Yoked – Either to Jesus or to Sin
The word implies one who is yoked in harness with another, the two working as a
team. If two are yoked together and one is pulling in a different direction they won’t
be getting anywhere. It’s like playing tog of wars. But if they are pulling together,
they are stronger and can get further. Jesus said “why call Me Lord Lord and do not
what I say”.
Our battle is in the mind, so we need to be yoked with someone of the same mind
set. I John 1:6-7 and 2:6 says “if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses
us from all sin. He that says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as
He walked”.
Using a pair to pull a plow requires a yoke to link the animals together, so they could
work efficiently. A farmer could plow up ground for planting by attaching a plow to a
team of oxen or donkeys by way of a yoke. A yoke was the wooden bar that allowed
two or more animals to be brought together to drive a plow.
In New Testament times the phrase “take the yoke of” was used by the Jewish rabbis
to mean become the pupil of a certain teacher. Jesus gave a gentle invitation to His
disciples, “take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart,
and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light”.
Jesus transforms “yoke” into a positive term by calling on people to take up His
yoke. Jesus said “without Me you can do nothing”.
Paul in talking to believers in Roman 8:1-8 shows the difference between walking with
Jesus’ yoke or walking in the yoke of sin. In Ephesians we are told to “put off
concerning the former conversation the old man which corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that you put on the
new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians
4:22-24). In Ephesians 6:10-18 we are told to “put on the whole armor of God”.
People are trying to break up the hard ground by themselves, however Jesus said
“take My yoke upon you”. This life should not be lived on our own. Philippians 4:13
explains “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me”.
The yoke was also used as a symbol of the burden or oppression of heavy
responsibility, duty, sin or punishment (Acts 5:10).
Deuteronomy 22:10 warns us “you shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together”.
The Bible tells many times how God warned the Israelites not to take strange wives.
One might think that was being hard, but take a look at Solomon, he was the wises
man on earth and when he started taking many strange wives, he begin to worship
their gods, and his mind changed (Deuteronomy 7:3-4) “neither shall you make
marriages with them, your daughter you shall not give to his son, nor his daughter
shall you not take to your son. For they will turn away your son from following Me,
that they may serve other gods, so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you
and destroy you suddenly”. The New Testament version is II Corinthians 6:14 “be
you not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship has
righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness?”
In the prophets’ writings, the yoke of bondage was generally associated with divine
judgment (Lamentations 1:14), because the people had sinned, God allowed them to
put under the yoke of bondage. Deliverance was described as God breaking the
yoke that had enslaved Israel (Isaiah 9:4, 10:27). Jesus was the fulfillment of the
prophets’ prophecy. In Luke 4;18-21, Jesus tells them that “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has
sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised”.
We are planting seed for our future, if we are under the yoke of Jesus it will be seeds
of life, but if we are under the yoke of sin, it will be seeds of death (Galatians 6:7-9)
“Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also
reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that
sows to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in
well doing for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”.
Paul acknowledged his yokefellows (Philippians 4;3) “and I entreat you also true
yokefellow. Help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement
also, and with other my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life”. Let us
take up Jesus’ invitation and take His yoke upon us. When we do we are hocking
ourselves to Jesus. And we know how He walked. When we walk together with
Jesus, we live a victorious life. The Bible tells us in I Corinthians 3:9 “for we are
laborers together with God, you are God’s husbandry, you are God’s building”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: April 13, 2007