What can mustard seeds and leaven teach us about the kingdom of God?

The Gospel reading speaks of the explosive nature of the Kingdom of heaven. What is it like? It is like a very small seed that, if sowed in the field, becomes a large bush, large enough for the birds of the sky to come and dwell in its branches. It is like yeast. You only need a small amount mixed in with the wheat flour to leaven the whole batch.

A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, but it produces one of the largest “trees” capable of sheltering birds and providing food for many. We can be that mustard seed, if we allow Jesus to plant the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we are led by the Holy Spirit we can affect other lives and help to spread the love of Jesus to more and more. The same idea is true of the leaven in bread, or yeast. God’s kingdom works in a similar fashion. It starts from the smallest beginnings in the hearts of men and women who are receptive to God’s word.  And it works unseen and causes a transformation from within. Leaven is another powerful agent of change. A lump of dough left to itself remains just what it is, a lump of dough. But when the leaven is added to it a transformation takes place which produces rich and wholesome bread when heated – the staple of life for humans. The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who receive the new life which Jesus Christ offers. When we yield our lives to Jesus Christ and allow His word to take root in our heart, we are transformed and made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

His kingdom on earth for instance, (which is our Church), started out like a tiny mustard seed (just a few apostles), but is now like a great tree, home for many birds in its branches — various Christian denominations, all children of the One True God. Our Church has also been like a yeast, mixed in with so much flour — the millions of unbelievers among us, who would never have risen above their apathy or faithless state, had they not been transformed by the Gospel values of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of heaven may at times seem small, insignificant, even hidden. But a little bit of it changes the world. If we allow the Word of God to grow in our souls, the effects are insurmountable. If we cling to God just as He desires we do, and take even just a little bit of time every day for Him, great things can grow in and through us.

Growing together

 

Jesus always used stories to teach the people. This is the same as what the prophet said: “I will speak using stories; I will tell things that have been secrets since the world was made.”

In today’s gospel Jesus tells a story about the farmer who sowed wheat in his field and at night his enemy sowed weeds in the same field so when the plants sprouted there were weeds among the wheat. When his slaves asked the farmer about removing the weeds, the farmer told them pulling the weeds could pull up some of the wheat so wait until harvest when they could be separated without losing the wheat.

What we can immediately see in this parable is the work of the enemy. Jesus’ work, Jesus’ disciples, and Jesus’ Kingdom exist in a world which is under attack from Satan. He will allow no good work of Jesus to go unopposed. His goal is to corrupt, pollute, and undermine the work of Jesus. He wants to dilute the life of witness by the disciples. He uses the cover of darkness to do his vile deeds. Jesus does not leave His first disciples, nor us, under the illusion that His power will make things easy and that people will just flock to Him to be changed. From the beginning He reminds us of the opposition and the problematic issues of false disciples. Jesus is aware that His Kingdom will face corruption from the evil one, so we must be ready as well.

We read how the one who sowed the good seed is the Father, and the enemy who secretly sowed the weeds is the devil. We will learn that Jesus doesn’t want us to try to uproot all the weeds prematurely, lest we damage the tender roots of the good seed He has sown. Better to leave the harvesting—and the discernment of wheat from weeds—to the angels at the end of time! Day after day, Jesus seeks to sow words of comfort, encouragement, peace, and perseverance in our hearts. At the same time, the devil is always trying to sow words of doubt, fear, discouragement, and confusion.

His followers came to Him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.” Jesus answered, “The person that planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed are all of God’s children in the kingdom. The weeds are those people that belong to the Evil One (the devil). And the enemy that planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the world. And the workers that gather are God’s angels. “The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be the same at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send His angels, and His angels will find the people that cause sin and all people that do evil. The angels will take those people out of His kingdom. The angels will throw those people into the place of fire. In that place the people will be crying and grinding their teeth {with pain}. Then the good people will shine like the sun. They will be in the kingdom of their Father. You people that hear me, listen!

 

You wish us to walk with you in everything, Lord, yet so many times we want to go our own way and rely upon ourselves. We forget that God is walking with us, wanting to move into our life and bring us his love. No matter how untidy our heart may be, no matter what weeds are growing within, God wishes to dwell there, to be the one to bring us to life and love.

Lord, help us to identify the darnel in our lives, the weeds to be separated out, tied in bundles and burnt. Then we can offer you a rich harvest.

 

 

We can see the allegories of the seeds sown in four kinds of people.

 

Today’s  Gospel reading, Matthew 13: 18- 23, is a common Gospel story, which is found in more than one place and can provide rich messages no matter how often it is used for reflection. Everything that happens in our life is a kind of parable that tells of God’s presence to and His will for each of us. Understanding comes not from ourselves or from the noisy intervention of others, but rather from the Word speaking alone with us in the solitude of our attentive heart. We need to seek solitude of heart if we desire to be a disciple of Christ.

The interpretation of today’s parable reflects the experiences of the early Church as it tried to spread the Gospel. The four different kinds of soil are taken to represent four kinds of responses to the Word of God which it has received. What kind of terrain does God’s Gospel find these days when it hits our soul? Smooth? Rocky? Not able to hold long enough to grow roots?  Or rich, fertile, penetrable with the ability to bear fruit?

The first kind is like the seed on the stony path. The Word of God never even gets started but gets plucked away by the evil influences by which the person is surrounded. In our strongly secular world today it is not easy for the Word to take root with so many competing enticements.

The second kind is like the seed that falls on the rock. The Word of God is received with great enthusiasm; the person becomes a devout and active Christian. But, if obstacles arise which make the living of the Christian life difficult, the person falls away, maybe quickly, maybe gradually. As the Gospel says, the person has no roots; the faith has not gone deep, it is has not been really assimilated. This must have been the case with many in the early Church who enthusiastically embraced Christianity but when persecution came, abandoned their faith. In our own time, we see this often enough when people, for instance, are removed from a protected environment where it is easy to live the faith to one where the faith is ignored or even ridiculed.

The third kind is like the seed that falls among the briars and brambles. I would suggest that a very large number of us are touched by this category. Anxieties about many things and the lure of material goods can gradually choke off our commitment to the Gospel in its fullness. Our witness becomes seriously compromised and “there is no yield”, that is, we make no real contribution to building the Kingdom and changing the world. We sit on the fence and try to have the best of both worlds; we try to serve God and mammon, which Jesus says is not possible. I am sure many of us have matter for reflection here.

Finally, there is the fourth kind of seed which falls on good soil. This is the one “who hears the message and takes it in”. These hear the Word, accept the Word, make it their own and it overflows into all they are and do and say. Much fruit for the world comes from such persons.

These four types can still be found and it is for each one of us to determine to which group we belong. If we examine ourselves in the light of each example, we can discover why His word does not penetrate our hearts or if it does, why it does not go deep. We will come to realize the role that distractions play in replacing our meditation on His word with worry and wealth’s deceit. We need solitude to examine ourselves and this solitude is found in a resolute detachment of the heart from earthly things and the freeing of the heart is achieved and measured by dying to self and to self-will. There we find the rich soil in which we can hear the word and understand it.

Parables of the Kingdom

His disciples are confused. Why do you speak in parables? Why are you telling stories? Why don’t you just spill the beans — tell the people what they need to hear?

Jesus answers them saying, in essence, “You were chosen from among all people to hear the truth as it is. You are to be the teachers and the ministers to the entire world and I can speak these truths to you. But these others, poor people, they do not have the ability to understand, to see into the depths. You must help them.”

It would be possible to interpret Jesus’ reply as meaning that He speaks clearly to His disciples but to the people in riddles because they are outsiders. This would seem to contradict the purpose of speaking in parables which is to use helpful and familiar images in order to lead towards a better understanding of a deeper message.

In contrast with the closed attitude of many Jews who witnessed Jesus’ life but did not believe in Him, the disciples are praised by our Lord for their docility to grace, their openness to recognizing Him as the Messiah and to accepting His teaching. Jesus was not deliberately confusing his listeners but He was aware that some who heard His parables refused to understand them. It was not that they could not intellectually understand them, but rather, their hearts were closed to what Jesus was saying. They had already made up their minds to not believe.

Besides, parables–as indeed any type of comparison or analogy–are used to reveal or explain something which is not easy to understand, as was the case with the supernatural things Jesus was explaining.  One has to shade one’s eyes to see things if the sun is too bright; otherwise, one is blinded and sees nothing.

Similarly, parables help to shade supernatural brightness to allow the listener to grasp meaning without being blinded by it. God can only reveal the secrets of His kingdom to the humble and trusting person who acknowledges the need for God and for His truth. The parables of Jesus will enlighten us if we approach them with an open mind and heart, ready to let them challenge us. If we approach them with the conviction that we already know the answer, then we, too, may look but not see, listen but not hear or understand.  God’s word can only take root in a receptive heart that is ready to believe and willing to submit.  If we want to hear and to understand God’s word, we must listen with godly fear and reverence.

St. Declan and Home Sweet Orphanage

Today, July 24th, the Church commemorates the Feast of St. Declan.  And talking of Declan, we cannot forget to pray for our much-loved priest, Fr. Declan O’toole, the Mill Hill missionary who was murdered in Northern Uganda 10 years ago. At 31 years, he was a brave man who used the pen instead of weapons to bring peace to Uganda. Fr. Declan’s enthusiastic commitment to peace made his tragic death all the sadder. Fr O’Toole was shot in the north east of the country along with two native companions as they returned home from a peace meeting.

Fr.Declan loved his missionary life. He brought hope and good news to so many during his five years of missionary work. His memory will live on for ever in the area of Uganda where he worked and with his family, friends and the people of his native Claran. He loved to laugh and for his sake we must keep on smiling even in times of hardship.

And what about the Home Sweet Orphanage? This orphanage was started in memory of Fr. Declan by his Ugandan friend. Fr. Declan helped this young man in his times of hardship as an Orphan and there was no better way to remember him than founding up an Orphanage.

The Orphanage though going through a series of hardship, is a now home for 50 Orphans and vulnerable children

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It is unfortunate that due to lack of resources, this Orphanage was about to close early this year. We thank God for the generosity of friends, the situation is slowly getting back to normal.  We are still in dire need of help, and I hope after reading this post, you can consider sending us a donation HERE

The needs of the Orphanage are numerous, but here I will mention the significant ones so that:

• Food: The children should be served at least 3 meals a day, but as I write, there are many days that the children will only have one meal! Breakfast usually comes in form of Maize Porridge with sugar and on some cases with a yellow banana when it is available. It would be more nutritious for these children if it were mixed with milk, put the Orphanage cannot afford that now.
  Lunch and supper usually come as Posho, Matooke , or Sweet Potato served with Beans or G.nuts. These children like Rice and Beef and we are doing our best to make sure that they can have it at least once in 2 weeks, but it is still not affordable.
  In total food costs up to $1200 every month. The Orphanage is  yet to acquire a fertile peace of land so that food is cultivated to save on the cost of buying food.
• Water: The Orphanage is blessed with an underground water well that was constructed with aid from some friends some years ago. However for water to get into the storage tank above the ground, it is pumped by a diesel generator. Diesel worth $20 can be used to fill the storage tank to capacity, and the tank is used up in a week’s time. This means that at least $80 is needed every month to pump water. When this safe water cant be pumped, the children can only fetch water at a nearby stream, though this water is dirty and unsafe as you can see in one of the pictures above.
• Domestic and Scholastic needs: The domestic needs that these children often use are soap, toothpaste, and Vaseline.  Those children who are of age are sent to near by schools to study, and though they can access the government universal free education there, they will always need scholastic needs like books and pens. Periodically, the children also need new clothes.Domestic and scholastic supplies cost up to $300 every month.
• Bedding: Currently the Orphanage only has 5 double decked beds and not more than 20 mattresses. Most of the children have to sleep on the floor and share bedding. We are currently fundraising to but more beds, mattresses, blankets and bedsheets. We need at least  $500 for this cause.
• Poultry project: We are also fundraising to start a poultry project so as to supplement the diet of the children. The project will also big enough to bring is some income through the sale of eggs and chicken. At least $1000 is needed for this cause.

Help us to help them. Send us your donation now. Click HERE and you will be there. Remember to leave this note, Donation to Home Sweet Orphanage”.

Remember that every day 5,760 more children become orphans. Every 15 seconds, another child becomes an AIDS orphan in Africa.It is estimated that many orphans will spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster care program. Infants may stay as long as 18 years while children who become orphans at an older age stay a shorter time.250,000 children are adopted annually but 14,050,000 orphan children will grow up and age out of the orphan care system.3 That means that every day 38,493 children will age out. That’s one orphan every 2.2 seconds who will leave an orphanage or foster care with no family to belong to and no place to call home. Less than 1% of all orphan children will be adopted. Who will care for the rest of the millions of orphaned, abandoned and homeless children? These are not just numbers and statistics, these are CHILDREN! Distressed, struggling and with little hope in the world.

Thank you and may God bless you.

.Do we think of ourselves as the mothers and brothers of Christ as identified in today’s gospel?

“While speaking with the crowds, His mother and His brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with Him.  Someone told Him, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with You.’

From what we know of Jesus, we expected He would go immediately to them. Instead He points to His disciples and says, ‘Here are my brothers and sisters’. He adds, ‘Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’
In the context of Matthew’s narrative, Jesus seizes the moment to share with His listeners and with us a profound truth. He identifies with His new family, those present and those through the ages committed to the will of His Father as He made it known. He assures us this new family is one with Him in a personal, intensely loving relationship.

Doesn’t this passage strike you as odd?  What He is saying here appears almost dismissive of the ones He grew up with – the members of His family, who are at this moment within ear-shot of His words during this Gospel moment.  He is telling His disciples, who represent all who follow Him (including us) that they are to Him as dear as His own Mother! His words, far from being dismissive to His family, are precisely chosen.  A stronger statement of love – love for one’s own family – cannot be found; and Our Lord’s words, in this moment of the gospel story, capture the essence of His mission.  They are like a signature written under the one commandment He passes on to us:  “Love one another, as I have loved you.”

I love my mother and 2 brothers, and I am called to love everyone else as much as I love them.  This of course seems impossible.  But it is not.  That’s what the grace of God is for.  Nothing is impossible for God – living with us, through us, and in us.  Christ gives us the way and the grace to do it if we rely on Him.  Christ shows us how in His own love for all those men, women, and children – including ourselves – the Father places in His life. He died for them, as He does for us.  And in His death, He makes it possible for us to die for love of one another, and for all those the Father places in our lives. This superlative love is what the community of the Church is blessed to give to the world.

And….Do we think of ourselves as the mothers and brothers of Christ as identified in today’s gospel? Christ says that we are if we follow the will of God. Through our baptism we become Christians, a part of Him, and have the honor of carrying out His mission. Elsewhere scripture tells us that if we fail and deny Him, He will not deny us as He cannot deny Himself.

Having a realization of our identity as a Christian should have an impact on how we treat each other as strangers, family and friends. No one in the street is really a stranger, but rather a brother or sister we have yet to meet. Once we realize this, it makes each day a happy challenge. Giving a smile, doing a good deed and listening to others who are troubled, are only a few ways we carry out the mission. Gradually these actions can become a way of life. Christ lives on through us!

We especially need “quiet time,” time to put ourselves back together from frantic, stressful living

Today our readings are all about Shepherds and what God expects of them. In the first reading, Jeremiah takes out after the religious leaders, (shepherds) who have not fed nor led the people of Israel according to their traditions. The people have been sent, therefore, into exile as a punishment. This sets up a second prediction which is hopeful and personal and is meant to announce the coming of the Messiah. God is really angry with the kings of Judah for neglecting the Law, for ignoring the prophets, and leading the people astray. He is so frustrated that through Jeremiah He threatens to fire them all! He Himself will shepherd the people. For the first time, the people hear God’s promise to one day send a Messiah-King. Shortly after this warning, both king and people are led into seventy years of exile in Babylon. Because of their neglect, only a “faithful remnant” will ever return.

In the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we hear that this Messiah, Jesus Christ, has come to unite both Jew and Gentile. “You who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.” He has come to bring peace to those whom He has united in His own Body through the Holy Spirit.

The Gospel is about the apostles’ first venture out as missionaries. As they gather around Jesus to report on their success, Jesus can see how tired they are. He tells them to “take the day off.” They plan to go away to a quiet place. We are told that, “They went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. Here Jesus is trying to get to somewhere quiet and peaceful, where He can pray and spend time with the disciples. We’ll be much more effective if we follow Jesus’ advice. We especially need “quiet time,” time to put ourselves back together from frantic, stressful living. Even if it’s not possible to go far away from home, we can spend some time each day in prayer and reading. A quiet time at morning Mass can really refresh and invigorate us.

Unfortunately, the crowds get wind of Jesus and His disciples, and arrive at that same desert place ahead of them. Instead of being angry, Jesus has pity on them, for they are “like sheep without a shepherd.” And He proceeds to teach them many things. The Good Shepherd is ever attentive to the needs of His flock. He gathers them to Himself and keeps them safe from predators who seek to scatter and steal and slaughter. He seeks them out when they are lost and rejoices when they are found. He leads them through the valley of the shadow of death to the restful waters and verdant pastures where they might find rest. The Good Shepherd is not to be outdone in taking care of His sheep.

How can we not be moved by this account of the vast crowds hanging on Jesus’ every word as He preaches at length about the Kingdom of God? His words speak to the heart of every person, for they truly give life to the soul. How blessed we are to have access not only to the words of Jesus as they are presented to us in the Bible, but also to have access to the Word of God, living and breathing in the heart of the Church. Like the members of the large crowd that gathered that day so many years ago, we are privileged to experience the Word of God who becomes flesh and dwells among us

Jesus’ manner toward those who opposed Him revealed His true nature as the Messiah sent from God.

 

“When the Pharisees were outside they began to plot against Him to find a way to destroy Him. Jesus was aware of this.” –Matthew 12:14-15

Jesus is becoming a figure of controversy.  We saw yesterday how He was accused by Pharisees of condoning the breaking of the Sabbath on the part of His disciples.  Far from apologizing, Jesus defended His followers and implied that He Himself was greater than the Law.  Immediately afterwards He went to a synagogue and, in spite of a challenge about healing on the Sabbath, went ahead and cured a physically handicapped man.
At the end of this story, Matthew says, “The Pharisees went out and began to plot against Him, discussing how to destroy Him.”  He was seen as a severe threat to their authority.  And that is where our reading begins today.

Jesus was aware that some of the religious leaders of His time were plotting to destroy Him. We should be clear that Jesus did not go out of His way to confront and attack people.  Still less was His behavior deliberately designed to create trouble for Himself. There are people like that; they go out of their way to make trouble for others and for themselves.  Jesus never behaved in such a way.  He did not want to attack or be attacked by certain people.  He did not deliberately engineer His own sufferings and death; quite the contrary.  So now, as things get hot for Him, He withdraws for a while. When we are rejected, hated, and threatened with murder, we normally turn in on ourselves and become preoccupied with our problems. However, Jesus did just the opposite. He reached out to many people and cured them all. When we’re wounded, we think of being healed. When Jesus was wounded, He healed others.

The mounting confrontation between the Pharisees and Jesus was such a decisive event and crisis. The religious leaders became intolerant of Jesus because of their prejudice. Nothing that Jesus would do or say from this point on would be right in their eyes. They conspired, not simply to oppose Jesus but to eliminate Him. Jesus met this defiance with courage and determination to do His Father’s will. He used the crisis to teach His disciples an important lesson for God’s way to success and victory. The only way to glory in God’s kingdom is through the cross – the cross of suffering and humiliation which Jesus endured for our sake and for our salvation. We, too, are called to take up our cross every day – to die to sin, selfishness, envy, pride, strife, and hatred – and to lay down our lives in humble service and love for one another – just as Jesus did for our sake.

 

When Jesus was hanging on the cross, He did not give in to self-pity. Rather, He kept forgiving those executing Him, promised paradise to the good thief, called Mary to be a mother to His disciples, and commended His Spirit to His Father. Jesus was God-centered, other-centered, and sinner-centered. Even in His agony and pain on Calvary, Jesus was not self-centered. It’s humanly impossible to die to self when you feel as if you’re dying. However, Jesus lives in all those who have given their lives to Him. Jesus will make us Christ-centered rather than self-centered. He will free us from the tyranny of self.

 

 

 

Jesus proclaims Himself Lord of the Sabbath.

At issue in today’s Gospel is no ordinary law. “Keep holy the Sabbath” was one of the Ten Commandments. It had come straight from God. We might be tempted to think that Jesus, as God’s Son, claimed an exemption for Himself: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”. But St. Mark’s presentation of the story makes that unlikely. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ statement is simply “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). We see the same note struck in Jesus’ approach to another of the Big Ten: Honoring father and mother. When told His mother and brothers were outside, He didn’t tend immediately to them, but included all of His followers as family (Mark 3:31–35; Matthew 12:47–50).

We see Jesus coming into conflict not with the commands of God but with an established understanding of God’s command. Christ loved the Sabbath because it came from the heart of His Holy Father whose unfathomable generosity and righteousness is expressed in the Sabbath command. The Sabbath expressed God-given freedom and release from bondage and Jesus embodied the very heart of God in that respect. He Himself was all that the Sabbath stood for and expressed, only He said it better than the Sabbath and in Him the truth in the Sabbath plumbed greater depths. So the story is mainly just an incident in Jesus’ ongoing conflict with the religious purists of His day, or does it tell us something about how law fits into God’s scheme for humankind? I think it’s the latter. Law is important, and we owe it respect. All social organizations require rules, some arbitrary, but nevertheless useful. We follow them not so much to avoid penalty as because of what we have already been given – by society, by the Covenant, by the Church. Much of the body of Jewish law – of which the Sabbath observance was a key feature – described how a people chosen by God should behave – not so that they would thereby earn God’s favor, but because they had already received that favor. It’s how a grateful people respond. And that’s precisely the point for us, who are the new Israel, to whom God’s Spirit has been given.

It takes no stretch of the imagination to hear the Pharisees telling Jesus in today’s episode: “We’re a people of the Law”, when His disciples picked that grain. These leaders should have known that the disciples were guiltless and they would have known it if they had understood Hosea 6:6. It wasn’t the case that Christ’s Messiahship trumped the Pharisaic authority. It wasn’t a case of them saying, “Here’s our authoritative ruling” and Jesus saying, “I’m the Messiah and I outrank you so your rules don’t apply to me or mine.”  He said something like, “If you had understood Hosea 6:6 you wouldn’t have made such rulings.” Their conflict was not with Jesus alone but with the God of the prophets. Their conflict was not with a new interpretation but with an old and abiding truth. With all of the wonderful things that Jesus did to show that the Kingdom of God had truly come, all the Pharisees could do, time and time again, is point out one thing or another that they could complain about. It is not dissimilar to our present times. I know we all have limited control, if any, over the words and actions of others, but we do have total control over our words, our actions, and our spiritual direction! It is never too late to take a good long look at the words and actions of our Lord. He is the way, the truth and the light over all. If we believe that He is “Lord of the Sabbath” and Word of God, then we should be doing everything possible to have Him dwell in us! That takes far more concentration than finding faults in others, in their actions, or in their lack of replies to our prayers. Love the Lord and love your neighbor. That is His command!

 

In the final analysis, and to paraphrase Mark’s account, “Law was made for humanity, not humanity for the law.” Figuring out what that means for us in our everyday lives is not easy. Remember that the call to repentance – in Jesus’ time as well as now – means reevaluating our priorities, our values, and changing them if necessary. It would seem that the one sure law that bears no exception is the law of love – of God and of neighbor (Luke 10:25–28). Recall St. Augustine’s famous phrase: “Love, and do what you will.”

The Savior’s Tender Invitation

 

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” –Matthew 11: 28

 

Today we receive a wonderful invitation extended to us by Jesus. In yesterday’s text we saw Jesus as the One who knows God as Father, and now Jesus invites us to a deep friendship, the friendship we experience in the quiet of our prayer. We may recall that Jesus was very conscious of the burdens imposed by religious leaders but now He invites His hearers—and us—to turn to Him with whatever may burden us and He will give us rest.

His plea is twofold. First, “follow me” by “taking my yoke upon you” or “I will teach you if you only follow me.” Second, “If I am teaching you (yoked to you) I am humble and gentle (not seeking your obedience from fear) and I will make it easy to follow”.

A yoke is a wooden frame created to fit over the shoulders of two oxen that are harnessed in such a way that they can pull a plow together. In biblical times, a farmer would use the practice of yoking a mature ox with a young ox side-by-side. This tactic would allow the younger ox a firsthand lesson from the older ox on how to pull the plow. And as the work commenced, it was the strength of the older ox that literally pulled the entire load. The rookie ox simply kept with the pace of its seasoned partner. In time, the young ox would eventually pull his own weight. But for the moment, his job was to ‘learn the ropes’ and follow the older ox’s lead. The young ox may think that he is sharing the load, but it is the older ox that is actually doing all the work.

Jesus wants to be our teacher. If we are willing He will walk side-by-side with us and take much of the weight upon Himself, meaning that He takes all of our sin. He will give us the peace and rest that we need to be able to actually move forward and accomplish a great work with His strength there to guide us. His power is available to us to “pull the plow” we need to simply “put the yoke on”. And we would not be putting on the yoke of a condemning overmaster, but a loving humble and gentle master who wants us to become the best of us, the best Christian in the good work that we can become.

Turning to the Lord will not make all our troubles and struggles suddenly disappear, but it does make life’s difficulties much more manageable and easier to deal with. When we turn to God, He always comforts us and gives us the strength to face what life throws at us, and we are able to “rest” in His comfort. For ourselves, we know that our sense of Jesus being with us and strengthening us and loving us gives special meaning to that word ‘rest’. When our hearts are thus engaged they are active rather than resting, and, at the same time, at peace rather than stressed.

Sometimes we find ourselves feeling like we have control over everything in our life and we don’t need God to aid us. We lose sight of how totally and utterly dependent we are on God. This idea that we don’t need to always turn to God and depend on Him is an illusion, and we are always awakened from this illusion when something outside of our control throws a wrench into our life. It is in these situations that we become acutely aware of how much we really need God’s love and guidance. We should always lean on the Lord and depend on Him because He sustains us in a way that we cannot ourselves. Let’s not wait for some unforeseen obstacle to come along and force us to realize our dependence on God. Let’s turn to Him now!

From heaven Jesus still offers this tender invitation; but do we really understand and appreciate…

a. To whom Jesus extends this invitation?

b. What He offers to those who will accept it?

c. What He expects from those who desire to respond?

d. The true ease of accepting this invitation?

 

Jesus says:

1. Come. We cannot remain in the same place. We must continually move toward Jesus. We must come to Jesus, and to no one else, to nothing else.
2. Abide. Once we have come to Jesus, we must stay with Him. Jesus asks us to remain with Him, and not gradually wander away from Him. We must make our abode in Jesus and in His Word.
3. Rest. Just because we have come to Jesus and are abiding in Him doesn’t mean we will continue to do so. As St. Augustine said: “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee”. Jesus says that in Him we will find rest. However, we must strive diligently to enter into His rest, lest we allow the cares of this world to rob us of Jesus’ rest.
4. Trust. Here is the “catch.” Once you come, abide, and rest, you realize you have a cross to carry and a battle to fight. Jesus’ heart is focused on the salvation and conversion of all. He wants all to come to know the Lord . So we must take action and obey. We’ll be called to take risks and carry our crosses as His soldiers. We need to trust.