Galatians 6:2 (NASB)
This morning in my time of prayer I had a picture of two people. One was under an incredible load that he could hardly bear. The other was walking without any thing to carry. As they walked along the one without the burden was telling the other to stop falling behind. The one with the burden was asking for forgiveness and trying harder to keep up. Finally the one without a burden just left the other behind.
I then thought of the scripture that is at the beginning of this blog. Bear one another's burden and so fulfill the law of Christ.
As I meditated on that verse I suddenly realized that what I saw in my minds eye is what so often happens in human relationships. In the inability to empathize with her partner the unburdened person could only criticize her friend. It seemed to never occur to her that she should take some of the burden on herself.
Imagine what it means to fulfill the law of Christ. We might think it to be a whole set of religious disciplines. It might seem that it would require doing some great act of service in a missional setting. It might mean sharing our faith with hundreds of people.
But it is as simple as bearing one another's burden to fulfill the law Jesus gave.
Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 (NASB)
Why is that? I believe it is because when we have a heart for one another to help each other along the way we have all kinds of other things in place.
It is what Jesus said to the lawyer who asked him what the greatest commandment was:
And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
Luke 10:27 (NASB)
We sometimes forget that a our character can be seen in the smallest areas. And that our true heart is shown by the simplest everyday actions like caring enough for someone to move outside ourselves and help others.
Even loving God ends up being shown by loving another human:
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:20 (NASB)
When we think about this in regard to Jesus' often pointing out the problem with the religious establishment of his day we might better understand what was a central issue that they missed:
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4 They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.
Matthew 23:1-5 (NASB)
See here that a primary issue for Jesus was the placing of burdens on others and then not even helping them to bear them.
Like the girl who would not help her friend but only condemned him for not keeping up, When we don't help others bear their burdens with a genuine care we are not loving them, and we are not loving God.
Jesus was so concerned about this issue that one of the most wonderful of his sayings which has brought so much comfort to so many was about his willingness to share our burden.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is [a]easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:29-30 (NASB)
The law of Christ is to care about others in a way that our hearts share in their burdens.
I have seen this is an essential aspect of every relationship. Whether it is in our workplace relating with customers, supervisors and fellow staff or in the covenant relationship of marriage the kind of care we have for others is seen when we help them in their burdens.
