For My yoke is easy and My burden is light

 

 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

 

- Matthew 11:25-30 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His teaching regarding John the Baptist (who is now in prison) and Himself:  "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.'  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."  Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

 

At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  My study Bible cites blessed Theophylact, who notes that God has hidden the mysteries from the wise of the world, not out of malice toward God's creatures, but rather because of their own unworthiness.  That is, it is they who choose to trust in their own fallen wisdom and judgment rather than in God.  Moreover, such revelation who would scorn it out of love for them:  for to reject it would result in an even greater condemnation.  See yesterday's reading (above) and Jesus' condemnation of those places in which mighty works were done, but no repentance ("change of mind")  resulted.  Earlier in this discourse, Jesus referred to Himself as Son of Man (see yesterday's reading, above:  "The Son of Man came eating and drinking . . .").  Here Jesus adds a profound and explicit statement of authority in His identity as Son; the repentance which is lacking is the one which fails to grasp the gospel of the kingdom of heaven which He has been sent to preach.  The mysteries of God to which He refers are His alone to reveal and to withhold.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  My study Bible comments that Christ's yoke is submission to the Kingdom of God.   A yoke could be seen as a sign of hardship, burdens, and responsibilities (1 Kings 12:1-11, Jeremiah 27:1-11, Sirach 40:1).  But in Christ, the yoke is easy, because the power of God works in each person.  Moreover, the reward is infinitely greater than any effort human beings put forth.  Gentle means literally meek (as in Matthew 5:5 in the Sermon on the Mount:  "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth").  To be meek is not to be weak, but rather God-controlled; that is, to have mastery over one's own passions, especially anger.  That is, strength directed and under control.

 

 Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."   These are indeed comforting words; they are words heard throughout the centuries by those needing refuge, help, strength, and guidance.  If we think about them, and what it means to be "gentle [meek] and lowly in heart," then we understand that these are the words of One who is like a good father, a good brother, a good leader and protector.  If we haven't had such a figure in our lives, He can be that figure.  If we need those same skills in our lives (regardless of our gender), to be a good parent, a strong sibling, a good leader in family or community, He is our role model.  These are the words of one who knows how to use His absolute authority, which He has just declared by saying, "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  We have at once a supreme claim to authority, even to the judgment implied here.  But in the very next verses we have an image of what kind of authority figure this Son of the Father is, and how He uses His authority.  For those countless followers of Christ who have been comforted by these words, the image is one of the ideal figure of the family or community, one capable of great love, great strength, and great guidance and wisdom.  Most of all, the compassion of Christ still shows through in this declaration of authority, and the open hand that is outstretched through the words.  Those who labor and are heavy laden are those already under a different yoke of authority, that of the "prince" or "ruler of this world."  The very word for "evil" or "evil one" in Greek (as in "deliver us from evil/the evil one" in the Lord's Prayer; see Matthew 6:13) has at once these meanings of burdensome toil, oppression, and pain.  Jesus is the alternative.  He is not a competitor except in our own hearts.  But when we have had enough of the ways of the world, so to speak, His is the ultimate authority to which we turn and find rest and learning.  For those of us who experience this easy and light burden, this meekness and gentleness, there is no doubt about His words, and no substitution.  For in contrast to the world which demands a kind of onerous slavery and can practice a merciless judgment, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.