God does not give us teachings and commandments to oppress us or make life difficult. Quite the contrary - they are designed to help us lead lives that are authentically human and spiritually rich. God spoke to the people of Israel in their misery. Their nation had been destroyed and they were living in exile in Babylon. Basically, he told them that they had brought it on themselves - it was not His doing. God had only happiness and prosperity in mind for them. Sometimes we blame God or others for our own failings. Perhaps we can examine our thoughts, words, and actions honestly and ask ourselves if we have been following God's ways or our own. It's never too late to change.

So often we have very fixed expectations of others. Jesus was dismayed that sometimes it is impossible to please people - they criticized John the Baptist and then they attacked him. We want others to behave, talk, and act in a certain way and can become quite irritated and angry if they do not. This can even apply to what we expect from life and from God: everything must go our way. God can be very 'irritating' - he forgives and loves those whom we cannot stand, he plays no favourites, and all human beings are equal in his eyes. Not only that, he finds us in the midst of our lives, even if these lives are a mess, and accepts us as we are. Perhaps Jesus is asking us to give up our expectations and allow ourselves the delight of being surprised by God!