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

No room to spare!

Joseph looked at every faint instance of light his eyes could reach, hoping to figure out a fitting place for the son of God to be born. Mary, full term pregnant, holding firmly to her husband’s hands, advanced one step at a time, without a destination in mind, in a land foreign to them. The sense of duty and obligation to provide the best, for the God to come, being chosen to be the mother and foster father, compelled them to knock every door that night. They went past Inn doors, were from it hung on the knobs, temporary boards that displayed the text “bear with us, no room to spare”.

To give God, something fitting is on the agenda for probably all of us. Right in that process, when we are face with rejection, often in our mind, we quiz and burn with indignation. Those inn keepers, who did not have a spare room that night to oblige to josephs’ plea, stands righteous in God’s presence for they did accommodate, even the last passerby, until the inn was full.

Our acts and aspirations to please God are often based purely on what pleases us. God wants us to be transformed into his likeness rather than living to please him with fitting offerings and works and yet, continue to do, what we choose to do, the way we do.

For God, a presidential suite in a palace hotel and a shabby shack in a slum is the same. If Jesus were to be here today, he would take private jet, touch down and take cycle rickshaw or walk to where he wants to go, with equal ease and comfort.

A cattle shed was God’s choice for a cradle that night. He counted equal, the invaluably expensive offering of the three kings and the empty hands of the shepherds who decide to leave couple of smelly sheep behind, as offering.

The greatest Gift we can ever give God is ourselves. In this complete self-giving, we become useful for others. Mary’s response, “behold the hand maid” and Josephs’ silence and the ultimate sacrifice of their offspring on the cross, confirms this.

Comments

  1. Agree - "Our acts and aspirations to please God are often based purely on what pleases us" 10a:

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nobody could have said it better than you.
    cheers my brother. keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
  3. loved this one bro,
    God bless you...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I appreciate your comments

Popular posts from this blog

Yoked to Jesus

പരിമിതനാമെന്നെ ഒരുക്കണമേ

Vulgar jokes & sacred thoughts