The Yoke of Christ
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
In the Gospel last Sunday Jesus said, “whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me” (Mt 10:38). In today’s Gospel he uses a particular image to describe that discipleship: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me” (Mt 11:29).
The typical image of discipleship is that of the student learning from the teacher as he sits before him, or of the “follower” walking behind the leader and guide. But the image of the yoke is one of side-by-side partnership, as the beam of wood goes over the neck and shoulders of two oxen, joining them together for a common work. It is exactly this partnership which describes the marital relationship: the marital word “conjugal” comes from the root “iugum” meaning “yoke.”
By baptism we are yoked to Christ in a marital bond, and even though we are his students and followers, we are also his friends and intimate partners. Jesus rejoices in being able to share the deepest and most intimate revelations of his Father with his disciples (Mt 11:25). Such is our relationship with him.
Among these mysteries of the Father’s love is the “Cross,” which Jesus says is essential for Christian discipleship (Mt 10:38). St. Paul will write, “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God… we preach Christ crucified” (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-2:5), and he speaks of this mystery of the Cross as a “secret and hidden wisdom of God” (1 Cor 2:7) revealed by Christ through the Spirit to his true disciples. The Cross is the source of the world’s salvation: it fully reveals the love of the Father in giving His Son, and the love of the Son in laying down his life for those entrusted to him by the Father.
When Jesus speaks of his yoke, he is referring to the cross. In fact, the ox-yoke with the beam attached to it forms the shape of a cross. The Cross of the Lord, and that of his disciple, are the same. They may look different exteriorly: Christ was crucified outside Jerusalem by the Romans, whereas for us it might be an illness, or a difficult relationship, or some other suffering – but interiorly they are the same mystery of sacrificial love of the Son for the Father, in which we share. And by this cross the field of the vineyard is plowed, and fruit is brought forth for the Kingdom of God.
The “cross” is a shared endeavor. Christ shares his life with us, and brings our life into his. They are one, as conjugal union joins two lives into one. In Christ, the difficult aspects of our life receive new meaning and purpose, and the burden is lightened by wisdom and love (Mt 11:30). The cross does not end in death, but in sabbath “rest” (Mt 11:28). The saints even speak of the cross as something sweet, joyful. Only when we understand that the cross is a shared labor of love does this make sense.
Christ therefore urges us to take upon ourselves his yoke and learn from him. Because of pride and self-will we try to be independent, and look for an easy life on our terms. The yoke however, bows our neck and humbles our head. In marriage, as in discipleship, we are no longer free to do our own will; rather we must unite our wills together in a new purpose. Jesus says, “learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29). He embraced the Cross according to the Father’s will, and submitted himself in full obedience. Likewise, he teaches us how to accept with grace the burden that may be upon us. Instead of resisting and rebelling, we must be meek and humble. Meekness means we don’t lash out in anger but accept, humility means we surrender our will in obedience to a greater will. The immediate effects are peace, joy, love, patience, self-control, and all the other Fruits of the Spirit. What was potentially a devastating, insurmountable burden, becomes an instrument of our own salvation and happiness, and that of others.
Christ calls us friends (Jn 15:15). We are disciples who learn not simply by “following” but rather through an active relationship in which Christ is with us, and we are with him, in a side-by-side partnership that unites minds, hearts, and wills.