One of the groups of people that seem to be a favorite foil and often critical focus of the teaching of Jesus are the Pharisees. The Pharisees were one of the religious groups within Israel who influenced the daily life of the people of the time. From the time people got up in the morning until the time they went to bed at night, there were rules they needed to follow. The Pharisees constantly monitored faith practices and discipline to ensure that no one broke the rules.
Two thousand years ago, there was no separation of church and state—very different from what we have grown accustomed to today. Every facet of life was regulated, influenced, and, in a very real sense, controlled by religious authority. We can see something of what this might have been like in some of the Islamic societies that we glimpse in our modern world. Culture, tradition, and custom are not options; rather, they form and animate the fundamental issues, choices, and practices that are a normal part of everyday life.
The Pharisee in the time of Jesus had more than 600 specific commandments to obey to live a life that was understood as pleasing to God. Some of these commandments were undoubtedly very useful, and Jesus left them intact and unchallenged. Other commandments, however, seemed to be a specific focus of his teaching—and occasionally of his frustration and even, at times, anger.
The big picture that emerges from the gospels is the general pronouncement that the teachers of the Law, including the Pharisees, had placed too many burdens and expectations on the people. Jesus offers a different way—a new way—of living that gives praise and glory to God: “Come to me…for my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus presents an invitation to life, a life that we understand today is the life of the kingdom of God.
Notice, however, in the invitation, that there is an expectation, a seemingly essential first step: familiarity with what was once required, then an awareness of what is now possible. It is certainly not an invitation to ignorance. It is certainly not an invitation to a life with no expectations, rules, or requirements. It is an invitation to something more, not something less. The person who accepts the yoke of Jesus accepts a way of living, a perception, and an understanding that ultimately can lead to freedom and the fullness of life—what we today might understand as everlasting life. Nevertheless, while the burden and the yoke may be easy and light, this way has challenges, struggles, and difficulties that are part and parcel of the invitation.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists, teaches that if a person loves God, that person can do what he or she pleases. At first glance, this teaching might be understood as a kind of “carte blanche,” but it most certainly is not. Saint Alphonsus understands that when a person enters into a relationship with the Lord and comes to an awareness of the presence of God at work in his or her life, a fundamental change occurs within the person. A relationship with God will so fill, change, and capture the person that it is impossible for him or her to choose anything, do anything, or hope for anything that ultimately does not give glory and honor to God. This does not eliminate the possibility of weakness, failure, and sin, but it places each of these realities of our human existence within a larger context and as part of the process of human living that ultimately pleases God. In St. Alphonsus’ day, this was a profound and revolutionary spiritual insight, and it remains so for us today.
As human beings, like the Pharisees, it is easy for us to get caught up in and swept away by the details of life. It is tempting to take refuge in learning and obeying all the rules and regulations—in many instances, down to the most minute point—and be somehow assured that this is all that is required of us. At the same time, we might even fall into the temptation and, often, the sin of insisting that this is the only way to live life, to perceive reality, and, ultimately, to give glory to God. Those who assume positions of authority over us might often, despite their best intentions and desires, be prone to this kind of mistake unless they are particularly vigilant.
Jesus invites us to something more. His invitation calls us to a way of perceiving life that celebrates the presence of God not only in the details but also in the people, the events, and the circumstances that are part of God’s creation. If we can learn to see as Jesus sees, if we can learn to perceive life in the kingdom of God, then we will truly understand what it means to experience the yoke and the burden of the Lord. It will free us, not weigh us down. Our hearts and spirits will soar, and we will be able to believe and participate confidently in all that the Lord has gifted us with.
People with the scrupulous condition—think of your scrupulosity as the teaching of the Pharisees. Think of their unwillingness to lift the burden of obligation as their unwillingness to let the teaching of Jesus form them. Think of the Pharisees who are incapable of telling the truth and who represent a system that Jesus rejected. Read the gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees when you seek inspiration and guidance. In this manner, you will discover that the yoke of Jesus does not weigh you down; it lifts you up. It is the path to life and freedom rather than the path of criticism, of never measuring up, and of always falling short.