Grace Lutheran Church 7th Sunday after Pentecost, July 3, 2005

The Rev. Evan Gaertner
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost "The Yoke of Christ"
July 3, 2005 Matthew 11:25-30

This weekend our nation is celebrating the signing of its declaration of independence which was done on July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to the colonies and to the King of England as a statement of the reasons why the people of America should be allowed to live in freedom. It took another seven years of warfare for the American people to become free from the yoke of English oppression. But we do not celebrate our country's birth on the anniversary of April 11, 1783, the date that the Continental Congress declared an end to the hostilities. Our country began when the people began to understand themselves as free. This freedom from England did not mean life without responsibility. We share together as a nation the common burden of maintaining and strengthening this freedom. Not just for the powerful but for the forgotten and neglected.

As a nation our strength largely I believe comes from our connections to one another. When those connections are strained by fear and ignorance things like the Japanese internment camps occur. When our connections are based on the idea that we are one nation from many great things occur like the Relay for Life, a team event that gathers people together to fight cancer.

But as much as our country is built on the idea of freedom we still must have laws which restrict our freedom to do certain actions. We have laws that appropriately prevent us from committing murder, theft, slander, and all sorts of others actions that are restricted by law. As much as our country is built on freedom we have to recognize the reality of sin. Pride, greed, selfishness, deceit, and all sorts of other motives drive people to actions that are contrary to the laws of our country. As certain as we are that there are certain inalienable rights I am just as certain that we are experts at abusing and neglecting those inalienable rights.

This struggle between freedom and the rule of law is a result of carrying the yoke of sin. In many places throughout the world, horses, oxen, and water buffalo are used to work the land. Mules and horses still serve the Amish farmers of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan quite well. These pulling animals must be harnessed or yoked together in order to pull together effectively. A yoke a wooden bar used to tie or link the two animals to each other, and then to the plow or cart. For these animals the yoke, when it fits right and the load is the proper weight, is not uncomfortable. The yoke allows the animals to combine together their strength and accomplish much more than either one could do alone.

But this yoke becomes a burden when the load is too heavy for the team to pull. Even when the load is manageable the team may not pull together in unison, and so they struggle against each other to pull the load. A united team that is yoked together can pull remarkably heavy loads easily.

But beyond the yoke being a farm implement, a yoke has often been used as a description of subjugation. During Roman times, during the time of Jesus, prisoners would be yoked together, that is tied together, and forced to march.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are 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" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus invites all of those that are struggling under the burden of the law to come to him and he promises rest. Everyone that desires freedom from their endless labor finds rest in Jesus. The law of God is a heavy yoke. As much as we like to pretend that the law is needed for only real troublemakers, we all confess that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed.

The rule of law in our country is not just for the notorious but consider what your very own foot does when you see that state trooper on the toll way. I know, at least, I find my heart beat pounding and my eyes glancing nervously at my speedometer and then to my rear view window.

The law is a yoke upon all of us. Even in these United States of America where we have declared our independence we cannot be completely free from the need to obey the law. If you do not obey the law you face the consequences.

In terms of your relationship with God, you can declare yourself free. But you are truly not free until you find yourself trusting in the forgiveness of sins that is yours in Jesus Christ. You can declare and dedicate and announce and proclaim freedom from the law. But you are still obligated to fulfill all that the law commands of you.

This is a yoke that we do not just shake off or ignore. The law must be fulfilled. It must be carried. God's law may be best known through the Ten Commandments or as Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, body, and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself."

The more we delve into our individual lives the more we recognize that most actions we do are out of selfish motives of being recognized, noticed, appreciated, or welcomed. Martin Luther recognized that on account of our sinful hearts are actions are never purely motivated. It is this factor of sinful motivations that helped convict Martin Luther's soul. He was convicted not by his outward actions which were exemplary. He was convicted by his sin-sick soul. It is only through living through and by and on account of Christ that we are able to please God the Father.

When Christ invites you to him he does so because he knows that on your own you cannot carry the burden of perfection. Not one of us can carry the load of the demands of God's law upon ourselves. Not even Moses, Abraham, David, Peter, Paul, or any other saint of the church, could walk apart from the grace and mercy of our Lord God. Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness. He was not righteous on account of his actions, but on account of his faith. He did not remove the yoke of the law through his actions. The yoke of the law was removed by the Lord when his faith was credited to him as righteousness.

The yoke of the law does not fit our sinful souls. We bristle and fight against its demands. We pull and jerk away from God's call to holiness. As much we desire to please our Lord and obey our master, our sinful hearts pull away from God's path laid before us. This is why no matter how many times we tell ourselves we are going to be better we will always find ourselves back on our knees in confession. The yoke of the law does not fit you or me. We rebel against God's law.

But Christ carries for you the yoke of holiness and righteousness. He pulls the burden of pleasing God the Father. On Judgment Day, if the Lord looks at the path that you have plowed with your works, He will be disappointed and saddened. But we are promised that all that believe and are baptized will be saved. How? Because through the grace filled eyes of a Father who has witnessed his son, Jesus, sacrifice himself on the cross for you, he does not see your willful disregard of his law. Christ has carried your heavy and ill-fitting yoke upon himself. God the Father on judgment day will not credit your rebellion against you but on account of your faith in Christ it will be credited to you as righteousness.

This is not just a declaration of independence from the law. Jesus Christ's death and resurrection is the revolution of heaven and hell. On account of the sacrifice of Christ you truly are free. You are free from the punishment that your sin deserves. You are free from the obligations of God's law. You are free from the demand of God's law to be perfect and holy in every way.

But daily we sin and try to carry the yoke of the law apart from God's mercy. And so we confess of our sins and rely upon his grace to lift us up once again.

Soli Deo Gloria

Grace Lutheran Church

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