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Trinity V: Bear His Yoke!

‘and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

‘ac fe gewch orffwystra i’ch enaid. Y mae fy iau i yn hawdd ei dwyn, a’m baich i yn ysgafn.’ (Mt 11:29-30)

No matter what you do in life, there is always someone who will find fault with your actions. John the Baptist lived a simple ascetic life, but he is accused of being possessed by a demon. On the other hand, Jesus eats and drinks with what are perceived as the ‘wrong sort of people’ and is accused of being a drunkard and a glutton. Both approaches certainly have their place in the Christian life: feasting and fasting are part of who and what we are and do. They are both something that Jesus did and something that we should emulate in our own lives. The people of Israel, however, are not searching for a golden mean, the midway between two extreme positions. They are simply unable or unwilling to accept either the difficult moral demands or the all-consuming joy of the Kingdom of God. ‘Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds’ (Mt 11:19). Both John the Baptist and Our Lord bear witness to the truth of the Kingdom of God. However, when we are worried about being seen associating with people who are seen as being beyond the pale and ‘not like us’: then we know that something is wrong. To follow Christ is to go against worldly conventions. Christians are called to recognize the value of all people, whatever their social standing.

In the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, the concept that someone is somehow better, and morally superior, leads to the conclusion that they don’t really think that they need God. Such people think that they are ok; that they are doing just fine thank you very much. The self-righteous attitude of the Pharisees is, unfortunately, alive and well, and all around us. Jesus, however, associates with sinners for the simple reason that they are people who know their need for God, and, rather than being self-righteous, they are humble. This is because they are aware of their need for God’s forgiveness and help. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ teaching begins with gratitude. He gives thanks to God the Father, the Lord of Heaven and Earth. In the prayer He gives us Jesus starts by recognising both who and what God is — the beginning and end of all things. This is a model for our prayers and our lives as Christians. We need to be GRATEFUL people. We are the inheritors of God’s love and forgiveness — something we should be thankful for.

This is why Jesus reveals the truth to children, and to those who are seen by society as being weak and foolish. Simple, trusting souls know their need of God. The key then is humility. For this our primary example is the Word made Flesh, Jesus Christ. God humbled himself to share our humanity, so that we might share His divinity. Through being reliant upon God, and not ourselves, we can be rid of the ego, the sense of pride which says, ‘you can do it on your own’. Instead we need to put our trust in God. We are in Jesus’ hands, and we can rely upon Him, safe in the knowledge that He will lovingly guide us. We cannot win our way to Heaven, or gain salvation through our own efforts, but rather in and through Christ: through our Baptism, nourished by His Word and His Body and Blood.

Jesus’ message is a simple one, ‘Come to me all who labour and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest.’ (Mt 11:28) Christ provides us with all that we long for. This is the refreshment spoken of by King David in Psalm 23:1-2, ‘The Lord is my shepherd : therefore can I lack nothing. He shall feed me in a green pasture : and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.’ Ours is a God who keeps his promises to us, and these commitments are fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, who is the Word made Flesh, the fulfilment of all Holy Scripture. In his Introduction to the Devout Life in 1609, St Francis de Sales wrote:

‘Learn of me,’ Jesus said, ‘for I am meek and humble of heart.’ Humility perfects us towards God, mildness and gentleness towards our neighbour.

But be careful that mildness and humility are in your heart, for one of the great wiles of the enemy is to lead people to be content with external signs of these virtues, and to think that because their words and looks are gentle, therefore they themselves are humble and mild, whereas in fact they are otherwise. In spite of their show of gentleness and humility, they start up in wounded pride at the least insult or annoying word.

St Francis de Sales Introduction to the Devout Life III:8

Christ calls us to take His yoke upon ourselves. To do so is an act of submission, becoming like oxen pulling a plough, labouring as beasts of burden. This image naturally leads us to think of Jesus carrying His Cross to Calvary. Christ bears our burdens, and calls us to follow Him, so that we might experience the joy of the Kingdom of God. 

There is something truly refreshing about the simplicity of the message: Christ says to each and every one of us, to the whole world, that we can and should lay down our burdens and find life in all its fullness in Him. Our Lord calls us to reject worldly and selfish ways. Jesus is inaugurating a gentle, humble Kingdom; one where love and co-operation combat power and domination. When we follow Jesus, and walk the way of the Cross, we discover the joy, peace and freedom of His Kingdom.

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us turn away from the ways of the world, the ways of selfishness, and pride, and instead find our rest in Christ. Let us take His yoke, and bear His burden, in the joyous new life of God’s Kingdom. Let us encourage others to do so, that they may know Jesus’ love and His peace, and come to believe in and give glory to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Duw Dad, Duw y Mab, a Duw yr Ysbryd Glân. To whom be ascribed all glory, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen.

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Lent V

THE past sixty years in Britain and the West have seen societal change on a scale arguably never witnessed before in the history of humanity. The world in which we live has changed, and people have become used to the changes. On the whole, despite becoming more permissive, society is still judgemental. We put people on pedestals, and then we are surprised when they fall off. More than that, the media constantly encourages us to be critical of others. This is deeply corrosive, because it sets us up to think that we are somehow better than others. However, we too make mistakes. We all, each and every one of us, myself included, say and do things which we should not, which hurt others, and for which we need forgiveness.

Thankfully, we can ask God and each other for this forgiveness. Because of what Christ did for us, taking our sins upon himself, on the Cross, we are forgiven. God loves us. In turning to God for forgiveness, we are turning away from sin and trying to live our lives in a new way. The Christian life is, like the season of Lent, a constant repetition of this process: failing and trying again, and keeping going. So that bit by bit, gradually, we let God be at work in us, to transform us. This helps us to be less judgemental, more loving, and more forgiving. Drawing on God’s love, we can build up a community that is filled with this radical transforming love. We can become a force for good, a beacon of hope, sharing Christian love with the world around us.

Today’s Gospel finds Jesus is in the Temple in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. According to the law of Moses the woman caught in adultery should be punished by being stoned to death. However, the Roman occupiers had taken from the Jews the power to put anyone to death. Jesus’ response shows the world that there is another way: a way of love and not of judgement. Interestingly, this passage is the only time when the Gospel writers record Jesus writing. After the Scribes and Pharisees have brought the unnamed woman to Him:

‘Plygodd Iesu i lawr ac ysgrifennu ar y llawr â’i fys.’

‘Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.’ (Jn 8:6) 

This verse has puzzled people for centuries. What exactly did Jesus write? We cannot know for certain. An answer to this intriguing question may come from Scripture. A few verses earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus talks of rivers of living water. In the prophet Jeremiah we find the following words:

‘O Arglwydd, gobaith Israel, gwaradwyddir pawb a’th adawa; torrir ymaith oddi ar y ddaear y rhai sy’n troi oddi wrthyt, am iddynt adael yr Arglwydd, ffynnon y dyfroedd byw.’

‘O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.’ (Jer 17:13)

We can speculate that at least part of this verse from Jeremiah is what Jesus wrote in the earth. Writing these words would both fulfil the prophecy of Jeremiah, and shame the woman’s accusers. Jesus is showing that the Scribes and Pharisees have turned away from God, towards legalism and judgmental behaviour. Those gathered would know the prophecy of Jeremiah, and also that Jesus has recently mentioned streams of living water. This verse is the key to understanding what is going on. Jesus is fulfilling Scripture, and demonstrating that God should be characterised by love, mercy, and forgiveness. 

The Religious Authorities have not quite understood the situation. They continue to press Jesus for an answer, which He does not give. Instead Jesus challenges them:

‘ymsythodd ac meddai wrthynt, “Pwy bynnag ohonoch sy’n ddibechod, gadewch i hwnnw fod yn gyntaf i daflu carreg ati.”’

‘he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”’ (Jn 8:7)

Jesus’ position is non-judgemental, and highlights the hypocrisy of the accusers. Christ then returns to His writing:

‘Yna plygodd eto ac ysgrifennu ar y llawr.’

‘And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.’ (Jn 8:8)

It is possible that Jesus was finishing the verse from Jeremiah. We cannot be sure, but what we do know is that the combination of His words, both written and spoken have a profound effect:

‘A dechreuodd y rhai oedd wedi clywed fynd allan, un ar ôl y llall, y rhai hynaf yn gyntaf, nes i Iesu gael ei adael ar ei ben ei hun, a’r wraig yno yn y canol. Ymsythodd Iesu a gofyn iddi, “Wraig, ble maent? Onid oes neb wedi dy gondemnio?” Meddai hithau, “Neb, syr.” Ac meddai Iesu, “Nid wyf finnau’n dy gondemnio chwaith. Dos, ac o hyn allan paid â phechu mwyach.”’

‘But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”’ (Jn 8:9-11)

It is interesting that the older (and wiser) ones are the first to grasp the full implications of what Jesus is saying. Christ does not condemn the woman: God is a God of mercy. However, Our Lord does say, ‘Dos, ac o hyn allan paid â phechu mwyach’ ‘go, and from now on sin no more’ (Jn 8:11). Forgiveness goes hand-in-hand with contrition and repentance. We are loved, healed and restored by God, but with forgiveness comes a challenge. As Christians we are to turn away from wrongdoing, from the ways of the world, and instead find life in Christ.

Lent gives us the opportunity to take a long, hard look at ourselves and at our lives. It is a time to recognise that we need to become more like Jesus — to live, and think, and speak like Him. We need to be nourished, healed and restored by Christ, so that we can live lives which proclaim His love and His truth to the world. Lent is also a time for us to realise that we are loved by God, and that God is merciful, forgives our sins, and longs for us to experience life in all its fulness.

It is interesting that today is Passion Sunday when we begin in earnest our commemoration of Jesus’ death and Resurrection. This morning’s Gospel speaks of a different type of passion (sexual desire) which when uncontrolled could lead to death — either of a person condemned for committing adultery or a relationship between a husband and wife.

As we pray today for couples preparing for marriage we also pray for those whose relationships are under strain and for all who have experienced marital breakdown. Let us be slow to judge, and quick to show compassion and mercy to those whose lives are not perfect.

Let us, as followers of Jesus, rejoice in the generous love of God and prepare ourselves to celebrate Christ’s Passion. Let us give thanks for our families and relationships and give glory i Duw Dad, Duw y Mab, a Duw yr Ysbryd Glân. I’r hwn y priodoler pob gogoniant, arglwyddiaeth, a gallu, yn awr, ac yn oes oesoedd. Amen.

Christ and the sinner, A Mironov 2011