READINGS: Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 144:1-2,8-11,13b-14; Rom 8:9,11-13; Matt 11:25-30
THEME: IN YOUR YOKE LORD, I FIND MY REST!
“YOUR KING COMES TO YOU” (Zech 9:9)
The prophet Zechariah came at a very crucial moment in the life of the people of Israel, that is, when they came back from Babylonian exile after king Darius of Persia released and permitted every nation to go back to their country.
Coming back, the people of Israel found their temple destroyed, and their land in ruin. They had double challenges: to rebuild the temple and to reorganize themselves again as one people of God. The people of Israel were still terrified by their years in exile.
Although they were now back on their own land, they did not know where to begin: No temple, no king. Meanwhile what assurance do they have that after rebuilding the temple, it will not be destroyed again through war. The people needed courage and assurance of security. This Zechariah brought to them in ‘the King who comes to you’.
We must not forget that at this time in Ancient Near East, one of the primary reasons for having a king was that the people would have someone to lead them to war against other nations.
Hence, kings existed for the reason of protecting their people, and wedging war against other nations. On the contrary, this Zechariah-prophesied King who comes to his people, is not coming to wedge war.
As a matter of fact, the prophet says that “He [the King] will banish chariots from Ephraim and horses from Jerusalem; the bow of war will be banished” (Zech 9:10). Chariots, horses and bows are instruments of war. These will no longer exist for the people, rather, “nations will know peace”. This Coming-King “is triumphant, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt….” (Zech 9:9). The Coming King is bringing rest and peace to his people.
“COME TO ME, ALL WHO ARE WEARY AND HEAVY-LADEN,” (Matt. 11:28)
While in the first reading, the wearied Israel is given assurance that her King comes to her to rescue her, in the gospel, Jesus invites the weary and overburdened to come to him.
The two movements, (downward and upward movements) are very necessary in God’s salvation to his people. As God stretches his hand to save us, we must stretch out our hands to him in order to be saved.
“All who are weary and heavy-laden”: In his invitation, Jesus is specific on whom he is giving an invitation: all the wearied and overburdened. This is God’s movement towards us. In this invitation, Jesus extends his two arms to the invited guests, waiting for them to respond to his invitation.
Now, in our own movement, the first step is the acceptance that we are the wearied and the overburdened. Unless one acknowledges that he is sick, he would not admit his need of a doctor. The worst sickness is one’s refusal or unwillingness to accept his sickness. Are you wearied and overburdened? Then, you are among Jesus’s Invited Guests.
“Come to Me”: In this invitation, it is necessary to pay attention to the emphasis ‘to me’. It is like Jesus is saying to us, ‘when you acknowledge that you are troubled in life, where do you go to and whom do you go to?” Then without waiting for us to respond to it, he said “TO ME!”
Jesus’ invitation has a direction so that we do not need to say, “I am suffering, I am carrying heavy loads, I am wearied by my problems and difficulties, but I do not know where to go or whom to go to.” Jesus would always say to us: “To me…my child come to me. I am the doctor for what you suffer. I am the solution to your problems.” Where do you go to with your weariness and heavy loads? Go to Jesus!
“AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST” (Matt 11:28)
In Jesus is our rest. But we must be careful when we talk of rest which Christ gives. The rest Christ gives us is not being free from all activities. The Greek verb ἀναπαύω (anapauo) used here is more of to receive refreshment, to receive encouragement.
Hence, when Jesus invites us, the wearied and overburdened in order to give us rest, he is not calling us from activity to passivity but to give us encouragement and refreshment we need in carrying our cross.
TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU, AND LEARN FROM ME; FOR I AM MEEK AND
HUMBLE IN HEART (Matt. 11:29 KJV)
The meaning of a yoke in the ancient word corresponds with its first definition given by Merriam-webster dictionary. That is, “a wooden beam placed upon two animals so that they could work together in pulling a load.” A Yoke is not itself a load but something that assists in carrying a load.
Jesus offers us his own yoke. Offering us a yoke suggests that Jesus is not advocating for the removal of the load but for something that will make the carrying of the load easy and light for us.
What is this Jesus’s Yoke which he is offering to the weary and overburdened? Jesus’s yoke is his meekness and humility in heart. In the sentence “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me” Jesus is not saying two things but one. Here, the word ‘and’ between ‘Take my Yoke’ and ‘Learn from me’ should not be taken as conjunctive (expressing and joining two actions) but epexegetical (the second explaining the first).
Hence, the sentence can be written as “Take my yoke upon you, in other words/that is to say, learn from me.” ‘Take my yoke’ of Jesus then means learning from him how to be meek and humble in heart. Meekness and Humility in heart become the Yoke which Jesus is offering to all of us for the easy carrying of this life’s burden.
Meekness and humility enable us to understand our nothingness. They place us in the condition of little children who do not pretend to be all powerful, but who cry out and run to their father immediately they are confronted by any difficulty. It is this meekness and humility, the Yoke against weariness and overburden, that Jesus thanks his Father for revealing to mere babes
(νήπιος, nepios) and hiding it to the wise and intelligent.
In the world where people look upon themselves as possessing solution to everything, Jesus invites us to be children, that is, those who recognize their weakness and nothingness and so always depend entirely on God.
“YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOUL”
When we learn Jesus’ meekness and humility in heart, we learn how to surrender ourselves with our burdens to him who knows us and cares for us – the God who loves us.
And once we are convinced that He bears us in his palms, no matter what it is that we suffer in our bodies, our soul will always be at peace, finding rest in Him.
No matter how heavy the burden of life is…. failure, sickness, disappointment, family problems, barrenness, unemployment, death of the loved ones, crisis in marriage, etc., once in humility and meekness we are able to surrender entirely to God, we can always lift up our eyes and like Horatio Spafford, sing “It is well with my Soul”. No matter what you suffer, may your soul always find rest in Christ. Amen.
Rev. Fr. Henry Chukwuezugo Nnamah
Catholic Diocese of Aguleri.