The Yoke of Slavery

Gospel: Matthew 11: 28-30

In ancient Rome the slave was made to wear a wrap around metal collar that could only be removed by the slave master.  The collar was made to resemble in appearance the yoke of oxen used to pull wagons, plows, and other loads.  The message this collar conveyed both to the slave and everyone else that the existence of the slave is sub-human, that they exist on par with beasts of burden.  That this condition was imposed only on foreigners gives us the origins of our present day animus and treatment of the other.

Now, along comes Jesus in today's Gospel portion who tells us that his yoke is easy, and that our burden light if we accept to be servants in his kingdom.  For in the kingdom Jesus does not call us servants but friends, seeing us as images of God, images of himself, and temples of the Holy Spirit.  We are in fact not slaves but citizens of heaven, and the burden we carry is that of others in the work of mercy and loving kindness that is the task of the worker in the vineyard.

The fundamental option before us is whether we will accept the yoke of the world where the burden is onerous and the rewards are a mirage, or whether we will accept the yoke of the Lord Jesus where we ease the burden of each other as we work together to build the kingdom of God, a civilization of love that honors and respects the dignity of all human beings as images of God, images of Christ, temples of the Holy Spirit.