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By Richard Brown-Whale

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-29, 58-67
Romans 7:15-25a

I recently heard this joke:

An out-of-towner driving through the countryside drove his car into a ditch. Luckily, a local farmer came along with his big strong horse named Buddy. The farmer hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, 'Pull, Nellie, pull!'
Buddy didn?t move.
Then the farmer hollered, 'Pull, Buster, pull!'
Buddy didn?t respond.
Once more the farmer commanded, 'Pull, Gertie, pull!'
Nothing.
Finally, the farmer said, 'Pull, Buddy, pull!'
The big horse leaned against the yoke and easily pulled the car out of the ditch.
The motorist was quite appreciative, but very curious. He asked the farmer why he?d called his horse by the wrong name three times.
The farmer shrugged and said, 'Old Buddy?s blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn?t even try!'

In Matthew, Jesus says, 'My yoke is easy and my burden light.' Just before saying that, he invited all who are weary and heavy-laden to come so that he could give them rest.

That is such a nice, peaceful, soothing image, but then Jesus goes on to bring up the yoke. I don?t know about you, but I don?t take kindly to being compared to a draught animal.  don?t relish the idea of being harnessed and driven around a field even if it is by Jesus. I?d rather rest with him.

But then I came across that joke and better understood Jesus? yoke. I had pictured this all wrong. I had somehow imagined me alone under the yoke and Jesus at the reins. But Jesus doesn?t yoke each of us up as an individual to go it alone. He certainly does not burden us with a heavy yoke and forced labor.

Instead, Jesus comes alongside of us. He offers to yoke himself right next to us, to put his shoulder to the yoke with us so that we can handle the things that make us weary and heavy-laden. And he yokes us together with other Christians so that together we can bear each other?s burdens.

It is a marvelous relationship that does not rein us in and confine us, but sets us free to experience and to accomplish more than we could ever have imagined while going it alone.

I praise God for the signs and wonders I have been able to participate in around the globe thanks to Jesus coming alongside me and for the wonderful relationships he has given me with sisters and brothers in Christ who have agreed to be yoked together. Thank God for the yoke and for that joke.

The Rev. Richard Brown-Whale is pastor of the Shiloh-Mt. Zion Charge in Hampstead.