He came to rule from within (Fr. Patrick Michaels / Molly Hartle)

Christ didn’t come to rule over us;
he came to rule from within.
Because Christ did not come to rule as any other king.
 There was only one power he wished to exercise
and that was the absolute love of God for all.

 --Fr. Patrick Michaels,
Homily, April 30, 2026 

    [In Matthew 11: 25-30], Jesus seems to be saying something odd. Essentially, he thanks God for hiding his treasures from “the wise and the learned.” My first question upon reading this was “Wouldn’t the wise and the learned naturally see his treasures?” 

    But those aren’t the people Jesus is talking about. He’s talking about the Jewish elite (that is, the Pharisees and Sadducees). Jesus knows that the Jewish elite are not only going to try to undermine him but that eventually their judgement will lead to his crucifixion. We get a taste of this in Matthew 9 when Jesus heals a paraplegic by saying simply “your sins are forgiven.” Rather than seeing the miracle in Jesus’ astonishing healing, the Jewish elite say, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 

    So, Jesus is mad. Not at the Jewish elite per se, but at their own misguided attachment to the letter of the law. He knows that their inability to remain open to his teachings will cost them salvation. Thus, his reference to “the childlike” – the Jewish elite are anything but. 

    In the latter part of this gospel reading, Jesus speaks to the very people who have fallen under the Jewish elite’s perfectionistic adherence to Mosaic law—all those who “labor and are burdened.” Jesus offers them a simple, inclusive faith that doesn’t require an education. No doubt this is what he means when he says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden light.” 

    Here, Jesus opens the door for anybody and everybody to follow him, even those people who lack an education, social standing, and money. He himself was born into poverty, was unable to read and write, and had little to no standing in society. 

    Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened… 

--Molly Hartle,
Communion Service Reflection,
October 4, 2022 

Image source: Jesus challenges the Pharisees and Chief Priest, The Chosen, Season 5, Episode 3, https://www.thebibleartist.com/post/the-chosen-season-5-episode-3-bible-study-discussion-guide-exploring-the-chosen-with-small-group