Matthew 11:29
I could almost subtitle this "Two clocks, continued," because it's very much related to the thoughts in my July 22 post, which concluded with the above verse.
I've been slowly grasping that Matthew 11:29 is at the very core of the Christian life. It's a variation on "abide in Me" (John 15:4). The yoke analogy goes further in one sense, revealing an intriguing truth: as we work through what's been placed before us, we're not working for God, nor is He working independently of us. We're yoked together as a team.
Oxen are co-workers; their master trains and guides them. In the Matthew 11 metaphor, Jesus is our master but also our co-worker. He could force the yoke on us, but He doesn't. He waits until our love and reverence for Him compels us to learn His ways. Then He works alongside us, bearing a yoke that has no place on His own neck so that He can carry the heavier part of the load and at the same time let us learn the rhythm of His movements and steps. Some of us oxen take a very, very long time to train. There may be a giant storehouse somewhere containing all the yokes I've torn off or damaged in my rebellion and foolishness. But He isn't angry or dismayed. Only God is holy; the rest of us need a Redeemer.
"Our Lord does not pretend we are all right when we are all wrong. The Atonement is a propitiation whereby God through the death of Jesus makes an unholy man holy."
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (classic), December 8