Today’s Gospel passage, Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 ends with Jesus telling the crowds of Israel that His yoke is easy. Who would consider a yoke, an instrument of control could be considered easy? Who would think that the yoke, and instrument that bruises and is heavy to support could be considered light?

Perhaps it might help if we considered the definition of a yoke. According to the Oxford Concise Dictionary, a yoke is ‘a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to a plough or cart that they pull in unison’.