September 18:
MY YOKE IS EASY
Jesus
addresses his disciples, the “little ones”, “mere children”, who are struggling
under the written demands of the Mosaic Law and oppressed by the additional six
hundred burdens imposed on them by the oral tradition of the Pharisees (Matt
11:28-30).
Later
in Matthew, Jesus reproves those Pharisees who “tie up heavy burdens and lay
them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they!” (Matt
23:4).
Jesus
says, “They occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you
and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do; since they
do not practise what they preach” (Matt 23:3). Instead, “Learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart” (Matt
Jesus
calls his disciples to cast off the yoke of the Pharisees and to yoke
themselves to him, as though they were beasts of burden harnessed together.
He
offers them freedom from the crushing burden of the Pharisees, but he is not
preaching the abolition of all laws in favour of utopian liberty. No, he
invites them to shoulder his yoke
(Matt 11:29), which he has just described: “If anyone wants to be a follower of
mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt
11:24).
There
is a great difference between the yoke of Jesus and that of the Pharisees.
Jesus carried his cross first, and still, today, he assures us that he will
carry our cross, or yoke, or burden with us. To the extent that he helps us,
his yoke is easy. Only he can make our burden light, because he carries it with
us.
Jesus
Christ walked before us, carrying his cross, and now he walks beside us,
helping us to carry ours. Let us pray for the gentleness and humility of heart
that he wants to teach us, and that will make our burden so much lighter.