learn and gain light. Cool. 2-A new thought on this passage came with the Miriam Webster definition when I copied it over. A yoke can also be worn by one person to carry two heavy objects (one on each side). The balance of the two weights makes each easier to bear. This requires some thought, but I think it could potentially have some good symbolism for our lives and how we cope with trials.

Finally, as any reader must have deduced, I have a passion for the hymns of Zion. I found it very appropriate that the last line of the second verse of our closing hymn for RS that day (Our Savior's Love) reads, "And we are bound to Him by loving ties." So much way cool stuff. I love it! It makes me want to be valiant!