Could this Be Jesus’ Most Misunderstood Invitation?
‘Wisdom, encouragement and insight on every page. If you need to be refreshed and reminded of God’s great love, then this is the book for you.’
Dr Fred Drummond, former Head of Prayer, Evangelical Alliance
‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me’ (Matthew 11:29). We all know the verse, and are familiar with what follows. But what if the image it conjures in our minds – good though that may be – is not what Jesus intended? What if a lack of cultural understanding means we are missing out on one of the greatest promises He sought to bring?
In Take My Yoke, experienced chaplain and church leader, Chic Lidstone, invites us to reconsider how we interpret Jesus’ famous metaphor. So many of us imagine taking on a yoke that we share with Jesus: one that is ‘easy’ and whose ‘burden is light’, one where He carries all the load and does all the work, but a new type of stricture nonetheless. Drawing on contemporary rabbinical teachings and deep biblical study, Chic shows that Jesus had something much richer in mind.
Far from bringing a new ‘yoke of teaching’ for us to carry, Jesus was in fact offering a new ‘yoke of interpretation’ for us to be swathed in. Less a yoke to bear and more an embrace to be enfolded into. Jesus is bringing a message of the deep rest the Father has always intended for us to live in, a plan as old as Creation itself.
Chic’s Scriptural and historical insights, coupled with the experiences of Christian life and church leadership that he shares, make Take My Yoke an engaging and thought-provoking read. The revolutionary nature of the message of rest and belonging that Jesus brought is something we can easily miss, but by connecting His teaching about this new yoke with the parable of the Prodigal Son, Chic makes it one we can all grasp and begin to live out.
Commenting on his experience and reason for writing the book, Chic says, ‘My aim has always been to encourage Christians – and Christian leaders – to grow in their faith. And not just to understand it as a theory, but to experience in their everyday lives the rest and joy that Jesus promises.
‘Studying and praying over the years, I began to see that the wonderful words of Jesus about taking His yoke had a far wider and deeper implication than I had at first considered. And it has been a privilege and surprise to see what started as a personal journey of discovery became a book!’
In a world so often driven by exhaustion and endless demands, Take My Yoke offers much needed spiritual relief. It’s time for us all to accept Christ’s invitation to discover true rest in His gentle, freeing yoke of grace.
‘Intermingles closely examined biblical exposition with deeply personal descriptions of encountering the God of Scripture in daily life.’
Martin Hodson, former General Director, Baptist Union Scotland
Take My Yoke by Chic Lidstone (ISBN: 9781912726943) is published by Instant Apostle and is available on 17th October 2025 from bookshops and online retailers. Christian Life, paperback, 208pp, £12.99.