"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Confusion. Lack of understanding. Generational barriers. Community barriers. Class and status barriers. People not willing or able to cross a divide of understanding. The Jesus followers faced a wide array of confusing and difficult uphill battles.  They got tired and frustrated.  And in the midst of these trying times, Jesus speaks to them the words "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

True, we have used these words in all sorts of contexts away from the original context in which they were spoken, but they still hold so much meaning for us. They are words we like to 'fall into' when we get tired of 'the world' as we know it.

Jesus was unable to convince those who were well off and intelligent and at the top of their game to follow his path to God.  His message was instead embraced by fishermen, women, outcasts, etc. These were the people who made up his first entourage, the earliest disciples.  And their fatigue came from trying to fight the uphill battle of the secular and dehumanizing society around them.  And yet, "come to me" and "you will find rest for your souls" were the remedies Jesus offered them. Their escape path.

Paul Coelho, speaking with NPR journalist Krista Tippett, said "I come from an impoverished country. I see in the eyes of people something I seldom see in developed countries, joy of life."  This simple, yet profound, statement gets at the heart of today's scripture.  The people Jesus is referring to who realized the simplicity of falling into the Spirit, of letting the arms of the divine hold them, were not people with the distractions of wealth. They were people with nothing standing between them and God. Literally nothing. That's what Coelho is saying here, as well, about people with very little. Their lives may be hard. They may have to struggle to survive. But, somehow there is joy. Their joy is in the day to day reality of life worth living, rather than the race to the top or the desire to keep up with the Joneses. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 

Jesus was telling those who were weary of fighting the establishment to come to him and find rest.  He would have gladly told the 'establishment' that, too, but they mostly failed to listen.  He is encouraging them to find their rest and peace in him and in the community they are forming. Rest, peace, calm is found when you are present and available for one another.

The song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," which became a worldwide hit for the Hollies in 1969, is a great song about carrying one another's burdens. It also fits this passage of scripture really well because it suggests that one of the burdens we bear is that everyone cannot feel love for one another.

Part of the song goes like this:
If I'm laden at all

I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share

And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy he's my brother

The song is telling us that with all the other burdens we have facing us in life, we shouldn't let a lack of love and cooperation create more burdens.  Jesus suggests that, too, in Matthew 11. If we are tired of the burdens, then release them to Jesus and to the community of faithful. Carry the load for one another. Don't let the 'chaos of insanity' that the world can become related to politics, business, media garbage, etc., be your only reality.  Know that there is a higher calling for you as a disciple of Christ.

On a weekend when we share our nation's independence, it is important to remember those higher callings of peace, justice, liberty, love of neighbor, and common welfare.  We say we value freedom. Part of being free means being there for one another. "Come to me and I will give you rest." "He ain't heavy, he's my brother."  Happy Fourth, everyone. See you Sunday.

Questions? Comments? Email me or comment below.