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

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke to the crowds regarding both Himself and St. John the Baptist.  He said, "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.  It was they who chose to trust to their own fallen wisdom and judgment, rather than to God.  Moreover, it's out of love that God withholds the revelation from those who would scorn it -- so that they do not receive an even greater condemnation.  See also the rebuke of the cities in which Christ had performed His great works, in yesterday's reading, above.  

 

 "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."   Jesus' yoke is submission to the Kingdom of God.  My study Bible explains that 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, for the power of God works in each person.  Furthermore, the reward is infinitely greater than any effort human beings can put forth.  The word for gentle here is the same word translated as "meek" at Matthew 5:5.  

 

 In many contemporary circles, discussion of healthy shame versus toxic shame is quite an important topic.  We often understand what toxic shame is, something that imposes a kind of burdensome judgment that impairs one's ability to function and obscures the capacity for loving God and hence receiving God's love which enables maturity and growth.  A healthy shame, on the other hand, is what we feel when we're conscious of being face to face with God who loves us.  That's a kind of shame that does not want to disappoint love, and the powerful reality of the good that calls us to something true for us.  In that case, a healthy shame would be one that does not want to fail to live up to the beauty of the soul that God says is possible for us.  Jesus speaks of His yoke as that which carries a similar context of love, grace, strength, and meekness.  This gentleness of which He speaks is the grace and love of God, who receives and loves us, and yet will instruct us in ways we need to grow and to go forward, goals that are worthy for us to have.  God -- in God's love -- seeks to expand our souls; at the same time, we need to seek to please and to love God, to find God's will, in order to find that enhancement and expansion of our lives toward the true, the good, and the beautiful in God's sight.  And this is Christ's role to us:  He will be the One who offers us His good yoke, the one that teaches us a healthy shame as opposed to the worldly manipulation that disregards our personhood.  Christ's yoke is that which guides us gently in the ways that are best for us, with the authority of the One who loves us and knows us better than we know ourselves, and who is the author and very Being of love  (1 John 4:8).  He is the One who is gentle and lowly in heart, and who gives us rest for our souls.  How can we compare that to the world that pressures us to conform and to submit, to accept an agenda that doesn't recognize who we are, and doesn't care to?  Christ's love transforms as it guides, it gives us a healthy discipline that we can develop and sets our lives on the right paths for us.  The light burden He offers is the responsibility we're capable of carrying and with which He entrusts us.   Christ's love teaches us mercy and gentleness, yet at the same time it asks of us that which God knows we are capable of giving, even if we don't have that kind of faith in ourselves.  Let us consider the yoke He offers, for we learn what love is through Him, how to love properly, how to have a sense of that healthy shame that knows that God is love for us.  

 

 

 

 

  

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

 

 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 speaking to the crowds about Himself and John the Baptist:  "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 as commenting here that God has hidden the mysteries from the wise of the world, not out of malice toward God's creatures, but because of their own unworthiness, for it was they who chose to trust their own fallen wisdom and judgment rather than God.  Moreover, it is out of love that God withholds this revelation from people who would scorn it.  In this way they can avoid an even greater condemnation.  

"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 explains that Jesus' yoke is submission to the Kingdom of God.  We don't hear this work yoke often in the modern world; a yoke is the wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to a plow or cart they are meant to pull.  So, a yoke can be seen as a sign of hardship and burdens, or possibly responsibilities which one must bear (1 Kings 12:1-11, Jeremiah 27:1-11, Sirach 40:1).  But in Christ, this yoke is easy, for, as my study Bible explains, the power of God works in each person.  In addition, the reward is infinitely greater than any effort human beings put forth.  This word translated as gentle here is literally "meek" as in Matthew 5:5 (see also the reading on the Beatitudes).

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."   In the history of Christianity, these words are some of the most uplifting and comforting, inspiring many throughout the centuries.  If we examine that word gentle again, as we did in the reading of the Beatitudes, we read that "meek" and "gentle" do not fully give us the sense of this word in the Greek.  It is a word which links gentleness also to strength, in the sense that cultures have evolved to create an understanding of what a "gentleperson" is.  That is, actions marked with kindness and gentleness, avoiding harshness, but also appropriate to a circumstance.  In modern Greek, it indicates a kind of calmness.  According to HELPS Word-studies, the type of meekness which Christ evinces Himself and also teaches in the Sermon on the Mount is one achieved with the help of the Holy Spirit.  It indicates God's strength under God's control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness, combining both reserve and strength.  As we are encouraged to imitate Christ, and to share God's qualities through the power of the Holy Spirit (the fruit of the Spirit), here He encourages us to come to Him, the One who can give us His rest and teach us.  While this indeed entails taking on a yoke and a particular burden, He characterizes them as easy and light.  Let us remember that we always have the help of the Holy Spirit for Christ's burden and yoke, and that whatever things we go through, there will be a spiritual purpose to be discerned, and out of which we may reap a spiritual harvest.  Learning endurance and patience, persistence and forbearance, are all fruit of the Spirit.  In the stories of the saints, we learn of gentleness and meekness, but these must be seen as our capacity to be resilient, equanimous, and not thrown off our keel at every provocation.   To have strength under control is the aim of historical spiritual disciplines such as fasting; Christ's easy yoke and light burden is the discipleship He offers us.  Let us take strength in His rest, and find our souls in it.

 

 

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

 

 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 

 

On Friday, we read that the disciples of John the Baptist came to Christ, asking Him if He is the Coming One (the Christ), or if they should look for another, as John the Baptist is now imprisoned by King Herod. Jesus responded by speaking to the people in defense of John the Baptist, and speaking up to those who criticize both He and John (see Saturday's reading).  Yesterday we read that Jesus continued, "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 all 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.  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."  For modern urban readers unfamiliar with this term, a yoke is a wooden crosspiece, attached to a pair of animals and the plow or cart they would pull.  My study Bible comments here that Jesus' 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, as the power of God works in each person.  Moreover, the reward is infinitely greater than any effort a human being puts forth.  The word Jesus for gentle is literally "meek," as in Matthew 5:5.

My study Bible reminds us, in connection with today's passage and Christ's declaration that He is "gentle and lowly in heart," of Matthew 5:5 (from the Sermon on the Mount).  To remind us, that verse reads, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  My study Bible says that meekness is an attitude of being content with both honor and dishonor.  It is an imitation of Christ, as He indicates here when He says, "Learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and lowly in heart."  The meek, my study Bible continues, are God-controlled and have mastery over their passions, especially anger.  It notes that meekness is not passive weakness, but strength directed and under control.  The earth that the meek will inherit is not power or possession in this world, but the new earth, which is everlasting (Revelation 21:1).  In such a case, Christ's "meekness" or gentleness would seem to indicate an acceptance of the realities of this world.  That is, we do not see Him challenging the powers of this world with military might or force, nor with manipulation or coercion, but instead with truth and through living in obedience to God.  Christ teaches us to take up His Cross in this sense, that His yoke is the spiritual life He would teach us, the life of the Kingdom even as we live in this world.  Christ's burden, then, for us, is not a worldly sense of obedience or slavery to an overlord, but rather one that teaches us what it is to do spiritual battle, such as St. Paul speaks of in Ephesians 6:12.  When we take on the yoke of Christ, then, we're given a different kind of life to lead, in which the challenge is learning not to hide from truth, but to embrace it, and to meet the evil things we observe in the world through obedience to Him, which means the weapons of virtue and the choice to follow Him and be like Him.  St. Paul calls this "the whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:11-20).  In His own gentleness and meekness, Christ meets us where we are, teaching us with love and care and grace, that gentleness touching our own hearts so that we know Him in this way.  We, too, learn the kind of courage He has, through His meekness and gentleness with us, and to meet the world with faith in something more than what we see only with our physical eyes, but also with hope in something greater and transcendent, and nonetheless real and at work within us and among us.  John the Baptist is in prison, and Jesus goes toward the Cross, already facing rejection although He has just sent out the Twelve on their first apostolic mission.  In this "meekness" we also learn persistence and endurance in following His word, being true to something much greater than the "worldly" can offer us.  We learn love and courage, and reliance upon God, and we learn the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who does not flinch from what the world does, but meets it instead with the power of God and God's enduring truth for us.  

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. 

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

 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 chastising of the crowds regarding John the Baptist.  This is after two of John's disciples came to Jesus, asking, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  He then answered, "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said, "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 for 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, i 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."  My study bible points out that, in this prayer of Jesus, it is the Father alone who is the source of knowledge.  It tells us that the Father alone opens the hearts of men to receive knowledge, and that He "communicates in a hidden way to responsive hearts.  The paradox:  the veiled reality of the Kingdom which Jesus reveals is seen by babes, simple fishermen, and sinners, not the wise and prudent, the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes."

"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 says here:  "Another clear statement about the deity of Christ, Son of the Father, who knows the Father and reveals Him.  The Son reveals only as much as we have the capacity to receive."

"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 explains:  "Jesus' yoke is submission to the Kingdom of God.   A yoke may be the symbol of hardship, burdens and responsibilities (1 Kings 12:1-11; Jer. 27:8-28:2; Sir. 40:1).  Although it may feel heavy due to our sins (Ps. 38:4), Christ's yoke is easy.  In Him the soul is refreshed and sees that the Lord is gracious (Ps. 34:9; Is. 55:2; Jer. 31:25).  A sign of Jesus' lordship is His meekness -- He is gentle and lowly.  King David emphasized that the Lord would teach His ways to the meek (Ps. 25:9).  Meekness is the mother of love, the foundation of discernment and the forerunner of all humility.  Jesus finds rest in the hearts of the meek, while the turbulent spirit is home to the devil."

Jesus chastises elsewhere the leadership in the temple regarding their hypocrisy,  "for they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers" (Matthew 23:4).  In this sense, we get a vivid understanding of His familiarity with the subject, and His objection to placing burdens on the faithful which are too hard to bear.  If we take the whole of this Gospel together, then, we get the contrast between Jesus' burden, and the burden imposed through certain legalistic (and hypocritical) practices.  In some sense, this is the core of our faith, because Christ's teaching here really has everything to do with love.  He does not teach His disciples that they will Lord it over others, but rather that they must be servants of all -- again, a teaching about love, and about "meekness."  In this context, the truth of the Father is revealed to babes, and hidden from the "wise and prudent."  What we receive from the Jesus who has just railed against the crowd for its attitude of criticism to both John the Baptist and Himself is the truth of the essence of the character of God, and that is love.  He's not looking for the hard-hearted to bear His truths into the world.  He's looking for those who are like Him, those who know they have need of Him, those who desire what He offers.  Revelation has been given to John the Baptist, who is now locked up in prison, a man of extreme asceticism, who lived only for God, who seized the Kingdom with a kind of violence akin to extraordinary passion.  Revelation has come to "babes," those lost, weary and scattered sheep who know that Christ offers what they desperately need.  It is these to whom He calls to take His yoke and to bear His burden in this passage, those to whom the Apostles have just been sent out on their first mission.  The true essence of Christ is His love, which we encounter in relation to Him, in prayer, a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light precisely because He is gentle and lowly in heart.  This is the quality of our encounter with love, the quality for which people take up their own crosses, face every danger, and find worthy so much sacrifice.  It is love that truly motivates when nothing else will, no material sense of power, no ruler who "lords it over" others, but rather the One who saves, who comes into the world to rescue us from such a worldly and oppressive notion of power.  Let us remember He will call us friends, and lay His life down for us.  But first let us remember His love most of all, in which we find His promise of rest for our souls.