One of my old (I think he’s in his 90’s) Seminary Professors, (J.D. Pentecost), tells about the time he visited a rural church to teach a Sunday school class. He says, “There was an old farmer plowing with a team of oxen. As I saw this team I was somewhat amazed, for one was a huge ox and the other a very small bullock. That ox towered over the little bullock that was sharing the work with him. I was amazed and perplexed to see a farmer trying to plow with two such unequal animals in the yoke and commented on the inequality to the man with whom I was riding. He stopped his car and said, “I want you to notice something. See the way those traces are hooked to the yoke? You will observe that the large ox is pulling all the weight. That little bullock is being broken into the yoke but he is not actually pulling any weight.”
He argued that every pre-mechanized farmer knows well the procedure of breaking in, or training, a new ox to pull a cart. Jesus, in the agricultural community of Judea, knew this well. He said, “come to me all of you who are weary and heavy laden” (Matthew 11:28). I understand what that means, don’t you? In the summer of 1963, my 16th year, my dad pulled some strings and Builder’s Supply hired me. At that time it was located at 40th and Lake while I lived on 43rd and Lake. All summer long I delivered dry wall to job sites, unloaded huge boxcars of brick that sometimes took days to do by hand, as well as any odd job the foreman ordered me to do. I was given all the jobs that nobody else wanted to do. I was the new guy! I was the neophyte! It’s that way in the Navy as well. I spent almost four months washing the dishes and silverware for 1500 men aboard the USS WRIGHT before I earned the right to do anything else. Disciples in this world do the work and bosses give the orders.
But Jesus goes on, “come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” As true disciples, followers of Jesus, He does the work. We just walk with Him. Let Jesus pull the weight, Just walk along with Him!