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Matthew 11:28-30:
Jesus said to the crowds:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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In Jesus’ time, farmers paired oxen together using an apparatus called a yoke. The two oxen plowed the fields together.
A stronger, more experienced ox was always paired with a younger ox to teach it how to plow. The yoke also pushed the younger ox forward, who otherwise might’ve given up when his muscles fatigued in the heat of the mid-day sun.
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Jesus likens himself to this stronger, more experienced ox who offers to plow through the fields of life with us.
This is the good news! Jesus never gives up. He never tires. He’s used to the mid-day heat; he’s knows every field; he’s been through it all before.
He’s plowed through the fields of suffering; the fields of poverty; the fields of friendship; even the fields of betrayal and death.
He’s plowed through them all and come out victoriously.
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What he offers us today is his wisdom, his experience, and his strength.
“Come to me, all you who are heavy burdened,” Jesus says, “and I will give you rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.”
Let him be that strong, experienced ox who strengthens us when the heat seems unbearable.
With Jesus by our side, we can plow through every field we encounter in life.
It’s just a matter of joining our yoke – our lives – to his.
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Image credits: (1) identitySPECIALIST (2) Yoked, Life is the Stories You Can Tell (3) Celebratingweakness.com
I do believe. TYVM