TRANSLATION MATTHEW 11:25

At that very time, Jesus, answering, said, “ I honour you, father, master of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the educated and the intellectual and have disclosed them to little children! Yes, father, for this was delightful in your eyes. All things have been given into my hands by my father; and no one knows the son except the father, and no one knows the father except the son, and those to whom the son wants to disclose him.

Come to me, all who are overworked and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke is kindly and my burden is light.

Anyone who tries to translate these verses is haunted by the memory of the KJV which is more or less perfect. “ no man knoweth the son but the father, neither knoweth any man the father, save the son…….come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden….” Its delicacy and strength are incomparable.

Scholars have characterised it as an irruption of the language of John’s gospel into Matthew’s. Rather it is proof that the intimate bond of father and son is not an invention of John, but is part of an earlier tradition of Jesus’ sayings. We should note the parabolic nature of this earlier tradition which is consciously using a worldly relationship as a model of Jesus’ relationship with God, rather than using the terms Father and Son as theological definitions if God and Jesus. Matthew, in my view, keeps the parabolic sense alive.

After the teachings about the greatness of John the Dipper being surpassed by the smallest in God’s rule, Jesus is depicted as revealing the the heart of that Rule and the secret joy of those who belong to it. His words refer to himself but to all God’s little children as well. Every child of God receives responsibilty for God’s business, and is a discloser of the father’s life to others. But it starts with Jesus, who is in St Paul’s langauge, “the first of many brothers (and sisters)” The secret simplicity of God’s Rule, that it is a parent/ child, child/ parent love in which the child takes on responsibility for the family business, is evident at places in the Hebrew Bible, especially in the relationship of God and Israel, but sometimes more personally, as between God and King David. Indeed, Israel’s kings were declared to be Sons of God.

Although Jesus does not reject this tradition, he insists that his way of being God’s child is new and definitive: the bond is offered by God only to those who receive it like little children, who don’t know much but do know love. Jesus mentions that God will be disclosed by the son, and he demonstrates this disclosure in his invitation to those who are overworked and burdened. He is not some kind of oppressive master, but rather “gentle and humble in heart.” What he promises is described by the Greek “anapausa” which literally means a “break or pause in an activity.” A good foreman will make sure that workers have a break, a pause, a rest. Given the way the word is used twice, once absolutely and once as “anapausa for your souls”, I have kept the KJV “rest” as my translation, although it lacks the work/ activity connotations of the Greek.

A rabbi’s programme for an adult pupil was often called a yoke, meaning the spiritual discipline shared by master and pupils. Jesus describes his own regime as kindly and light, which may cause the reader some surprise in view of his warnings about family break -up and the need to carry the execution stake. How can Jesus (Matthew) have the impertinence to describe his discipline as kindly and light? Soren Kierkegaard noticed this missmatch between the gracious words of this passage and the teachings of Jesus on the cost of discipleship; and wrote an interpretation which ironically brings the two together.

In this speech of invitation Jesus has borrowed the langauge of Lady Wisdom from the book of Proverbs in which the benefits of God’s understanding are offered to humanity. Here the benefits are those of the father and the son’s mutual understanding which offers to humanity a break from the oppressive demands of society and religion.

This passage opens to the reader the secret of Jesus’ magical ability to defeat the powers of evil and chaos: he lives through God and God lives through him, a mutuality which is open to anyone who wants it.