Sometimes we are tempted to think that it would be so much easier to believe in Jesus if we were living when he was on earth.

Maybe … but maybe not. Today’s Gospel tells us that it has never been easy to understand all of Jesus’s teachings, even for those who heard him in person. What, for instance, would the disciples have made of the saying “My yoke is easy and my burden light”? It’s unlikely that they would have immediately understood what he was talking about. After hearing Jesus say these things, they probably discussed the teachings among themselves, puzzling over what he was truly saying. How can one man make everyone’s burden light? And what is the yoke he is talking about?

In some ways, today we have it easier than they did because we know from Church teaching that Jesus was referring to the “yoke of faith,” which makes our other burdens including illness, finances, difficult life circumstances, and anxiety easier to bear. It's not always easy to have faith, but when we bring our burdens to the Lord in faith, meekness, and humility, Jesus helps us carry them— and in doing so, they become lighter and more bearable. The yoke of faith gives us rest from the cares of the world, and allows us to live more peacefully as children of God in the Kingdom of God.

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The Prophet Zechariah sees a vision of the future messianic king of a reunited Israel, but he is not a king of the typical sort. While most kings gain or retain their dominion by force of arms. This king will “banish the chariot” and “the warrior’s bow.” And he will establish a peace that extends well beyond the boundaries of the present country of Israel. He is a “savior,” but not a military one. His dominion is rooted not in might, but in righteousness, in meekness. Moreover, he will arrive, not on a war horse, but on a mere “colt, the foal of an ass.”

The Hebrew moshiach refers to the anointing that kings (as well as priests and prophets) would have received as a sign of office. But the hope of Israel, as seen here in Zechariah, is for more than a duly anointed king of the Davidic line who would defeat her enemies. The deepest desire of the prophet and his people—as for us—is for shalom, that peace that no ordinary king can provide. This sort of peace is not enforced, but the subject of a proclamation, as the prophet says. Only the true King, whose divine dominion extends even beyond “the ends of the earth” to the heights of heaven, can supply this deeper peace by a word of proclamation.  Although  the  prophet  hints  at  this  proclamation, it is realized in the Gospel.
 

To enter the kingdom of the Messiah  described  by   the prophet Zechariah, who is meek and yet capable of bringing peace by a mere command, we must learn to live in a new way. That way of living is a gift—a gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Just as he is not a king “according to the flesh,” we are not to be his subjects “according to the flesh.” In this exhortation against "the flesh," St. Paul does not mean that we are to reject everything bodily, but only that which is connected to what he calls a few verses earlier “sinful flesh” (8:3). If you live by sinning in the flesh, he warns, “You will die.” But if we live according to the dictates of the Spirit, even our “mortal bodies” will be drawn into the life of this new spiritual kingdom. We are, by God’s design, embodied spirits, different from both animals and the angels. Our particular way of cleaving to God is not disembodied, nor is it animalistic. When we surrender ourselves to the Spirit of God, he transforms us, body and soul, into “heirs with Christ” of the heavenly Kingdom that immeasurably surpasses anything that earth can offer (8:17). Our way to that inheritance is the same that he trod: through suffering and death.
 

We sometimes puzzle over this image of the yoke, which is the mechanism used by farmers to bind draft animals to each other and to the equipment that they labor to pull. It sounds to us as though Jesus isn’t doing us any favors by offering us such a yoke. He does say specifically that his yoke is “easy” and “light,” but why should we want to be bound up like a draft animal, even if the instrument that binds me is relatively comfortable?

Rabbi Joshua ben Korhah was asked once why it is that in the twice daily ritual of Jewish life called the Shema prayer, the first portion speaking of love of God and his word (Deut 6:4-9) should precede the portions which speak of the obligations of Jewish life (11:13-21). His answer was “so that one might accept upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven first; afterwards, he accepts upon himself the yoke of the commandments.” Thus, the yoke that Jesus speaks of is a symbol for a covenantal, familial relationship with God. What Jesus offers us is a new way to enter the kingdom of God, the covenant with God, one which does indeed involve obedience, but which is made easy and light because of the grace that he wins for us by his own obedience. He first models the obedience he asks for by being “meek and humble of heart.” His own obedience to the Father and love for us comes first; then he asks us to take on ourselves the yoke he has already carried for us. When he says that it is “my yoke,” he means that it is the one he not only wears, but also that he shares.

 

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MEDITATION:
Meditate on Jesus’ words: “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.” What is the heaviest burden you carry now in your life? Envision that burden resting on your shoulders and ask Jesus to help you carry it. Imagine turning the weight over to him. Prayerfully envision Jesus with you, helping you carry your heaviest burden.

RESOLUTION:
Each morning this week, begin your day by asking Jesus to help you carry this burden—and trust that he is truly with you and that he loves you so much he does not want you to carry this on your own.

 

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Opening the Word offers prayers and insights for the Sunday Scriptural lessons. Watch the video presentation that accompanies this reflection FREE at   Formed.org.