I have no intention to check if you have a good memory but do you remember the yoke talk of Jesus from last Sunday in which Jesus invites, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” (Matthew 11:29)? This symbol of a yoke continues to help us reflect on the gospel lesson this morning. So consider my reflection on today’s lesson as the yoke part 2, and I would like to remind you of what Jesus’ yoke is for.
So, here’s what I wrote last Sunday: “That [the aim of Jesus’ yoke] is the kingdom of God in a traditional term or the presence of God within you. The yoke is to cut a long soil slice of falsely perceived inner isolation and loneliness and turn it upside down. It is to bury the surface residue of what’s so dry and lost, conserving moisture of sacred connection with the Spirit, aerating or breathing the soil of our soul, and killing weeds of death in us.” Now, let’s reflect on the parable this morning. I would like our interpretation of the parable to be done internally and inwardly, from within, not without. This is to apply it to ourselves rather than categorizing externally and outwardly which type of person falls into the seed sown in the path, on rocky ground, among thorns, or on good soil. What matters more is to realize that there are parts of our hearts that are like the path, rocky ground, thorns, and good soils, depending on various situations and contexts. This is the reason why we need the yoke to plow the fields of our hearts. We know which yoke to use at this point. We also know it’s crucial by whom and how it will be guided and driven as it is the farmer who assists a yoked cow. It’s the Holy Spirit. The farmer who drives the yoke is the Breath of God, and the yoke we’re using is our breath. The more we become skillful at paying attention to our breath, the more we become attentive to the guidance of the Spirit. That said, for what’s sown on the path, the yoke can stir up the path so it’s filled with good soil that no one trespasses. Do not let thoughts or feelings trespass on you or consume you. Don’t make them too easy to rule over. Don’t take thoughts and feelings as they are but question them. Don’t let them disturb you but rather, cultivate your field of mind by paying attention to your breath. If thoughts or feelings are upsetting you, block them with deep, long, and calm breathing. If they’re hazy like idle chatters, breath in a way that energizes you. Sort out all the rocks if there are. No more ignorance or negligence of what’s surrounding you. If we want a child to read, the best way is not to give a book to read but take the child to a library, showing how others have fun reading and providing an environment of reading. It’s important to examine who’s around you and what to expect from those around you to discern what to learn or not. Pluck out thorns. Rage, resentment, and repression are like spiritual thorns. Rage doesn’t help one to see the reality but creates a picture of victimhood. Resentment doesn’t lead one to reconciliation but becomes a tangled knot that continues to hurt oneself. Repression blinds one to recognizing and admitting that there’s an unhealthy desire. In turn, it takes away an opportunity to say No to that desire. It creates a path to repeat one’s unhealthy behavior over and over. The parable of Jesus this morning lays out what to look out for in our spiritual life. We don’t just want to understand it intellectually but embody it so that we know exactly in which situation and context the fields of the path, rocky ground, thorns, and good soil manifest. This is a challenging spiritual work yet a rewarding one because it will change who we become and how we live. Before you practice, it’s worthwhile to keep the words of Hildegard of Bingen: “Don't let yourself forget that God's grace rewards not only those who never slip but also those who bend and fall. So sing! The song of rejoicing softens hard hearts. It makes tears of godly sorrow flow from them. Singing summons the Holy Spirit. Happy praises offered in simplicity and love lead the faithful to complete harmony, without discord. Don't stop singing.” Don’t forget that the sower was somewhat extravagant enough to plant the seeds EVERYWHERE just as God’s grace is always abundant, never lacking, never short. The following words of Jesus are both comforting and invitational. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The comforting part is that he will give rest to the soul. In the gospel lesson, the crowd may have been under religious and political pressures that these systems no longer function as a means to guide one to live fuller and safer. Religious authorities become “religious” law enforcement that turns the wisdom of its teaching into a set of rules to obey without questioning. Political authorities are more interested in dominance over people than protection, security, and individual growth and fulfillment. In this religiopolitical context, Jesus attempts to comfort the people gathered around him. The invitational part in Jesus’ words is that he offers one to take “his” yoke and “his” burden because it is easy and light. This invitation of Jesus, however, might be disappointing to some because he doesn’t promise anyone that he’ll take away their yoke or burden. He doesn’t sugarcoat any of the reality in life that we carry a yoke of desire around our neck and shoulders. He doesn’t sell a feel-good spirituality here. Instead, he gives what to replace with. It’s the yoke and burden of Jesus from whom one has to learn. Because of who he is, that he is gentle and humble in heart, one can and will find rest. In Jesus’ time, this invitation to replace one’s yoke and burden with his might’ve been taken as a call to take a radically different approach and thus to live a different life other than submitting oneself to follow all the religious rules and regulations. We can easily imagine the local religious authorities coercing their religious traditions and laws onto people and policing them and judging, “Who’s pure or not? Who’s righteous or not?” It’s too easy to criticize these imagined authorities’ abuse of power. Yet, what about those oppressed? We often presume this crowd is too passive and helpless to push back as though they have no agency and are always in need of a savior. But Jesus in the lesson doesn’t do that. By giving them a choice to choose his yoke over theirs, he directs them to realize that they do have the agency to decide and act on their decision. Now, we have a different type of yoke compared to the crowd in the lesson. Although ours is not necessarily religious in its nature, there’s still something in common between the crowd and us. No matter what kind, it’s still a yoke. This symbol of the yoke continues to apply to all of us living in the 21st century that we are in one way or another either restrained or driven by something. Also, what makes this yoke better or not depends on the purpose of a plow and its result or outcome. In the case of the crowd, their yoke restrains and restricts them from living freely. They’re to be judged based on how well they observe the laws. In our case, the type of yoke is more about what drives and motivates us to live and maintain a certain lifestyle. The question that I would like us to reflect on is, “Do you know what kind of yoke you’ve taken?” To respond to this question, we need to examine ourselves with honesty and ask the following questions: What drives me to do what I do? What core values do I uphold? Where do I find meanings and purposes in my life when life itself is much more precious than the meanings and purposes I create? I wish we can openly explore these questions and share our responses with one another. There’s no absolutely right answer. The purpose is to see what yoke you have chosen to take upon yourself and then see for yourself whether it’s worth replacing with Jesus’ yoke. We want to avoid a black-and-white approach to this. Some of your yokes may be close to that of Jesus and they may work together. Others might need some adjusting. As we evaluate the yoke that we’ve taken and Jesus’, we are making a value judgment. What’s more worthy of taking? At this point, you might be curious about what Jesus’ yoke is. His yoke has a clear end goal. That is the kingdom of God in a traditional term or the presence of God within you. The yoke is to cut a long soil slice of falsely perceived inner isolation and loneliness and turn it upside down. It is to bury the surface residue of what’s so dry and lost, conserving moisture of sacred connection with the Spirit, aerating or breathing the soil of our soul, and killing weeds of death in us. So what’s your decision? |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
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