Zech 9:9-10; Ps 144(145):1-2,8-11,13b-14; Rom 8:9,11-13; Matt 11:25-30
THEME: VICTORY WITHOUT A SWORD
In the first reading, Zion and Jerusalem are presented with their king, who comes victorious and triumphant, yet riding, not on a chariot, but on a donkey. He is presented, not as a fierce warrior coming back with his battle-chariot, but as a humble king riding on a donkey, on a colt. Not only is this king riding on a donkey, but he will banish chariots from Ephraim, and horses from Jerusalem, and even bow of war. Yet, he is a victorious and triumphant king. Victorious and triumphant means that he conquered his enemies in battle, thereby rising above all his enemies. But which king wins a battle without his warrior’s chariot? This king of Zion and Jerusalem was not only victorious in battle, but now has all the ends of the earth, the kings, and their people, under his rule. And he will guarantee peace for the nations, as their king, yet without instruments of warfare. This image of the Jerusalem king is totally contradictory to the status quo. At this time, when kings fought for expansions and occupations, horses and bows and chariots were essential for that to happen. Having armies without any of these instruments was like having dogs that do not have even a tooth. A mighty king without any of these instruments is like a toothless lion. Yet, this king of Jerusalem could achieve victory and peace without any of them. It means that there is another way beside horses and donkeys and bows. What is this ‘bow-less’ and ‘chariot-less’ way to victory, triumph, and peace?
The Revealed Way of the Father
The way for victory and triumph and peaceful governance of nations other than horses, swords, donkeys and bows (which in actual sense do not secure any permanence to the king) is provided by Jesus in the Gospel reading. It is not the way of the world, nor the way of men, nor the way known to men of statistics, analytics, war-planners, warlords, army-commanders etc. It is rather the way known only to God, and then revealed by the same God to mere children.
Why is the Way Revealed to Mere Children?
Children are always presented as innocent beings, always dependent and cannot do anything on their own but must rely on the instruction of others. They are presented as those who know nothing but who are open to learning. Children learn from their parents and need their permission and authorization before they can execute certain tasks. In other words, they rely on their parents to lead them.
Who Then Are These Children?
Children are the inheritors of their father’s properties. They are those to take over the things belonging to their parents. As such, they must have a good knowledge of their father and form a serious and sincere bond with him. Hence, Jesus presents himself as the first and only Son of the Father. He is the only one who knows (ἐπιγινώσκω) the Father, just as the Father is the only one who knows (ἐπιγινώσκω) the Son. The Greek word ἐπιγινώσκω does not mean a simple ‘knowing’ of someone but ‘a deep knowledge of someone’, that is ‘to know exactly, fully, completely’. It is to have a perfect knowledge of someone and everything that involves him/her. The one who knows the Father in such a way is only the Son. Only the Son has been with the Father, and he is the only one who knows how the Father acts, and what the Father’s method is. For any other person to have this knowledge of the Father, it must have to be revealed to him/her by the Son. Hence, it is not knowledge that rises from the world, nor knowledge derived from the circumstances of life, nor knowledge that flows from the worldly deductive and inductive reasoning. Rather, it is the knowledge revealed to those chosen by the Son. And with this knowledge, those people who now become children (sons and daughters) of the Father, can now know exactly, fully, and completely, who the Father is, how he acts and the methods he adopts. They will have knowledge different from that of the world. And in whatever thing they do, as children of the Father who are always dependent on the Father, they will always follow the instructions of the Father, the way of the Father. These children are far from being considered ‘wise’ and ‘learned’ by the world, since they are not living by the way and methods of the world. Sometimes, they are completely considered ‘foolish’ because their ways and methods do not fall in line with that of the worldly calculations.
What is this Way Revealed to the mere Children by the Father?
It is the same way of the Son, Christ Jesus. It is the way of achieving victory and triumph and peace, not through chariots, horses and bows of war, but through humble riding on a donkey. It is the way that would rather take another route to enter another city, than calling on fire to consume an entire nation because the inhabitants refuse him entry (Cf Lk 9:54-56). It is the way that refuses to be fought for with swords and arrows (Cf Matt 26:51-54; Lk 22:49-53). It is the way that uses totally different instruments of warfare other than swords and arrows (Lk 5:16; Lk 6:12; Matt 26:41; Mk 1:35). It is the way of Christ himself, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, (Phil. 2:6 NAS). It is the way of being ‘foolish’ in the eyes of the world, yet a blessed wise person before God.
How Can the Children of God live according to the Revealed Ways of God?
- Living always in the Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9,11-12)
By choosing spiritual over unspiritual, as said by St. Paul in the second reading. When we live in unspiritual, we become controlled by our body and the frailty of the world’s knowledge. For us to learn the humility and meekness revealed to us by God in Christ, we must always live in the same spirit of Christ. We must be spiritual in order to understand why God chooses non-violent ways in all circumstances. We must live always in the spirit for us to be able to see beyond what we want, what the world wants, and see always ‘what God wants’. Our unspiritual selves will tell us ‘a tooth for a tooth’ but God’s spirit in us will tell us ‘forgive them seventy times seven’ (Matt 18:22). Our unspiritual selves will tell us, ‘Do me I do you, no one vexes’, but the spirit of God in us will tell us ‘forgive as you are forgiven in Christ Jesus (cf Eph 4:32). We all received this Spirit on our baptism. The question is, “are we still being possessed and controlled by Him, or have we abandoned him, suffocating him inside us with our unspiritual desires, words, and actions?
- Finding Rest in Christ (Matt 11:28-30)
We live according to the revealed ways of God when we always remember that whatever we suffer in life, and no matter how difficulty it is to continue following God’s way, we must always remember we have Christ. He is the first Person who lived according to these ways of God, achieving victory and triumph through humble submission to the Father’s will. Even when he was following the
Father’s way, at a time, it became so heavy and difficult that he had to ask the Father for a possible removal of the chalice way. But even then, he remained submissive to what the Father wants and how he wants it. The same Christ, who lived according to the Father’s way, and revealed the same to us, knowing how much labor awaits us as God’s children, calls us to come to him. Who can teach us how best to live according to the Father’s ways and methods, if not He who is with the Father and who has revealed the Father to us? Yes…the burden and difficulty in remaining resolute in following God, listening to him, and living according to his will, is undeniable. But it becomes easy when we learn to accept it as Christ did, embrace it as Christ has taught us, and live by it as Christ showed us to do. Our weapon of warfare is gentleness and humility. The enemy of our soul is an enemy of humility and obedience. And in order to defeat him, Christ needed not the sword of Peter, nor an alliance with Pilate, nor a life pleasing to the chief priests and elders, but a humble and total submission to the
Father. In the same way, we shall be victorious and triumphant, not through chariots but through our humility, simplicity of heart, and total submission to God.
Happy Sunday, the Day of the Lord
Fr. Chukwuezugo Nnamah