Bible
Study: Isaiah 26, 7 to 19 and Matthew 11, 28 to 30.
Our Gospel passage this morning is more
like an open invitation card personally written and addressed to everyone by
Jesus Christ himself. This invitation is not an ordinary invitation card as it
not only tells us what we are to expect when we actually come to Jesus, it also
describes our state of frustration and hardship when we attempt to dishonour
the invitation.
It is like a doctor having diagnosed
my ailment inviting me to follow him to the theatre for an operation. I know he
knows what is wrong with me and he wants to cure me so it is in my best
interest to follow him. At the same time, the doctor is not forcing me, he even
tells me the possible outcomes of the operation (I may die, I may not be able
to function normally again and so on), but he quickly adds that the advantages
of the operation far outweigh the disadvantages.
This is what Jesus means to me when
he says: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Like an experienced doctor,
Jesus is warning me ahead that if I chose to follow him, I would have to carry
a yoke and bear a burden. There is something painful about the Christian life. There
is a yoke. What does this word “yoke” mean? In those days, before the era of mechanized
farming, cows or oxen were used as tractors in the farm and to make them work,
a yoke which consisted of a straight bar was fastened to the foreheads of the
animals at the root of the horns or on the neck. In that way two or more animals
can be joined together and so long as the work is going on, they cannot free
themselves. Used as a figure of speech, the word “yoke” signifies “servitude.”
To live a Christian life implies that
I am willing to become an animal for Jesus, that I am willing to be his
servant, that like a cow being used for work, I dare not complain but simply
obey his words as I work in the farm of faith. The painful aspect of wearing a
yoke is that it takes away something I treasure most and that is my freewill. The
greatest pain of being a Christian is the loss of freedom, the loss of my
desire to do whatever I like with my body because I know it is no longer mine
but God’s temple. For instance, even the way I dress or talk has to reflect
that I acknowledge my body is not mine anymore but God’s.
There is a yoke and there is a
burden. What does “burden” mean? The Greek word “baros” which translates into “burden”
means “something heavy” or “a duty to be borne.” Used as a figure of speech, it
means a difficult requirement or an obligation imposed upon a person of which
he or she has no choice but to carry. When Jesus says my burden is light, it
appears Jesus is contradicting himself because the very word “burden” implies
something heavy. What this means is that it all depends on me. It all depends
on how I see my calling as a Christian. My cup is either half full or half
empty.
Some people see the Christian life as
a difficult life, a life with so many rules and instructions to follow, a life
that requires you going the opposite direction from where your flesh desires. Seen
from this perspective, being a Christian is like carrying a heavy load. But
when Jesus says his burden is light, he means that we can actually develop a
love for all those rules. Rather than see them as imposed upon us, we begin to
see them as secret keys to enjoy our life to the full. When we do this, the
burden becomes light and only those who are not Christians will assume it is
difficult.
I was discussing with a classmate of
mine some time ago. We both attended the same primary school. He was baffled at
the possibility of being a priest and he felt pity for me. He just couldn’t understand
how an abled bodied man who is not sick mentally or physically can afford to
live a celibate life in this age and time. For him, my life is a burden, a heavy
load he cannot afford to carry even for a day. But obviously, that is not how I
see it. Otherwise, I would never have agreed to go to the seminary in the first
place. To me it is not burden or rather, it is a burden that is not heavy.
Now what happens when we ignore Jesus’
invitation? What happens when we refuse to wear his yoke or carry his load? As
much as accepting this invitation involves a lot of pain, refusing it or
pretending to be carrying it when one is not leads to greater frustration in
life. Hence Jesus began by saying: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest.” Life itself is labour, we come into this world
crying and we keep crying all through. There are so many things that make us
cry and from the time of Adam and Eve, humans have not stopped crying. Jesus
knows this and that is why he promises to give us rest when we come to him. The
rest we get from having to carry his yoke and bear his burden is peace of mind
or pure joy.
Peace of mind is so scarce today
because so many people ignore Jesus and are trying to seek from the world that
which only God can give. The Prophet Isaiah sums it up when he says in our
first reading: “The way of the righteous is level; you make smooth the path of
the righteous.”
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, may I keep
accepting your invitation every day of my life. Amen
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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