THE YOKEFELLOW

Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Samuel 6:10-14; Philippians 4:1-3; Romans 16:1-4

You will see, dear brethren, that these scriptures refer to the yoke. I had an impression about that, and about the importance of being under it. We are not left to our own devices to do as we wish, or to do what we think best, but we are under yoke to Christ. We are to know what it is to have come to Him, to have been called by Him, that we might come to where we might be useful to Him, an area where work has to be done. You will remember that the Lord called His disciples from various circumstances to Himself, but it was in view of working along with Him, learning from Him and knowing what to do under His direction. That is my simple thought in regard to the yoke. Although it is testing to us, I am sure that it is something that we would all wish to be involved in as persons who are subject to Christ. We love Him, and we seek to be here pleasurable to Him.

So I have referred to this very beautiful section in Matthew, and I think this is an invitation of love, “Come to me”. It is a wonderful thing to know that there is One to be able to come to, One who can impart something to us. We all know in some measure what it is to labour and be burdened. Some burdens are more severe than others, but there is One who knows and understands. He says “I will give you rest”; it is a very fine thing to be conscious that the Lord is the only One who can give us that rest. We do not find it in ourselves or in our circumstances, unless we are with Him and He is with us. So that He is able to impart something to us; I think that is very blessed. I am sure we have all proved it, and I would like to encourage us all to know more of it. I was very interested to see that this followed on immediately from what the Lord had previously said in verse 27, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son but the Father, nor does any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son may be pleased to reveal him”. I thought that it was striking that immediately following that, He gives this invitation. These are very blessed things of which we are let into the secret. We touched that on Lord’s day at the Supper. We had some fresh impression of what Christ is to the Father, and His own special distinctiveness, glory and uniqueness; “no one knows the Son but the Father” is a very fine thing to understand. No one can know Him better, we might say, than the Father. It says, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things to be in his hand” (John 3:35), and “nor does any one know the Father, but the Son”. What secrets these are to be let into, very wonderful secrets; we touch that in the area of privilege.

It is very blessed to fall back on the experience of knowing something of these precious secrets. But then there are things to be done; we are in the area of testimony and the Lord needs workmen, He needs persons to be with Him in relation to the testimony here. I think that is why the matter of the yoke comes in here immediately after this wonderful reference. Jesus said “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart”. There is no one like Jesus! The Hebrew bondman said, “I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go free”, Exod.21:5. Think of Christ’s yoke, how He understood what the yoke was as He was here for the Father’s pleasure and to do His will. He was meek and lowly in heart; what a Man He was! What was displayed in Him was the meek and lowly Man, here for the pleasure of God and here to serve God as a dependent Man, doing the Father’s work, “I have completed the work which thou gavest me that I should do it”, John 17:4. What pleasure the Father found in that!

Then He says here “and ye shall find rest to your souls; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. I thought that was a remarkable way to put it, because we know that things were not easy for the Lord. They were not easy in the sense that He was here in a scene that rejected Him; He was rejected by all around Him. He was cast out, His own people rejected Him, He was criticised, He was opposed on every hand. It could not have been easy for Him, but He says “my yoke is easy”. I think it was because of His link with His Father that He could say that. He drew all His resource from heaven; He went through as dependent and doing only the things that He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). He is a wonderful example for us, and so He says “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. May we be helped and encouraged by that.

Then I thought of these two milch kine. The ark as we know was taken captive by the Philistines, and that is the situation today publicly. The Lord Jesus is not here, of course, but His name is here, and that would relate to the ark. The time came when it was sent back to where it belonged. So we find that the milch kine are a very wonderful example for us. What happened must have all been under divine direction. It says they “took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. And they laid the ark of Jehovah upon the cart”. The striking thing about it is that “the kine went straight forward on the way to Beth-shemesh; they went by the one high way, lowing as they went”. What an example, beloved brethren! We might say that they were in type facilitating the movements of Christ. I believe that is something that we can do. When the Lord came into Jerusalem, there were persons who facilitated that movement. Well, here were the two milch kine; they were suffering. It could not have been easy for them because their calves were shut up at home, and they were lowing as they went, showing how much they felt that. How difficult it is to go against our natural instinct and how much it can hinder us, but it did not hinder these two milch kine. They were ready, and what wonderful instinct they had, that they went by the one high way. What a thing it is to be on the one high way! We have all been brought into that one high way by divine grace; that is the high way that leads to life, the high way that leads above. It says that “they turned not aside to the right hand or to the left”. Oh, dear brethren, how often I am diverted. How easily we can be diverted, but they were not diverted; they “turned not aside to the right hand or to the left”, they went straight forward. What an example they are for us! May we be encouraged that we can be dependent upon Christ, to be here for Him. We can move on the one high way which is leading upward and onward into the enjoyment of the purpose of God as centred in Him.

When we come to Philippians, we have a person called a yokefellow. I think that it is very fine to be yokefellows; that is, persons who understand what it is to be under yoke. So Paul refers to his “true yokefellow”. What a wonderful way Paul writes to the Philippians; “my brethren, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown”. What delight he found in the company at Philippi, persons who had learned to appreciate Paul and to love him, and to love his ministry. What wonderful things he had brought them into, and so they were formed by his ministry. There were two that were out of line just a little, and Paul told them to be of the same mind in the Lord, but it is interesting that he wrote “I ask thee also, true yokefellow, assist them, who have contended along with me in the glad tidings, with Clement also, and my other fellow labourers”. So I ask myself the question, Am I a true yokefellow? We are not in the pathway on our own, but we are yoked with one another. How blessed it is that there are persons we can go on with in the truth, dear brethren. Many localities are extremely small and things can be very difficult, but we are extremely privileged in this area to have so many that we can call true yokefellows. These are persons to be in the yoke with, to be here for Christ, to work things out together, and to be maintained together in unity and able to help one another. How fine it is to be able to help one another.

When we think about Paul, we think about Priscilla and Aquila. They are wonderful examples, a couple who were very intimate with Paul. They linked themselves on with Paul early, and they knew what it was to be in the yoke along with Paul. It is a remarkable thing that Paul said about them, “who for my life staked their own neck”. They were in it together; you could not have separated Aquila and Priscilla. Brother and sister, man and wife, you could not have separated them; they were together, and they were together with Paul. They were prepared to lay down their life for the Lord, and for Paul also. Paul appreciated them so much. He must have had a very blessed link with them, “Prisca and Aquila, my fellow-workmen in Christ Jesus, (who for my life staked their own neck; to whom not I only am thankful, but also all the assemblies of the nations,) and the assembly at their house”. How very wonderful it is, dear brethren, that we can be in this position, happy to be yoked in relation to Paul and Paul’s ministry in a broken day. So much has been given up and how much the Lord feels it, that so many believers have departed so far from the truth. Dear brethren, let us stand fast, let us hold to Paul and Paul’s ministry in a broken day, that we might be faithful until the Lord comes. That is what we are looking for, is it not? We are waiting for Him! We are looking forward to being with Him eternally, and to be like those of whom it could be said, “Well done, thou good bondman; because thou hast been faithful…”, Luke 19:17. May we be encouraged, for His name’s sake.

Word in meeting for ministry, Kirkcaldy

14 January 2014

Marshall Cowan