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Yoke
Christ's easy yoke — the image of discipleship as a burden that liberates; the monastic life as the taking on of Christ's yoke.
The yoke (zygos) is the image Christ uses for discipleship: '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). In Orthodox theology, the monastic life is the explicit taking on of this yoke: the vows of obedience, chastity, and nonpossession are burdens in the worldly sense but liberating in the eschatological sense, for they remove the heavier burden of self-will and worldly care.