14th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

Mt 11:25-30

STRUCTURE OF GOSPEL

The first part speaks about the learned and the intelligent vis-à-vis children:
I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.

Then Jesus talks about his relationship with the Father:
All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son.

Finally, Jesus invites those who are burdened with the difficulties of life to come to him:
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

COMMENTARY OF THE GOSPEL

You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned.

This reminds us of what happened in the Book of Daniel (2:3-13). While the wise men could not interpret the dream of Nabucodonosor, the meaning of the dream was revealed to Daniel who was a mere youth.

You have revealed them to little ones.

In Matthew’s gospel, the little ones are the disciples.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

“All things” refer to the Kingdom of God and its secrets.

No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son.

Here Jesus affirms in an indirect way his unique relationship with the Father.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

In Judaism, the Law of God (both written and oral) is referred to as a yoke (Sir 51:26). In this context, the yoke is not thought of as heavy nor painful. In fact the yoke of the Law is spoken of as the joy of the yoke.

Jesus places his liberating interpretation of the Law in opposition to the legal-istic interpretation of Judaism. In other words, Jesus announces to men together with the renewed Law the joy of the Kingdom.