Freedom on Purpose

“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

Yoke – We think that it is paradoxical that God’s view of freedom is always in the context of being bound to Him.  The image of the yoke reinforces our perplexity.  How can we be really free when we are strapped into a collar that controls our direction?

This paradox is only the result of perspective confusion.  It only seems paradoxical because we don’t really understand freedom.  We do not make allowances for our vulnerabilities.  We forget that we are weak.  But God doesn’t.  God is the most realistic person in the universe.  He never overlooks the facts in the matter.  So, when He sees how fragile and distracted we are, He knows that the only way to really make us free is to get us linked up with someone who knows what freedom is.  Freedom is not my ability to make any decision I want to.  That isn’t freedom.  That’s insanity.  If I can make any choice I want to, then I will certainly make choices that will insure my death.  What kind of freedom is that!  God is not interested in promoting my ability to make choices that will destroy me.  He cares about me too much to just let me ruin myself.  God’s view of freedom is very different than mine.  I think freedom is about uninhibited options.  God knows that freedom is about alignment with purpose.

What is the purpose of a yoke (zugos in Greek)?  A yoke causes two animals to rely on each other.  A yoke joins two animals into a single effort.  A yoke prevents one animal from falling.   A yoke guides both animals in the same direction.  But most of all, a yoke brings purpose.  Freedom is absolutely useless without purpose.  Yokes are instruments of intention.

God knows that freedom is purposeful.  Freedom is not liberty to do whatever I wish.  Freedom has direction and in God’s world, the direction of freedom is toward Him.  Jesus invites you and me to bind ourselves to Him so that the freedom we desire can be achieved.

Freedom is knowing God’s pleasure in the performance of what I was born to be.  A yoke is simply God’s freedom tool, designed to let me feel His pleasure.