The yoke and burden Jesus is talking about is having faith in Him, and loving God and neighbor.
This is a study that I posted here on CC a long time ago. Thought I'd share it here, just for edification, and hopefully encouraging others to look further into it themselves.
More Than One Kind of Yoke Described in the Bible
The bible gives us examples of more than one kind of Yoke that a person or groups of people can be under.
I wanted to get the definition of the word, "yoke," from Strong's concordance to make clear what an actual yoke is.
This is taken from the Matthew 11:29. (Yoke)
2218 // zugov // zugos // dzoo-gos' //
1) a yoke
1a) a yoke that is put on draught cattle
1b) metaph., used of any burden or bondage
1b1) as that of slavery
1b2) of troublesome laws imposed on one, esp. of the Mosaic
law, hence the name is so transferred to the commands of
Christ as to contrast them with the commands of the
Pharisees which were a veritable 'yoke'; yet even Christ's
commands must be submitted to, though easier to be kept
This brings to mind the account of Elijah when he met Elisha. Elisha was out plowing the fields with his oxen. The yoke is the reigns put upon the neck of the Oxen to drive it.
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Deuteronomy 22:9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
Deuteronomy 22:10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
In the parable of the seed sower, Jesus tells us what the seed is.
Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Before a seed can be planted, a field has to be plowed, rocks removed and the ground made ready.
Deuteronomy speaks about not planting diverse seeds, lest the fruit of they seed which thou has sowed, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled."
We only want the good seed to be planted, and "the seed is the word of God."
We don't want to sow with those who aren't in agreement, as Amos ch. 3 States, "what has darkness to do with light?"
So God's word instructs us not to plow with darkness, "Thou shalt not plow with and Ox and an ass together." And not to plant "divers seeds." We only want the truth to be planted.
What is the truth?
Psa 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
When we learn of Jesus we learn that HE has been speaking since the beginning.
As the verse says, "take MY yoke upon you and LEARN of ME" We want HIS yoke on us.
There's more than one type of yoke that a person can be under.
A yoke of bondage:
Leviticus 26:13 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.
Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
John 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
John 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Isaiah 14:25 That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
Sin is a heavy yoke! When we look back over our own lives and see where we have fallen short, the burden of our own wrong doings is a heavy yoke. Sin is a heavy burden.
When Christ is driving us by HIS yoke, it's light, being set free from the burden of sin and overcoming the world which is laden with sin.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1 Corinthians 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
God's word even describes how we can be yoked together with others.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Philippians 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.
There are so many examples of these things throughout the word. God's word is truly amazing, and the deeper a person prayerfully seeks out the answers, the more it all comes together. I personally won't ignore any part of it.
