Francis Gayang csc –
Readings: Is 40:25-31; Mt 11:28-30
“Come to me, all who labour and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus promised rest in his invitation “come to me.” He is ready to reach out to us when troubled
by the heavy burdens of the world if only we turn to him in faith.
This highlighted the supreme goodness that Jesus wants us to experience. He used a metaphor, ‘Take my yoke, upon you, and learn from me.’ The yoke in the literal sense means a wooden crosspiece fastened over the neck of an animal used for ploughing. Here the yoke Jesus refers to is the demands of the law placed by the Pharisees, the religious leaders, and rulers, mostly upon the poor and oppressed. Their yoke is the burdensome yoke of self-righteousness and legalistic law-keeping. So, the poor and oppress experienced a hard life, equal to that of an animal carrying heavy loads. Jesus contrasts the yoke of the Pharisees with his yoke.
He did not demand obedience for obedience’s sake, because he knows, through obedience in him, we will be benefits a good fortune. So, coming to him and taking his teachings as the principle of our life will lighten our burdens. Jesus was never happy seeing us struggle, he wants to exchange our heavy loads with his. He wants to lift us up, not just from our personal yokes but as well from the yokes of the unjust social system as faced by the people of his times.
Unfortunately, the Israelites though chosen people of God never experienced rest in history. Way back in the exodus from Egypt, God was with them, protecting them and meeting their needs, but consistently they found faults in everything and refused to listen and obey Him. After entering the promised land, they faced another sort of struggle, their leaders, elders, and rulers laid heavy taxation and put a lot of restrictions and demands on them.
The Gospel passage invites us to experience the liberation that we need in Jesus. ‘Come to Jesus,’ his yoke is easy and light. 1 John 5:3, says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” He invites us to learn from him as he is “gentle and humble of heart.” He is a God who is interested in our growth. He wants us to live happily. So, he invites us to be with him and in doing this, we will experience rest for our souls.