Meeting Needs

14^th Sunday of Ordinary Time; Matthew 11:25-30

Here you will find rest for your souls

She looked at me with bright eyes and, with great anticipation, she said, “It’s nothing that diet and exercise can’t cure!”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I responded, “So… it’s terminal then?”

I'm sure I don't have to tell you that change is hard. Even though it is one of life's constants, the changes we all make in our lifetimes, large and small, cause anxiety, grief, suffering, and tears. Even when the change is an obvious one for good, most (all) of us will resist to a certain degree. Rare indeed is the person who willingly embraces change for change's sake.

In this Gospel, Jesus shares some exasperation over the people's unwillingness to change. He has spent a good amount of time teaching his followers that love of God, love of self, and love of neighbor are the answers to life's hardest questions. And still the people resist accepting his ideas. Even though the teachings of the Pharisees were hard to follow to the point of impossibility, the people were reluctant to consider an alternative.

A yoke, while often seen only as a tool for livestock, is used here to show the oppressiveness of the Pharisees and their "heavy, cumbersome loads" of laws and rules for living. By expanding Jewish Law far beyond what God intended, the religious leaders had made being a follower of God burdensome and oppressive. The people were exhausted, trying to do everything they thought was required. It's this yoke Jesus tells them to drop.

We all carry a yoke of some kind. For some, it's the weight of perfectionism, the relentless pursuit of the ideal holiday, or the flawless family photo. For others, it's the grip of control, always pulling strings behind the scenes. Or perhaps it's that nagging need to belong, eyes perpetually glued to a phone screen, measuring our lives against everyone else's. And for some, simply changing a mindset can be a load. Whatever form it takes, the yokes we bear today are no less burdensome than the ones Jesus referred to.

What we all forget, is that Jesus did not intend to replace the old yoke with an alternative set of rules. As retired Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry wrote, "Jesus did not establish an institution…a political party…[or] even a religion. Jesus began a movement, fueled by his Spirit, a movement whose purpose is to change the face of the earth from the nightmare it often is, into the dream that God intends." [1]

I believe that the process of meeting actual needs is more important than maintaining an institution. Oh, sure, I know we have to have some rules and guidelines or sheer mayhem will ensue. But the rules should direct us towards serving the needs of those on the margins, of the poor, of the lonely, of the afraid. I am inspired by Sr. Dorothy Ederer's quote that she "will follow the rules, unless love demands otherwise."

The challenge of my life is to dig deep and find the strength and courage to change my ways. I may not like it at first, but it is the right thing to do. I can be more patient. I can be more generous. I can be more tolerant. I can, because I am a follower of Jesus, and this is what Jesus taught his followers to do. It's called love.

Choctaw elder and Episcopal Bishop Steven Charleston describes how this love and foundational hope surround us at all times: Sometimes, in this troubled world of ours, we forget that love is all around us. We imagine the worst of other people and withdraw into our own shells. But try this simple test: Stand still in any crowded place and watch the people around you. Within a very short time, you will begin to see love, and you will see it over and over and over. A young mother talking to her child, a couple laughing together as they walk by, an older man holding the door for a stranger — small signs of love are everywhere. The more you look, the more you will see. Love is literally everywhere. We are surrounded by love…. Hope makes room for love in the world. [2]

Changing my mindset to meeting the needs of the people I encounter each day gives me a challenge to proclaim God's word with my life. It's more than just rules. I am called to love justice, live mercy, and walk humbly with my God.

Every Day.

© 2026 by Timothy J. Doppel

All Rights Reserved

[1] Michael B. Curry, Following the Way of Jesus (Church Publishing, 2017) v,3,8-9

[2] Steven Charleston, Ladder to the Light: An Indigenous Elder’s Meditations on Hope and Courage (Broadleaf Books, 2021), 60–61, 67.