There’s an ongoing discussion concerning how the inequities of race should be addressed. The term “woke” is a significant part of this discussion but its exact meaning is somewhat fluid depending on who’s using the term and what it’s being applied to. Apparently it is thought by some that “woke” sentiments are being used to change the requirements for college admission. That is to say it’s thought that the bar for admission should be lowered for racial minorities in order to make a college education more available to those minorities. That’s different from the approach that utilizes quotas and enhanced financial aid in order to promote greater involvement by those minorities, and the difference is hotly contested. Unfortunately the different views on this matter are often expressed in the context of the current contentions between the political left and right. It’s said that the political left wants to enable those who’ve been compromised by prejudices at work in this country by doing away with traditions for college admission and altering the requirements; whereas, those on the political right emphasize traditional views of merit.

What does this have to do with the concerns of this blog? Too often political contentions spill over into the arena of religion. In saying this, my focus is on the Christian religion; that’s my concern: how should Christians function in this contentious environment. Obviously, there is much political discussion being engaged due to the impact of President Trump’s policies and, in some ways, the contest of ideas can be seen to be an expression of different religious views. Evangelicals tend to be identified with those on the political right whereas traditionalists—those who identify with the major denominations—tend to have greater affinity with the left. In saying this I know I’m painting in very broad strokes here, and it is the case that true believers who are pressing to know the Lord and follow after Him are to be found in all the major denominations of Christianity. Nevertheless, the current political environment with all of its contentious rhetoric is the backdrop for our “assault” on the more important goal: the Kingdom of God! This struggle to find our way into God’s Kingdom—meaning the place of His rule and authority—is reflected in the language of the Gospels:

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force. (Matthew 11:12)

The Law and Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. (Luke 16:16)

And make no mistake; it is a kingdom that I’m talking about, a place where the Lord rules and reigns; and obtaining entrance into it does require a violence of sorts, but it’s not to be confused with the political arena that’s now under contention. It’s with this in mind, that I chose the title for this post. The contest of ideas that informs our current political discourse can’t be confused with our effort to enter the Kingdom of God. But it’s also the case that entrance into that kingdom should begin now, and a certain power is required for the effort! We should be “assaulting” that realm, finding our way into it now, rather than seeing it only as goal to be achieved in the future when we die! And the power that’s needed to enter that realm is not a political power such as “woke,” it’s the power of “yoke.” If the current political rhetoric gives focus to the question of whether to woke or not to woke, our focus should be on whether to yoke or not to yoke.

What does it mean to yoke? Or, perhaps, the first question should be: what is a yoke? In the days before the invention of motorized tractors, animals were tied to a plow that was dragged through the dirt in order to provide a seed bed for planting crops. When more than one animal was used, their efforts had to be coordinated by tying them together. One way of doing this was to connect them with a yoke. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He said:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Making our way in a fallen world and working to serve the Lord’s purposes in the process isn’t easy. There’s resistance within our own imperfect souls and resistance from the darkened world in which we live. One way of dealing with it is to stay focused on what’s familiar while establishing habits that allow us to deal with our circumstances in a godly manner. We read our Bibles regularly, pray as needed and stay connected to a church that shares our beliefs. We’re not looking to expand our seed bed; instead we stay focused on what we know. It’s sort of like a farmer who only plows and plants one field over and over again, leaving the rest of his farmland untouched. Even though there’s a lot more profit to be made by cultivating a wider area, he chooses to limit his efforts. Two things are likely to happen as a result. The first is the development of a rut; the plow goes over and over the same soil in the same way, wearing it down in the process. This is analogous to a Christian who becomes disinterested with the Church because they just keep experiencing the same old thing, over and over; a situation that isn’t very inviting. For the farmer this leads to an exhaustion of the soil because the nutrients within it are being used up limiting what can be gained from it. And the same thing will happen to the human soul who is no longer investigating the full implications of the “Good News” of our Savior!

In order to prevent this from happening the farmer can plow and plant in a different field, allowing those areas that have already been planted and harvested to rest, while cultivating new fields that hold out the promise for a harvest of new fruit that will nurture and sustain us. And this is true for the cultivation of our souls as well as we seek to gain a better understanding of all that pertains to this salvation that we embrace.  But the power to do this can only be found through a significant connection with the Lord. We need to put on His yoke, relying upon His power to plow and plant and harvest what nurtures our souls. Being yoked to the Lord provides power…power to walk the walk, power to talk the talk, power to know and understand the circumstances of this world and represent and express our faith in a vibrant and effective manner! We can’t do that on our own, we have to be connected to the Lord, “tethered” to Him, submitting ourselves to His agenda, seeking to serve His purposes. However, using the word, tether, suggests another aspect of how we understand our connection with Lord. The term can be used to denote two different things. An animal might be tethered to a post in order to restrict its movement, preventing it from running away. On the other hand a computer might be tethered to the internet through a smart phone enabling access to all that’s available on the internet. It’s up to us to determine whether the connection to our Lord is a restriction on our activities or an avenue for accessing resources that we could never obtain without Him.

Think about what this “call” to be yoked to Him suggests. First of all the Lord acknowledges that life can be difficult and wearisome. Left to our own devices it’s not easy to obtain real peace for anyone. If our resources are limited then not having enough is always a possibility. If our resources are extensive, then we’re still confronted with the possibility of losing what we have. Everything is always in flux, there’s no real rest available. Illness can seize anyone regardless of their circumstances. And violence can confront anyone anywhere. Yet Jesus is saying that He can offer rest, and not just a rest obtained through altered circumstances. The rest that He offers is a “REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” What does this rest cost us? The kneejerk answer is that it doesn’t cost us anything. Salvation is available to all who call upon the name of the Lord…right? Jesus paid the price on the cross. His sacrifice is sufficient for those who believe on His name, recognizing that His death is sufficient to pay the penalty of everyone’s sin, and His resurrection provides us hope for eternal life. Hallelujah! However, by taking this position we fail to acknowledge the additional call for us to take His “yoke” upon us. It’s through being yoked with the Lord that we can obtain the rest that we all need. The rest that comes from being yoked to the Lord is not subject to the impact of changing fortunes, or any other unexpected circumstances. That’s because the peace that’s offered is derived from our relationship with God. It’s a relationship that can’t be severed through our circumstances if we’re truly “yoked” to Him. Jesus suffered the impact of being severed from the Father when He hung on the cross, and His resurrection has provided a living hope for a sustainable relationship with God that is not overcome by any assault leveled at us by a fallen world.

The question we need to consider is: what hinders our being “yoked” with the Lord? It could be ignorance, meaning a limited understanding of the Gospel that only focuses on a confession of faith and repentance from sin. Or it might be an unwillingness to give up what we perceive as valuable in this life. This might be the “things” that we possess, things that we’re afraid to lose because they define who we are: luxury, intellectual achievement, notoriety. Or it may just be independence. We Americans are saturated with a need for independence. We can’t get enough of it. We chaff under any restrictions that are leveled upon us. We think we have an overarching “right” to be free and it’s so ingrained in us that it’s difficult to think in terms of being “yoked” to anything, or anyone. Views regarding marriage reflect this. What used to be understood as a lifelong commitment is now evaluated according to what’s best at the moment; with divorce, or simply living together, often being regarded as the better choice. It is true that being yoked to the Lord does restrict us in a manner of speaking. We can’t do whatever we wish; we have to follow His lead. But it’s also the case that He carries much of the load. His oversight informs our direction and His strength provides for greater achievement. And being yoked to Him provides an atmosphere of familiarity with the Father. We’re not alone when we’re yoked with the Lord. His thoughts inform our thoughts; our agenda becomes an expression of His agenda. And our success is measured by the extent to which our achievements resulted from following His lead. To God be the glory!

Halleluiah!

Vaya con Dios my friends!