“Come to me all who labor and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11: 28). Now, normally, I don’t have too many issues with the way our inclusive Bible translates Scripture passages, but with this one, I feel partial to the NRSV translation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” I think this is because not everyone has the same experience of labor, and in a country built on capitalism, we quantify labor in different ways. But, especially in the last few years, it seems like weary has become a more universal experience, despite the fact that our experiences with it still remain unique.
Merriam Webster has several different meanings for weary, including: “exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness” or “having one’s patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted.”[1] This goes beyond just those who labor, to those who are feeling exhausted, or might I even say hopeless. We grow weary when the world around us never seems to change, or at least not change for the better, as maybe we are working day in and day out, or we watch the news that continues to repeat cycles of war, violence, poverty, homelessness, or ecological disaster. Weary is not the same as just being tired; it goes so much deeper than that. Weariness can feel bone-deep, and like it is never going to go away.
So today in Matthew’s Gospel, we get an interesting start to the story because Jesus is critiquing the world around him. Largely, he is speaking harshly about the unfair treatment of the prophets, in this case himself and John the Baptist, but in the section we don’t hear, he has some very strong words of judgments for the cities that have heard his message and haven’t changed their ways yet. Largely he is calling the people hypocrites and saying that they are in a no-win situation because John is criticized for not eating enough, while he is judged for eating, and it seems like no matter what they do, John and Jesus will never make the people happy.
And, then it shifts again, to Jesus praying and thanking God that the “learned and the clever” have had these things hidden from them, while the young children have had it revealed to them. Jesus’ teachings today seem to be all over the place, but in some ways, this actually makes sense to me. I’m not saying that little kids can’t be weary, Lord knows the pandemic changed that, but compared to adults whose lives feel like all they do is work so that they can pay the bills, young children still have a greater sense of joy and play.
One of my friends the other day could sense that I was exhausted and asked me what I have been doing lately for play. I had to pause there for a while because as a working adult I don’t feel connected to my sense of play as strongly as when I was a kid or an athlete. There is always work or errands or chores around the house to be done. She was telling me about how the opposite of work isn’t rest, but it is actually play. While rest is necessary and restorative for our physical bodies, play is restorative for our souls. I mean, think about the joy play brings into our lives!
Last week when I got to choose what I wanted to do for my birthday, I asked Emily if we could go to the Pacific Science Center (after double checking with another friend that this isn’t only a place for kids). I felt a little self-conscious walking in as we were originally some of the only people there without kids, but as we walked further along, we saw so many groups of adults reconnecting with their sense of play, and it was absolutely amazing! I had the biggest smile on my face as I went from section to section, exploring all that there was to see! And, while I was tired from a busy schedule the week before and a day full of adventures, I haven’t felt that rested and joyful in a long time either. It felt a bit like being a kid again, even if it was just for a few hours.
So when Jesus thanks God that it’s the youngest children who hear, I think there are several things happening. One, I am assuming that the “learned ones” simply don’t want to listen because they think they know everything, so who are they to listen to this Jesus guy. But, I also think that Jesus is calling us back into the experiences of when we were younger and a bit more carefree. To invite more play into our lives, to learn from the young child how to not get caught up in adult anxieties quite as often. I know that is incredibly difficult to do, but it’s important that we give our souls the rest that they need as well.
Because while Jesus is more than just an example of our faith, today Jesus tells us, “Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Here you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11: 29-30). We are instructed to see Jesus as an example here. And, this reading also feels like permission, or perhaps even a request, to hand over some of our worries to Jesus. To take the lighter yoke. As many have told me throughout my life, so Jesus tells us again, that we do not have to, nor should we, carry the weight of the world upon our shoulders. That burden is too great to bear. It isn’t saying that we don’t care about the world or want to make it a better place, but it calls us back to knowing what our call and our role is in society. It gives us permission to create healthy boundaries, to help us avoid that weariness in the first place.
So, while Jesus might be a bit all of the place in today’s Gospel reading, I want to keep us centered on inviting in a time for rest and a time for play, whenever and however you might be able to do so. After all, God created that part of us too, and we get to honor that and our relationship to Jesus when we take the lighter yoke, to help us combat that weariness, at least for a little while.
[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weary