From a chart by Dr. Terry Wardle, Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio.

The "Heavy Load" slides are depictions of the ways in which Christians are burdened by the rules, expectations, scruples, or laws of others (even Christians). See Luke 11:46, as Jesus tells the teachers of the Law "woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them." (NIV)

From a chart by Dr. Terry Wardle of Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio; as interpreted by Chris Cahill of Lodi, Ohio via HaikuDeck.

The "Easy Yoke" slides are interpretations of the invitation of Jesus to “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.” Luke 11:28-30 (NIV). Each "Easy Yoke" slide may be seen as the antithesis / cure(?) to the the preceding "heavy load" slide.

Terry Wardle's website is www.hcminternational.org

Chris Cahill's website is www.basinandtowel.org

Did you ever notice that even when people see that you have a sizeable load to begin with, they want to give you more to carry by stacking their burden (of rules, laws, expectations?) on top of everything else you're carrying?

But Jesus' comes to you from below, like the trestle that holds up this bridge. He doesn't add to your burdens; instead, he steadies the path for you so that you can carry the load without fear of stumbling or falling.

The load that people put on you is often one of expectations. Then you have to perform "up to their expectations" and you always have the feeling you're being judged for your performance. This can make anyone nervous and hesitant!

But the Easy Yoke of Jesus is about your being in position to receive the blessings of grace and mercy that He has died to give you. It's not about "Your performance rates an 87% on a 100% scale, and therefore you get to go to this ring of heaven"; it's simply about hearing Jesus say "You have arrived!"

Acting is pretending to be someone other than who you are, in a place that isn't real, for the enjoyment of people who have paid you to be a diversion for them for a couple of hours. It is entirely a false-fronted, criticism-driven activity, whether you are on stage or in your family or classroom or church. What a burden, to be someone other than who you are all the time, just for someone else's pleasure!

Jesus invites you instead to be exactly who you are - who He has made you to be - in His presence, and to stay there as yourself for long stretches of time, and even into eternity. That's hard to do in this false-fronted world, but easy to do in the presence of Jesus.

What's the difference between an infant and a tyrant? The size of the tantrums.

What's the difference between appeasing a baby and appeasing a god? The weight of the sacrifices.

But as far as the gifts of Jesus are concerned - His grace and mercy, his forgiveness and life and salvation, His easy yoke of living with all these - appeasement has nothing to do with any of them. They are gifts - and all you do with gifts is receive them.

The "Heavy Load" often consists of laws, rules, regulations, codes, interpretations of laws, codicils on rules, tweakings of regulations, constitutional amendments, amendments to the bylaws, bylaws to the laws, amendments to the amendments, whereases to the to wits, rules about the regulations, and on and on until you just realize that no matter how much you read and how much you learn, someone is going to hit you with yet another rule book that tells you that you've done something wrong. In the meantime you have to carry the whole library of rule books with you somehow, and learn them by heart always.

But Jesus "Easy Yoke" is this: you don't have to learn anything except Jesus. You don't have to remember anything except His sacrifice. You don't have to recall anything except His forgiveness. Instead of taking up the rule books, take up His body and blood, and eat and drink them for the forgiveness of your sins, to strengthen your faith, and to reassure you that He has given you the promise of eternal life.

The "Heavy Load" is always about "How shall I put this? How can I explain this in more detail? How can I make you understand so that you will know exactly what I am talking about?"

The Easy Yoke knows that the picture is indeed worth 1000 words, and just asks you to dwell with the picture awhile, letting your spirit soak in it and take in whatever the Holy Spirit has for you today.

The Heavy Load is about thinking things through in a logical and systematic order.

So tell me, what's your favorite Psalm (other than 23)? Can you recite the whole thing from memory?

The Easy Yoke is about episodic encounters with Jesus - times and occasions when what you remember are not just the facts, but the emotions, too.

So, tell me, what do you remember about "I Love Lucy"? Why do you remember that?

The Heavy Load is quick to judgment. There are no color gradations. Everything is seen as black or white, right or wrong - even you.

The Easy Yoke is about whether I am showing you love or showing you not-love. It's about the two great commandments of the Law of God: "Love the Lord your God with all your strength and soul and mind and heart" and "Love your neighbor as yourself."

The Heavy Load celebrates strength. Wow! This kid sure can lift 'em, can't he? One day he'll be so strong he can do anything! And then he won't need Jesus anymore, because he will have figured out how to do it all himself.

In the meantime, Jesus is with those who acknowledge their weakness. He lifts them up, supports them, encourages and loves them. Remember that He told Saint Paul "my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

When Adam and Eve sinned in Eden, one of the first effects of that sin was that they became disconnected from God - He had to come looking for them, and they were hiding from Him! The Heavy Loads don't bring you any closer to God - in fact, they drag you farther away from Him, emphasizing and amplifying the disconnection by reminding you only of the great distance between you and God that sin has caused.

But with Jesus' Easy Yoke you are connected once again to His grace and mercy. His love flows through you and nourishes every part of your being. When you are connected with Jesus it is like having "a spring of water welling up to eternal life" inside you (John 4:14)

When you take on a Heavy Load, you take on the Responsibility that goes with it. You are responsible FOR the load, for what you do with it, for how you care for it, and for what becomes of it in the end. You are also responsible TO the person who gave it to you and the person for whom it is intended as well as the people around you who are closely watching your every move to make sure you are getting it right. That's a lot of responsibility!

The Easy Yoke of Jesus is about His gift of Grace for you. Just receive it - it's yours! He paid for it already, so it's completely free from obligation for you. Go ahead, take it - don't be afraid. There are no hidden fees, no strings attached. His Grace is Easy and Free and Delightful - why, even a child can have it!