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Not All Yokes Are Created Equal
In today's episode, we will examine the natural or literal sense of the word, yoke. Discover the yoke Jesus had referenced in his parable and why it worked so well as an illustration.
All this and More coming up on the one sheep podcast...
You Know in biblical times, the term yoke was a familiar term to most people. Mainly because most people were either farmers, fishermen, or shepherds.
So what is a Yoke? Well, I'm glad you asked.
A yoke is usually made of wood, hand-carved to fit the neck and shoulders of the animal to prevent pain or discomfort. Imagine just the top part of the Capital letter T, you then carve a half circle on both the left and right side of the the T Top and complete each half circle with a round little tree bent in the shape of a U, and connect it to the Stock or T Top after placing it around each animals neck. Thus keeping the two oxen together and forcing them to work in unison. This is the literal sense of the word Yoke.
In ancient cultures, the word yoke was a term that was also used to describe submission. So when someone was described as being yoked to someone or something, it was communicating the idea that he or she was in submission to that person or thing. This would then be the natural term for yoke as it applied to people.
So I guess you could say a Yoke has a dual purpose. Taming Oxen, and Taming men.
A Yoke is used for taming the oxen and making them mild and gentle. The oxen could not be brought into obedience to their owner, nor to do the work which he has for them, without the yoke. It is difficult to subdue the stubbornness of some oxen with the yoke; but it would be impossible to do it without the yoke.
A Yokes sole purpose is to join two oxen at the neck, and to keep them together in their work, so they draw jointly, in good order. If they were not bound together with the yoke, one would draw one way, and the other another way, and the field could not be ploughed; but when they draw together under the yoke, they mutually assist each other in opening up the soil.
The yoke is of great help to the oxen in doing their master's work, after they have been accustomed with it. At first, it wounded them sorely, and they felt it heavy, painful, and very awkward: but it was their own resistance that caused the wounds and soreness from it, through their wriggling and kicking under it, "as a bullock unaccustomed with the yoke:" but the yoke is a profitable implement to the ox; when he has been exercised with it, they will bear it quietly, chewing the cud from morning till night; it feels both light and easy to him.
The same can be said of the Yoke as it applies to peoples and parables..
The term Yoke is found in the old testament to mean troubles, crosses, afflictions, etc. and probably that is the direct sense of the word; and if so, by bearing the yoke is meant, "enduring temptation," "humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God," "to accept punishment." It is good to bear the yoke in this sense: it is to humble the proud spirit of man, to bring down his high looks; to accustom him with troubles, in order to stop his career in sin, to slacken his progress in the broad way, to mortify his corruptions, to tame his wild nature, and to teach him to be content with whatever God ordereth for him. This is more likely to be effected in youth, than after having been long accustomed with prosperity, and hardened in sin and ease. "The prosperity of fools shall destroy them." Prov. 1. 32. But some, in old age, shall reap the fruit of bearing the yoke in their youth, even the peaceable fruit of righteousness.
Some are yoked to the power of sin. They are under its contro
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