Earlier this week, I posted my thoughts on the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris and expressed me being put off by the mockery of Jesus’ last supper. At the time, I did not realize there was controversy, and that several media outlets were reporting it was actually representing a Greek Bacchanal, I was simply sharing my own thoughts regarding my own observations. The bigger issue at play here is the bait and switch that occurred. Faithful people instantly knew what the opening ceremony represented, but then there was a concerted effort by several media and social media outlets to very quickly call Christians ignorant, uneducated, and overly sensitive. The irreverent display of this pivotal scene from scripture shocked us and many responded accordingly. These posts were met with the scorn and mockery of several people, based on what was reported by these media outlets. I don’t care if you agree with my opinion, that the scene was the last supper or not, but I do care about the divis...
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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 You may have heard these words before in various ways. It is my favorite verse because it tells us so much about who Jesus is. To fully understand the context, we have to understand what a yoke is. Yokes are used to this day in farming and ranching to help plow fields and for transportation. The picture below might look familiar – it is a two-sided harness designed for oxen (or similar animals) to work in unison and to share the load. Oftentimes handlers will pair an experienced ox with a young steer so the young will learn and become obedient to the commands and directions given by the one in charge. We can look at this many different ways. The two main images I take away are that Jesus is the owner and handler of the yoke and...