MATTHEW 11:28-30 LECTIO DIVINA PART 1
BRIEF TALK 1
Please read Introduction to Lectio Divina for the structure and underlying principles involved.
The Text Itself
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and overburdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).”
Stage 1 Brief talk on the text
This passage is a universal call to draw close to Christ, to be aware of our need for him, to follow his teachings and to become his disciples, to learn from him and receive his healing, his rest, his salvation.
Separation from God influences relationships: how we relate to ourselves, to others and to the environment. It causes spiritual and psychological restlessness which is not often understood. We try to drown this weariness of spirit in activism or entertainment. But it does not go away. When we are weary and overwhelmed we become irritable, bitter, gloomy and relationships suffer as a result. Through his death and resurrection Jesus bridged the gap between God and man. Through him alone we have access to the Father: “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
In the first instance this invitation is for the non-believer, he who has not yet been baptised and entered into a relationship with Christ. Jesus invites all to come to him and he is drawing everyone to himself as promised: “When I am lifted up from the earth I shall draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). The task of the evangeliser is to collaborate in drawing people to Christ. We are here today because Christ is drawing us to himself.
As Christians we have accepted to enter into a relationship with Christ. However, this relationship can be damaged and sometimes broken by our tendency to sin, through pride, self-assertion, and disobedience. This relationship is restored in the encounter with Christ in the sacrament of reconciliation. Sin causes spiritual weariness, a sense of guilt and of being overwhelmed, overburdened and through confession we experience spiritual rest for our souls. If anyone can do without the sacrament of reconciliation, he can do without the mercy of God. May God forgive us for such an illusion. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8). Whoever dwells in sin is aware of that weariness without, perhaps, understanding the real cause.
There is also weariness of the soul, of the emotions and mind that can take many forms. Who has not known the struggle and restlessness within or been overwhelmed by circumstances, by toxic relationships, by the stress of daily life? Weariness of spirit, soul and body are all connected. Jesus is inviting us to take his yoke. His yoke is his teachings, the Word of God. When we accept and follow his Word something sublime takes place: “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). By accepting the teachings of Jesus and learning from him we become the home of God himself and are loved more than we can imagine. We are also temples of the Holy Spirit: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?” (1 Cor. 6:19). God, who is love, takes up his abode in us. Our task is to remain in this love and we shall experience what was promised “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). We can have the joy of Christ, even in times of trouble just as Christ had when he faced death for our sakes: “For the sake of the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2). Can we not say the same “For the sake of the joy that lies within us we can endure the difficulties of life”? We have the strength of Christ, the peace of Christ, the rest of Christ, the joy of Christ. What more do we want? Being attentive to the presence of Christ within is the secret of inner healing, spiritual growth and renewal. This is the source of our rest, the source of our freedom from oppression. However, the indwelling Christ can only act in and through us if we let him, if we are meek and humble.
Jesus singles out two character traits, or virtues: meekness and humility. Humility is necessary to recognise our need of God, meekness is necessary for following the guidance of his Holy Spirit. If we are not meek and humble we cannot learn, we cannot be guided, we cannot be true disciples. It takes meekness and humility to wait on the Lord and to be aware of the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need to be humble, listening disciples to allow the glorified risen Lord to live in and through us.
Let us accept the invitation to draw close to Christ and accept his rest as we meditate on and contemplate his Word. It is as we dwell in the presence of God that we have the strength to overcome weariness of spirit, soul and body. Our ideas and plans are nothing if we do not rest in his presence and allow him to create us anew. Only being humbly attentive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit can we discern the will of God and distinguish it from our own. Let us regard ourselves with deep reverence as God’s holy temple and listen to the gentlest whisper of God’s Spirit within and we shall surely overcome.
10 mins
-----------
1 This lectio divina was combined with Eucharistic Adoration of the Catholic tradition. It can easily be adapted to other traditions. It is an example of how flexible lectio divina can be. There is also here the addition of a 5th stage “doing the Word”, suggestions for the application of the Word to daily life.
Part 2 > > > Mathew 11:28-30 Lectio Divina Guided Meditation Continue to Read > > >
© R W
bsgbiblestudyguide@gmail.com
