Today's episode is about YOUR NECK. The neck - the part that connects the head to your body.

To understand this topic of the neck we first need to discuss two yokes and a field. It'll help us understand where and under what we are positioning our neck.

What did Jesus say about the field in the parable of the weeds among wheat? The field is the world; the good seed IS the sons of the kingdom. There is one seed and many sons being described here. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy that sowed weeds is the devil.

A yoke is a wooden bar placed on the necks of oxen. At least two oxen are yoked together to accomplish the will of the owner/ operator. Yokes can be placed on people, too: yoke of rest and yoke of slavery.

Jesus instructs us to surrender, to take His yoke and learn from Him. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart, and we will find rest for our souls. Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden is light.

In today's world we are being bombarded with information, stressful situations, hardships, etc. mostly negative. It seems inescapable at times… at the expense of rest, reflection and peace. Jesus is our rest… easy yoke, light burden. He carries the load if we allow Him.

The second yoke is bondage and slavery. Consider Isaac and Ishmael; both part of the same house (church) yet the son of the slave woman would NOT inherit God's promise. Paul instructs the church in Galatians to stand firm and do not submit AGAIN to the yoke of slavery. AGAIN signifies a prior enslavement; however, it is Jesus who has already freed us from the yoke of slavery. Until Jesus returns, the Gentile kingdoms of the world will rule over the field - the world and all of its systems.

In Jeremiah chapters 27-28, he continuously warned Israel and Judah to repent from the sins of idolatry, sexual immorality, child sacrifice, social injustices, religious hypocrisy, etc. God commanded Judah to submit to the yoke of slavery in Babylon for their sins, as they rejected God's word spoken through the real prophets. By submitting to Babylon, God would bring His people out and restore them. Jeremiah's declarations are applicable today, for there is sin in the body of Christ. Only Jesus can restore us, provided we resist the yoke of the world and choose Him.

About the neck…

Within a 2+ week period there have been three major fatal wounds involving the neck: a subway murder in Charlotte (Ukrainian woman), a murder at Burning Man (Russian man), and a shooting at UCU. Research the spiritual, hedonistic event of Burning Man. It's an event characterized as the death, enlightenment, detachment, and return to society and the collapse of civilization as we know it. It was a Russian man who was sacrificed through a stab wound  to the neck during this year's event.

The neck connects the head to the body. The Hebrew illustrations of the neck are a fish hook, tent peg, ox head, and the head (master) of something. To me, the neck is the fish hook that catches (like your attention); the tent peg that secures what is caught to something else; the ox head represents strength of a worldly servants that belong to the master; and, the head is the master that calls the shots.

What can we learn from the 3 people murdered by a wound to the neck?

What was the fish hook that caught the attention of the world including the body of Christ?

What is the tent peg being used to secure humanity to the yoke of slavery?

How are the Christian leaders with power, money and influence being used by Satan as his oxen?

Who owns the yoke of slavery and controls the yoke of this world?

Look beyond people and the details of recent events. Join me next week when we discuss Jeremiah and the clashing of the prophets.

What yoke will you choose? Jesus' invites you to take His yoke upon you for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Matt 13:24-30; 36-43; Matt 11:28-30; Heb 4:1-13; Gal 4:28-5:1; Luke 21:24; Dan 2:31-35; Jer 27, 28, 29; Jer 25:11, 27:1-2, 5, 8; Ezra 1:1-4