In the first reading, we see how God sees the sufferings his people face in Egypt and sends Moses to liberate them. In sending Moses to the Israelites, God asks him to give them two assurances. The first is His divine Name. The second assurance is that God has heard their cry and promises that He Himself will free them and lead them out of Egypt.

In the Gospel passage, we read that Jesus sees the burden the ordinary people of Israel bear daily as a result of the overbearing commandments placed on them by the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day. He hears the cry of the people and desires to liberate them from oppressive laws. In his compassion, Jesus assures that they will find 'rest' in him.

Unlike the Pharisees' 'yoke' which they wear around their necks to demonstrate their authority as teachers of the Mosaic Law, Jesus' yoke is light. It is light because central to the yoke or law of Jesus is Jesus himself. In Jesus, we learn about kindness and meekness towards others, his loving obedience to God and his compassion for the suffering.

Our spiritual rest in Jesus, therefore, comes not from blindly following laws or by being religiously over-zealous. Rather it comes from studying and living out the attitudes and commandments of Jesus. This is because in Jesus, we have the total sum of the law, a yoke that is truly light to all who believe in Him.