And what shall we get, if we come to you? I will give you rest [refresh you] . "If anyone thirsts,let him come to me and drink" (Jn 7:37). Then he explains the invitation: first, he explains; secondly, he assigns the reason (v. 30). Having presented the invitation and its purpose, he now wants to explain what that invitation is, when he says, take my yoke upon you . But what is this? You say that you want to refresh us and lift our labor from us, and in the same breath you tell us to carry a yoke? We believed that it would not involve a yoke. Yes, without the yoke of sin: "For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken": (Is 9:4). Not that you are without God's law, but without the yoke of sin: "Let us cast off from us their yoke" (Ps 2:3); "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled, because of your iniquity" (Hos 14:1); "Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness" (Rom 6:18).
(29) Take , therefore, my yoke ,namely, the gospel lessons. And he says, yoke , because just as a yoke fastens and joins the necks of oxen, so the doctrine of the gospel fastens the people to its yoke. And what is that Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart ? The whole Law consists in two things: meekness and humility. By meekness a man is rightly ordered to his neighbor; hence Ps 132 (v. 1): "Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness." By humility he is rightly ordered to himself and to God: "Upon whom will my spirit rest except on the calm and meek" (Is 66:2)? Hence humility makes a man capable of God. He had also said, "and I will refresh you." What is this refreshment? You will find rest for your souls . For the body is not refreshed, as long as it is afflicted, and when it is not afflicted any more, it is said to be refreshes. And just as hunger is to the body, so desire is to the mind; hence the achievement of desires is refreshing: "Who satisfies your desire with good" (Ps 103:5). And this rest is a rest of the soul: "I have labored little and found for myself much rest" (Sir 51:27). The meek are not at rest this way in the world; hence they will find eternal rest, namely, the fulfillment of desires.
(30) But do not wonder if I invite you to a yoke, because my yoke is not a burden. Why? For my yoke is easy and delightful: "How sweet are your words to my taste!" (Ps 119:103). And my burden is light . And these can be referred to two things: by the yoke the oxen are held, but the burden is carried; hence the yoke is referred to the negative precepts, the burden to the affirmative.
But this seems to be false, because the burden of the New Law seems very heavy, as was said above (5:21): "You have heard that it was said of old: You shall not kill. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to the judgment." So it seems that it is a heavier burden: "Narrow is the way, which leads to life." Likewise the Apostle in 2 Corinthians (11:23): "In many labors." Hence the yoke seems most burdensome. Therefore, three things must be considered: the effect of the teaching, the act and the circumstances. And in all three it is light.
The doctrine of Christ is light in its effect, because it changes the heart, in as much as it makes us love not temporal but spiritual things. For the person who loves temporal things finds it more a burden to lose a little than a person who loves spiritual things to lose much. The Old Law did not forbid those temporal things; therefore it was painful to lose them. But now, even though it is burdensome in the beginning, after a while it is light: "I will lead you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered" (Pr 4:11).
Likewise, in regard to its act, the Law imposed a burden of external acts. But our law is solely in the will; hence Romans (14:17): "the kingdom of God is not food and drink." Again, the law of Christ brings joy; hence Romans (14:17): "Justice and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Likewise, in regard to circumstances there are many adversities; hence "All who desire to lead a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Tim 3:12). But they are not burdensome, because they are seasoned with the condiment of love; for when a person loves someone, it is not a burden to suffer anything for him. Hence love makes easy all difficult and impossible things. Therefore, if one loves Christ properly, nothing is difficult for him; consequently, the New Law does not impose a burden.
12-1
Mt 12:1-21
1. At that time Jesus went through the corn on the sabbath: and his disciples being hungry, began to pluck the ears, and to eat. 2. And the Pharisees seeing them, said to him: Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days. 3. But he said to them: Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him: 4. How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the loaves of proposition, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for them that were with him, but for the priests only? 5. Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple break the sabbath, and are without blame? 6. But I tell you that there is here a greater than the temple. 7. And if you knew what this meaneth: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: you would never have condemned the innocent. 8. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath. 9. And when he had passed from thence, he came into their synagogues. 10. And behold there was a man who had a withered hand, and they asked him, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 11. But he said to them: What man shall there be among you, that hath one sheep: and if the same fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not take hold on it and lift it up? 12. How much better is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do a good deed on the sabbath days. 13. Then he saith to the man: Stretch forth thy hand; and he stretched it forth, and it was restored to health even as the other. 14. And the Pharisees going out made a consultation against him, how they might destroy him. 15. But Jesus knowing it, retired from thence: and many followed him, and he healed them all. 16. And he charged them that they should not make him known. 17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaias the prophet, saying: 18. Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul hath been well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 19. He shall not contend, nor cry out, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20. The bruised reed he shall not break: and smoking flax he shall not extinguish: till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21. And in his name the Gentiles shall hope.
Above in chapter 11 your have heard how the Lord satisfied John's disciples and upbraided other. Here he shows how the Pharisees were handled. He does two things: first, he shows how he answers the Pharisees; secondly, how the disciples are commended (v. 16).
In regard to the first he does two things: first, he shows how those vilifying the disciples are answered; secondly, those vilifying Christ (v. 9).
In regard to the first: first, the occasion for reproving is depicted; secondly, the reproof (v. 2); thirdly, Christ's defense (v. 3).
Two occasions are given: one on the part of Christ, the other on the part of the disciples (v. 1b).
(1) On the part of Christ he says, At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath . Jesus knew that the disciples would do this, yet the Lord willed that it occur that he might now begin to abolish the Sabbath, as it says above (11:13): "The Law and the prophets prophesied until John." But it should be noted that it says, at that time ; consequently, it seems that the order of history is being followed. But Luke (6:1) and Mark (2:23) give another sequence. Here it is put after the Lord's answer to John's disciples; hence it seems that all the preceding events occurred before John's death, but this one after. This is clear form the historical continuity of all the events recorded up to c. 14, where the details of John's death are given. Therefore, we must suppose that as John's death drew near, he sent his disciples; after that he was beheaded, and these things happened after his death.
Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath . By these grain fields are understood the sacred letters. The sower is Christ (below 13:37): "It is he who sows." Also the people who believe.
The disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck the ears of grain . Here two things should be considered: first, the need, because they were hungry. And why? Because they were poor; hence 1 Corinthians (4:4): "Even to this hour we hunger and thirst..." The second reason is that they had been impeded on account of the crowds; hence they hardly had time to eat, as it says in Mark (4:31). But how did they satisfy their hunger? And example of abstinence is given to us, for they did not look for dishes of food but grains, in keeping with 1 Timothy (6:8): "If we have food and clothing, with these we are content." Mystically by the plucking of the grains is understood the manifold understanding of Scripture or the conversion of sinners.
(2) Then he presents the rebuke against the Pharisees. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him: "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath." The disciples were doing two things: first, they plucked someone else's grain; secondly, the y were violating the Sabbath. But the Pharisees did not complain about the first, because it was permitted by the Law (Dt c. 23); therefore, because it was permitted, they were not stopped; but because it was on the Sabbath, they were judged maliciously. And by this is destroyed the heresy of the Hebrews who taught that the legal observances must be kept intact along with the gospel. And because Paul is opposed to this teaching, they rebuked Paul. Against them Jerome argues that even the disciples did not observe them.
(3-4) He said to them... Here the justification is given: first, with certain examples; secondly, with a text of Scripture (v. 7).
In regard to the first he does two things: first, he gives an example, in which some were excused on account of necessity; secondly, in which some were excused on account of holiness (v. 5).
He says, therefore, He said to them... In Leviticus (24:5) it is read that twelve loaves were baked from fine flour and placed on the table of proposition on the Sabbath, and on another Sabbath they were removed and others put there, and the first ones were eaten by the sons of Aaron. Then in 1 Samuel (21:6) it is written that when David was fleeing from Saul, Ahimelech divided those loaves among them. This is why he says, Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him . For David was a good man, of whom the Lord says that he has found a man according to his own heart (1 Sam 13:8). But someone might say that David was a prophet and so was allowed to take them. Therefore, he adds, and those who were with him . The loaves of proposition were the ones offered on the Sabbath and it was not lawful according to the precept to eat them (Lev 24:5). But what does this have to do with the case? Because it was the Sabbath, when he did this. And this is clear, because he said, "I have no bread except what I took form the Lord's table," and he did this only on the Sabbath. Likewise on the first day of the month was the feast of the new moon; therefore, if it happened on the Sabbath, it was violated by necessity. But it still seems that he did not violate it, because it is not a sin to eat on the Sabbath. However, Chrysostom says that he violated more than the Sabbath, because he took loaves, which were not lawful for anyone to use, out of necessity. Likewise, it should be noted that according to Chrysostom some precepts are such that they are commanded for their own sake, and these cannot be broken for any need; but some are not for their own sake but for the sake of a figure, and these can be broken at certain times and places: as a fast can now be broken out of necessity. But that bread was the figure of another bread, namely, the bread of the altar, which is received not only by the priest but by the people; therefore, David was the figure of that people. Hence Revelation (5:10): "You have made us a kingdom and priests to our God."
(5) Then another example is given, namely, based on holiness, when he says, Have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? In Leviticus it was commanded that the offering customary on other days be doubled on the Sabbath; yet it was done in the temple and on the Sabbath, because it was done out of deference to the temple and to God; hence the priests were excused. The example is cited, because the apostles were dedicated to one greater than the temple, namely, to Christ. Hence he said: Have you not read in the Law how the priests profaned the Sabbath? unless it was for the sake of the temple.
(6) tell you this, that something greater than the temple is here . That something greater than the temple is here is clear, because his body is a temple. Likewise it should be noted that in the first example he does not claim that it is without sin. In the second he states that if one breaks the Sabbath out of necessity, it is not on that account entirely free of sin; but it is, if it is done on account of God.
(7) Then he argues from the example: first, because his disciples should be dealt with mercifully; because if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless (Hose 6:6). How this is to be understood has been stated above. "To do mercy and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice" (pr 21:3).
(8) There is another argument which makes them innocent, namely, obedience; hence they can do these things, because he ordered them, for the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath , and the lawgiver is not subject to the law: "He is our lawgiver" (Is 33:22); therefore, he has the power, because he has the authority.