As part of my regular discipline, I try to follow the lectionary---the prescribed set of readings for the Christian Bible. I never had such a tool as a Quaker, so this builds in some intentionality into my selection. Otherwise, I could just read my favorite parts of the Bible and not bother with more troublesome or, what I might deem, boring parts! I follow the lectionary presented by the Benedictine monastic community. There is something special for me to know the monks around the world are reading the same thing I am reading.
The reading for yesterday’s gospel selection was a familiar one to me. It comes from Matthew’s gospel, but has parallels in Luke. There are also snippets of this passage found in another very early writing, The Gospel of Thomas. This is one of those early gospels which did not make it into the Bible, as we now know it. However, that does not mean the stuff in there can be totally discounted. Common to that gospel and the two we just cited, Matthew and Luke, is they contain a series of “sayings” of Jesus.
The reading for today begins a new little section in Matthew, chapter 11. The overarching thrust of this section in Matthew is to present Jesus as a teacher of wisdom. There is a long-reaching Wisdom Tradition, as it is known, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). One can think of writings, such as the Psalms, Job and others, as representatives of this tradition. In this Matthew passage, Jesus begins by thanking God for how God has shared wisdom with him. This thanks from Jesus is offered to God, “because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” (11:25)
It is a bit tricky to know what “these things” refer to. Is it the material that comes just before this section? Or is it the things that Jesus is about to reveal? For our purpose, let’s assume it refers to what is to come. And we will see that in a moment. Right now, it is worth noting that Jesus says these things are hidden from the wise and the smart people. Of course, this is ironic. The really special stuff is going to be handed out to infants---to babes!
Part of the reason Jesus may act this way is because the intelligent, well-educated ones think they already know what there is to know. In fact, they are the teachers, not the disciples! And so, God, through Jesus, is going to reveal these things to the little ones. No doubt, the hearers of this gospel would assume that they were the ones to whom this was being given. Jesus becomes the special envoy of God. Jesus is the wise one who will share the wisdom with those who follow him.
Now Jesus begins to share with this well-known saying: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (11:29) Grammatically, this is an invitation. Come to me, he says. This is not a commandment or order. As an invitation, we are free to say no---or not now. We have the freedom of denial---the power of ignoring. People have this power in the first century and we still have it today. If you want to know what it looks like, simply assess our secular culture. The willingness to accept the invitation may be more unusual that exercising the power of ignoring.
Jesus is both general and specific in this invitation. He invites all those who are weary and carry a burden. Naturally, all of us fit this description from time to time. There are times when it does feel like has worn me out. It is not the same thing as being tired from a hard day’s work. When we are weary, a night’s sleep won’t fix it. I certainly have felt some heavy burdens at times during my life. Losing a loved one, getting sick, losing a job and countless other experiences can feel like real burden. Again, a night’s rest won’t relieve that burden.
So what does Jesus offer? He says to those disciples, “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.” (11:29) On the surface, this seems like an odd offering. I am weary and burdened and you want me to take a yoke upon me! I think about oxen with heaven wooden yokes on them, struggling with the weight and the work ahead. But this is not what Jesus has in mind. As he says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (11:30) What a relief! What a joy!
And indeed, that is the point. The wisdom which Jesus offers is like a yoke that is easy to bear. In fact, the wisdom will bring both sight and insight, so that you will know who you are, where you are going and that life makes ultimate sense. In this sense, it is a kind of salvation. This wisdom offers a way of living that leads to a purpose that is quite satisfying. It is what I call the yoke of the Spirit.
The yoke of the Spirit connects me to the energy and love at the heart of the universe. We are provided with direction, discipline and delight. Really, what more could you want?
The reading for yesterday’s gospel selection was a familiar one to me. It comes from Matthew’s gospel, but has parallels in Luke. There are also snippets of this passage found in another very early writing, The Gospel of Thomas. This is one of those early gospels which did not make it into the Bible, as we now know it. However, that does not mean the stuff in there can be totally discounted. Common to that gospel and the two we just cited, Matthew and Luke, is they contain a series of “sayings” of Jesus.
The reading for today begins a new little section in Matthew, chapter 11. The overarching thrust of this section in Matthew is to present Jesus as a teacher of wisdom. There is a long-reaching Wisdom Tradition, as it is known, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). One can think of writings, such as the Psalms, Job and others, as representatives of this tradition. In this Matthew passage, Jesus begins by thanking God for how God has shared wisdom with him. This thanks from Jesus is offered to God, “because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” (11:25)
It is a bit tricky to know what “these things” refer to. Is it the material that comes just before this section? Or is it the things that Jesus is about to reveal? For our purpose, let’s assume it refers to what is to come. And we will see that in a moment. Right now, it is worth noting that Jesus says these things are hidden from the wise and the smart people. Of course, this is ironic. The really special stuff is going to be handed out to infants---to babes!
Part of the reason Jesus may act this way is because the intelligent, well-educated ones think they already know what there is to know. In fact, they are the teachers, not the disciples! And so, God, through Jesus, is going to reveal these things to the little ones. No doubt, the hearers of this gospel would assume that they were the ones to whom this was being given. Jesus becomes the special envoy of God. Jesus is the wise one who will share the wisdom with those who follow him.
Now Jesus begins to share with this well-known saying: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (11:29) Grammatically, this is an invitation. Come to me, he says. This is not a commandment or order. As an invitation, we are free to say no---or not now. We have the freedom of denial---the power of ignoring. People have this power in the first century and we still have it today. If you want to know what it looks like, simply assess our secular culture. The willingness to accept the invitation may be more unusual that exercising the power of ignoring.
Jesus is both general and specific in this invitation. He invites all those who are weary and carry a burden. Naturally, all of us fit this description from time to time. There are times when it does feel like has worn me out. It is not the same thing as being tired from a hard day’s work. When we are weary, a night’s sleep won’t fix it. I certainly have felt some heavy burdens at times during my life. Losing a loved one, getting sick, losing a job and countless other experiences can feel like real burden. Again, a night’s rest won’t relieve that burden.
So what does Jesus offer? He says to those disciples, “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.” (11:29) On the surface, this seems like an odd offering. I am weary and burdened and you want me to take a yoke upon me! I think about oxen with heaven wooden yokes on them, struggling with the weight and the work ahead. But this is not what Jesus has in mind. As he says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (11:30) What a relief! What a joy!
And indeed, that is the point. The wisdom which Jesus offers is like a yoke that is easy to bear. In fact, the wisdom will bring both sight and insight, so that you will know who you are, where you are going and that life makes ultimate sense. In this sense, it is a kind of salvation. This wisdom offers a way of living that leads to a purpose that is quite satisfying. It is what I call the yoke of the Spirit.
The yoke of the Spirit connects me to the energy and love at the heart of the universe. We are provided with direction, discipline and delight. Really, what more could you want?
Comments
Post a Comment