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In Christian circles we often talk about what Jesus meant when he said, “”Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (ISV) However, in comparison we seldom look at Galatians 6:2 in which Paul instructs us to “Help carry each others burdens. In this way you will follow Christ’s teachings” (God’s Word Translation). Why is this?

I think it all has to do with the fact that if we really put any weight behind Galatians 6:2 we would actually have to do something. It would mean that we might just have to get off our bums and give a hand to someone who is struggling. It’s far easier to say to someone, “go to Jesus, he’ll help you out and give you some rest.”

But what if Jesus wants to give that rest and peace by way of us? What if he wants to use us as his hands and feet to help out those who desperately need it?

Notice one thing, Paul did not write, “take others burden’s from them when they cannot carry the burdens any longer.” He simply wrote, “Help carry each others burdens.” In other words, if I have a problem or a burden that I’m finding hard to carry, Paul is saying that maybe you could give me a hand. Likewise, if you have a burden, maybe I should give you a hand. The idea is to share the weight of each others burdens; it’s quite possible that Paul had in the mind the example of Simon or Cyrene helping our Lord to carry his cross on the way to Golgotha.

There is a scene in the final Lord of the Rings movie, Return of the King, where Frodo finds himself unable to climb the last few steps into Mount Doom. It’s the climax of the movie; as I remember it, this was the moment I had watched over nine hours and waited three years for. And instead of running into Mount Doom to face the enemy, our worn out and spent hero falls only a few feet away from his destiny. All hope seems lost. His burden has become too much for him.

That is until his closest friend and traveling companion, Sam, bends down and takes Frodo into his arms and tells him, “You may not be able to walk the rest of the way, but I can carry you.” And with that throws Frodo over his shoulders and, with enough rugged determination for the both of them, proceeds to carry his lifelong friend into the heart of Mount Doom to their final confrontation with evil.

This scene had a profound impact on me. I remember being blown away and asking myself, “whatever happened to this kind of love?” Taking note from this scene, and from today’s text, we must be willing to help carry our brothers and sisters when they can no longer walk by themselves. And while it may not be as dramatic as the scene I have just described, to someone who has reached the seeming “end of the line” it may just spell out the difference between staying put or continuing onward to finish the journey that each of us is on.

Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
January, 2009

Picture from the movie Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

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