Burden of Spring?

Jesus was said to be a Master carpenter. The carpenters of that day were responsible for making everything wooden. This included the yokes for the beasts of burden. In the book of Matthew it says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (11-28-30)

Now my thought is that Jesus really knew what he was talking about (like it is any suprise that I say that). He knew that a yoke was needed to help with any work load and it was meant to be liberating. He was saying "Yes, there is sin and suffering, but yield to me, and I will make this easy because I am a Master at this!"

He compared us to oxen, (or mules, or horses)! We are meant to be workers and the job can seemed difficult and frustrating. However, with his yoke we can plow, plant, and harvest with ease, it is the perfect fit, specially tailored to fit our life. Remember though, the oxen had to listen to the farmer, let them steer and guide them on the terrain, just as we should let Jesus do in our lives. The farmer doesn't want his his workers to be weary, broken, and hurt. They can't work that way! Though he asks us to work, he will take care of us and protect us.

As spring is arriving the thought of working in the field is on the forefront of my mind- how essential it is to cultivating new life and preparing and filling the storehouses for the next season. I think this relationship is very paralell to our relationship with our heavenly Father. We are the oxen, the beasts of burden; the Holy Spirit is the farmer, guiding, directing, protecting; Jesus is our yoke, the liberating tool; and our Father, the Creator, who nothing on Earth can have life except by His Word.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." -Matthew 9:35-38