Yoked to Jesus

Image
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” †  Mathew 11: 28-30  What is the labour and burden that Jesus is asking me to deal with? Perhaps I have to let go of the compulsive burden (or is it a sort of entitlement?) that my spouse and children should choose a spiritual path that I know to be right. Jesus accompanied Judas Iscariot to the very end but never deprived him of his freedom to choose his own destiny. Jesus on the other hand, uninterrupted by Judas's choice to reject him, continues to accomplish his mission. He does become a victim of Judas's betrayal but he seldom takes on the victim's identity. In divine wisdom, Jesus chooses to die in our place (and that of Judas) in a redeeming act of love. Rather than being compelled to fix those whom God has entrusted to my headship by m

Kingdom of heaven

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus draws an interesting parallel between the Kingdom of Heaven and workers in the vineyard [20:1-16]

At the end of the day, when Master settles the wages, he gives all servants, those who came in first hour and to those who joined in last hour, the same wage. People who came in the first hour feel cheated and thus complaint to the master asking for an explanation for the evident bias. Master does not explain but replies “Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?"[15]

The truth is, much more than the wage at the end of the day, what should have fulfilled them is the honor of serving the master [Jesus himself]. 

The experience of any labour depends on the nature of the master. We have a master who ties a loin cloth around his waist, bends down to wash our feet. He rises up to be dragged on the streets and be nailed to the wood in order to take upon himself the punishment that should have been ours.

We are all labourers in the vineyard of the Lord. The tragedy is that we don’t know who we are serving. And unfortunately the only consolation we look to is the wage at the end of the day. What an opportunity and honor we deprive our self of to unite with Christ here on earth despite being in his vineyard.

In the above story, the wage every one receives at the end of the day is Heaven. Yet the fact is that our experience in heaven [union with God] will be measured out to us according to our own desire to unite with Him [while we are on earth]. So if we miss here we miss there too.

In gospel of John, Jesus says, there are many rooms in his father’s house and He is going to prepare one for me” [14:2]. Heaven it is not a single performance for the heavenly crowd but a private experience with the triune God according to the resonance we bring forth from within. (yet in full communion with others)

All in heaven have been granted unique mansions [not according to our imagination] and an experience according to their own pure desire to dwell in the Trinitarian God. So in there, none compares his gift with others but each one is content to the full. In all this, all of us still share the same communion with each other and God. It’s like a beautiful harmony where no note is prominent than the other.

Waste no time! Desire therefore a intimate union with Christ. The time is now.

Comments

  1. thank you cheata :) was a lovely sharing...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Isn't the concept of labourer and master itself is not inline with the Father-child relation Jesus proclaimed? We inherit heaven not because of our labor, but because of our relation with God. In simple terms, I inherit my father's asset not because of the hard work I do for him, but because I am her legal daughter. Same with God too. Let's not miss the "Good news" while trying to get into details.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Veena, sorry for the late reply. It is true that through baptism we have been made children of God. But thats not an eternal guarantee for our salvation. Even legal daughters abuse and misuse their father's assets and are led astray. St. Paul says "work out your salvation with fear and trembling". Do you not let your child do any work at home? Any good father/mother would desire it. St. James says "faith without work is dead". When we evangelise, help our neighbours aren't we working in the vineyard of our father? This is article is to remind us lest we forget that we are in the vineyard of our father and every act of goodness is worth it even if at times we doubt and have questions.

      Delete

Post a Comment

I appreciate your comments

Popular posts from this blog

Yoked to Jesus

പരിമിതനാമെന്നെ ഒരുക്കണമേ

Vulgar jokes & sacred thoughts