July 9, 2023, Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)
The readings today show how Jesus brings rest and peace to his followers. The First Reading (Zec 9:9-10) from Zechariah describes how a humble king comes to his people. Jerusalem is told to rejoice because the king comes meekly riding on a tame animal – a colt, the foal of an ass. This should bring to mind the way that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday when all the people welcomed him as their king.
He is shown to be a peaceful king displayed by the animal he rides. He does not come as a warrior riding on a chariot or mighty horse, and he carries no warrior’s bow. He brings peace to all nations and his dominion reigns to the ends of the earth. Even when he was being arrested, Jesus did not allow his disciples to fight with swords for him. Rather he went peacefully with his captors and peacefully, too, to his crucifixion.
In the Gospel (Mt. 11:25-30), Jesus gives praise to the Father for hiding “these things” from the wise and learned and revealing it to the little ones. The wise and learned would be the Jewish leaders, the Pharisees and the chief priests. They have not been given the knowledge that Jesus is the Son of God and Messiah for whom they have been waiting. Yet, God has revealed this information to the little ones, the disciples, just ordinary working men.
All the information that God has revealed is to Jesus only because no one knows the Father except Jesus. And Jesus then reveals the workings of God to those he chooses. Those who respect and honor him. His closest followers. Jesus then tells those who labor and are burdened to come to him for rest. They are to take his yoke upon them, that is to submit to his will, and turn over control of their lives to him. The yoke here represents an image of a harnessed animal. It provides discipline and direction to the “little ones,” the disciples.
Basically, Jesus says that only those who are childlike can encounter God. This is because those who are childlike are free from bias. Those who are childlike are ready to depend on others. The hidden things of heavenly words and their power are kept from the wise and revealed to the little ones. The salvation and love that Jesus has to offer the little ones are an easy yoke, a light burden. Therefore, they are encouraged to turn to Jesus for rest.
Jesus’ relationship with the Father is hidden from the wise because of their presumption of their own wisdom, not because of their wisdom. The Father has hidden these things about the identity of Jesus because the wise and intelligent did not obey God. They had chosen a perspective that did not enable them to see. Even though they knew the scriptures, they did not obey them. Instead, they abused their wisdom and intelligence to coerce and manipulate others for personal gain. Instead of loving their neighbor as God commanded them, they abused their authority to exploit.
The little ones, the followers of Jesus, on the other hand, have received the knowledge of Jesus because they are meek and open-minded. To be wise and intelligent means to have maturity and understanding. The wise and intelligent not only know things, but they also have the capacity to better search and seek out the truth if they remain humble. In fact, in his humble understanding, we even hear Peter say, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16). Jesus admired and blessed Peter for having this information revealed to him by the Father.
We know many things about Jesus if we are devout in our lives, familiar with the scriptures and attend Mass every week. We have the benefit of the Bible and two-thousand years of theological research. But there are things still hidden from us to keep us meek and entice us to continue searching for answers from the Father through the Son. We must not proudly and haughtily display wisdom but remain holy and child like if we are to continue to be blessed by the Father. It’s really not that difficult when we turn to Jesus because his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. He can easily maneuver us through life until we meet the Father.
