Taking the Yoke Off
Yokes are not something most of us have much experience with, unless, of course, you work in the agricultural field. Some of us probably have a pretty good idea of what one is and what it is used for, but for those who don’t… a yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is secured over the necks of two animals, such as an ox, then attached to a plow or cart for them to pull. The Bible often refers to a yoke to symbolize enslavement or bondage. Leviticus 26:13 says, ”I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.” Later the yoke is described in Lamentations 1:14: “My transgressions have been formed into a yoke, fastened together by His hand; they have been placed on my neck, and the Lord has broken my strength.” In Galatians 5:1, Paul reminds the church that, “Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” To be yoked can also refer to a relationship that involves a shared purpose or commitment. Paul, when talking about marriage, says in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” To be yoked requires that both parties have the same strength. If one ox is larger or stronger than the other, the work is ineffective and lacks harmony. Whether or not we are talking about being yoked in a positive or negative sense, the fact remains, being yoked means that you have a burden on you. The weight of that burden is going to depend on what you are yoked to. The above verses describe sin and slavery, but Jesus described His yoke in this way: “All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30
In our passage this week, we find Paul and Barnabas in a debate with the leaders in Jerusalem. It was an age old debate, and one that would come up again and again as Christianity grew among the Gentiles. Do these new believers need to submit themselves under the Law of Moses? Do they need to be circumcised to be saved? Some said yes, while others weren’t so sure. It was something the new church didn’t really have a ready answer for. The whole idea of Gentile believers was, after all, a new concept to them. They never dreamed it could even come to this. So what to do? Let’s listen in to this important discussion that will define what being a believer really means.
Vs 1-5 Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved!” But after Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, the church arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this controversy. When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, explaining in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they created great joy among all the brothers. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses!”
Paul and Barnabas have just returned from their missionary journey to Cyprus and Galatia. As soon as they report, there are those who came into the church saying circumcision was a per-requisite to salvation. This was no small debate. It went to the very core of Christianity. Is salvation by works or grace? It can’t be both. Can we be saved by keeping the Law or was Jesus’ work on the cross enough? Instead of making the decision there, the church at Antioch wisely sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to get a word from the apostles and elders. They wanted it settled once and for all.
Once Paul and Barnabas got to Jerusalem, they found this wasn’t just a debate in their neighborhood, but something everyone was really grappling with. You had a very serious camp – believers from among the Pharisees – that believed salvation had to come by way of the Law of Moses. Circumcision was a must for all new believers. We must remember, the Pharisees had always been very Law oriented. They considered themselves the guardians of the Law of Moses. It seemed they couldn’t quite let go of their ideals that salvation could actually come if they just kept that Law. Before we point the finger, we have to remember that it can be hard to give up on our ideals and traditions, even if it ends up enslaving us. We will always tend to lean on those things we are comfortable with. So how did they deal with it?
Vs 6-11 Then the apostles and the elders assembled to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”
They got together and debated. This isn’t something we may be used to, but debating was second nature. They were used to grappling with scripture, researching it, talking it through, looking at all sides of the issue. They wanted to get this right – after all, this was a core belief. Finally, Peter stands up and gives us a bit of a history lesson. First, he points out that God had chosen him to be the first one to bring the message of Christ to the Gentiles (Acts 10). This came with a lot of prayer, fasting, a vision and guidance from the Holy Spirit. Second, he reminds them that when salvation came to the Gentiles they received the Holy Spirit in the same way as the Jews, without first being circumcised or following any of the Law. There was no distinction. Their hearts were cleansed by their faith, not by following the Law. Third, Peter really gets down to the heart of the problem: “why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?” In other words, Peter says, you either believe in the finished work of Christ or not. We are either saved by grace, or we are not saved at all. You couldn’t completely obey the law, so why are you expecting them to? Peter was reminding them that the Law was never meant to bring salvation. The Law was given so we could see what holiness looked like. It showed us the target, the bullseye if you will. We could be the best archer in the world, but we were never going to hit the bullseye on a consistent basis. At some point, we would miss. God requires 100% holiness and righteousness and He is the only one that could ever be that. If we could do it, then Christ didn’t need to come at all. No, the Law only pointed out how insufficient we are without God. It shows us just how broken we really are. At the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61: The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify Him. Jesus is the One who has been anointed. Jesus is the One who can turn ashes into something beautiful and bring joy to those in mourning. Jesus is the One who fulfilled the perfect Law of God and it is only through Him that we can be saved.
Vs 12-21 Then the whole assembly fell silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describing all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they stopped speaking, James responded: “Brothers, listen to me! Simeon has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for His name. And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written: After these things I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again, so the rest of humanity may seek the Lord—even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, declares the Lord who does these things, known from long ago. Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood. For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”
After Peter’s words, the whole assembly fell silent and began to listen. Sometimes, that’s what needs to happen. The talking and debating has to come to an end and we need to listen to what God is trying to say to us. Instead of holding on to the yoke around our neck, we need to allow God’s Spirit to lift that off and put the yoke of Christ on us – His is easy and His burden is light. Because He fulfilled the Law for us, we can walk in grace.
Then James speaks and says something quite astounding to these Jews. God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for His name. I want you to hear the statement in Greek to really get the earth shattering context. James says, God intervened and took from the Gentiles (ethnon) a people (laon). The word ethnon was used to describe the nations or Gentiles while the word laon was used to describe specifically the people of God. James is saying that God has reached down and intervened, making the Gentiles the people of God. They are His, just like the Jews. Not only that, Scripture confirms this in Amos 9 – even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, declares the Lord. This had to be mind blowing to them. This put the Gentile believers on the same level as Jewish believers. Paul would later say it this way in Galatians 3:28, “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” One in Christ – by grace. When we believe on the name of Jesus Christ we become children of God – we are His – by grace.
Then James gave the Gentiles some things to follow as they embarked on their Christian journey. Most of these can be found in Leviticus 17 and 18. At first glance, these seems counter intuitive to the conclusion we just came to. Why the rules? Didn’t they just conclude that we are NOT under the Law but under grace? Didn’t we just say the yoke needed to come off? Yes we did. So we have to ask, just what is James really asking of the Gentiles? To observe, not the Law of Moses? No, not the Law of Moses, but the Law of Love. As we think on this for the moment, let’s continue to read.
Vs 22-29 Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers. They wrote this letter to be delivered by them: From the apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. Because we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts, we have unanimously decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will personally report the same things by word of mouth. For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—to put no greater burden on you than these necessary things: that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things. Farewell.
The decision to send this letter to the church in Antioch was made by the apostles, elders and whole church. After much deliberation, prayer and more deliberation, they all came to the same conclusion – we are saved by grace. Wisely, they decided to send two men from the council in Jerusalem with Paul and Barnabas to deliver this very important letter. It was to show the church in Antioch, and specifically the “men who came down from Judea”, that this wasn’t just Paul and Barnabas’ word, but the word of the whole assembly. The letter reiterates that this was a unanimous decision, and that it was the Holy Spirit’s decision. Salvation is not by the works of the Law, but by grace. They only ask four things of these Gentile Believers – abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, eating anything that has been strangled and sexual immorality. Now that we’ve contemplated what is meant by the Law of Love, let’s explore the reason for these four directives.
You see, by following these four directives, Gentile and Jewish Believers would be able to fellowship together. It was important for these new Gentile and Jewish Believers to be able to get together for meals and worship without something standing in the way. By following these four directives, the Gentile Believers could easily integrate into the early church and remove any obstacles to unity. Any one of these things would be an obstacle to these new Gentile believers from fellowship with their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ, especially when it came to meals. Essentially, James and the elders are saying to them, if you really love one another, you will be willing to lay down your “rights”. You see, what may not be a big deal to us, could be a very big deal to someone else. What is the answer? We lay it down. We abstain from it so we do not cause others to stumble or fall. But we all like to get our way don’t we? I see it on Facebook all the time. I have a right to… It’s my right… I shouldn’t have to give up… But this isn’t what God’s word says. Jesus didn’t preach hanging on to our rights. Instead, He exhorts us to (1) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” Matthew 22:37-40 (2) In John 13:34-35 Jesus said, “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (3) John the apostle wrote, “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:7-12 (4) Finally, Paul reminded the believers in Galatians 5:13-14, For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.” God wants us to love each other. Sometimes this is going to mean giving up our “rights”. We must be willing to lay them down because we love God with all our heart, soul and mind and we love each other. After all, when we accept the grace of God, turn from our sin and follow Him, we lay down everything. We have to give up our rights in order to follow Jesus. Listen to what Jesus told the disciples in Luke 9:23-25, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it. What is a man benefited if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeits himself?” The Gentile Believers then were not asked to put on a yoke that could not be borne by all who came before them, they were asked to put on the yoke of love.
Vs 30-35 Then, being sent off, they went down to Antioch, and after gathering the assembly, they delivered the letter. When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. Both Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers and strengthened them with a long message. After spending some time there, they were sent back in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch teaching and proclaiming the message of the Lord.
And how did these new Believers react to this letter? They rejoiced! They saw the letter as an encouragement. They gladly put on the yoke of love so they could fellowship with one another in unity. They rejoiced in the fact that salvation came by grace and not by works. This is a lesson the church today needs to heed as well. We are to put on the yoke of love. We are to practice dying to self and walking with Christ. At the same time, we do not need to see this as permission to ignore the Law of God. After all, we are still called to obedience and holiness. We don’t have permission to sin just because we are now saved by grace. Paul addressed this issue in Romans 6:1-3, “What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” His answer was an emphatic, Absolutely Not!!! As we navigate this Christian journey, let us walk the narrow path of love, grace, obedience and holiness. It is not an easy path and there will be many times when you will need both the grace of God and man. But throwing off the yoke of sin and death to follow Christ leads down an amazing path of abundant life.
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