“Carry Each Other’s Burdens” (Gal 6:1-10) - Galatians: Be Free VII -

“Carry Each Other’s Burdens” (Gal 6:1-10)

- Galatians: Be Free VII -

The Spiritual Person

Who is a spiritual person? One day a Christian brother came to see Watchman Nee, Chinese Christian leader, and whined about his situation. He said, “Teacher, listen. I have a terrible neighbor. You know how much we are all suffering from famine. I work hard all day to irritate my rice paddy. But my neighbor broke down the bank around my paddy to turn the watercourse into his paddy. It already happened two times. I can’t stand this any more.” Watchman Nee said to him, “This time when you go back to your field, irrigate his paddy first before doing yours.” The farmer didn’t understand why he would have to do this. But he decided to follow this instruction. At first, he reluctantly started, but at the end he got filled with joy. That night an unexpected guest came to see him. That was his neighbor. The neighbor said to him, “Forgive me. I desperately needed water but was not able to find time to get it because I had to take care of my sick wife and children.” In his book Watchman Nee says that this Christian farmer who stopped judging his neighbor and carried his burden is a spiritual person.

Carry Each Other’s Burdens

In Galatians 5 the Apostle Paul tells us how we can grow as God’s adopted children. He exhorts us to walk by the Spirit (v.16), to be led by the Spirit (v.18) and to live by the Spirit (v.25). In Galatians 6 Paul expounds what it looks like to live by the Spirit. Today’s scripture is about how life in the Spirit should lead Christians to live out their faith especially in faith community. In Galatians 6:1 he says, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are spiritual gently and humbly help (restore) that person back onto the right path” (NLT). The Greek translated “restore” here is katartizdo. This was the term used for setting a dislocated bone back into place. A dislocated bone is extremely painful, and to put a bone back in place will inevitably inflict pain, but it is a healing pain. To restore another believer is a painful healing process to both the restorer and restoree, and to the whole body of Christ.

Then, how can we restore another Christian brother or sister gently and humbly? Paul answers this question in the following verse. He continues, “You restore that person by sharing his or her burden together” (v.2). Jesus shows us a perfect example how we may restore someone caught in a sin gently. In John 8 the woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus. The people wanted to destroy her. But Jesus wanted to restore her. After the accusers left, Jesus says to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She says, “No one, sir.” Jesus declares, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” This statement has a profound meaning. The law is God’s word, so Jesus cannot break the law. Leviticus 20:10 says, “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.” According to the law, this woman has to be condemned and put to death. Then, how can Jesus say, “Neither do I condemn you”? Here Jesus is saying, “Woman, I will carry your burden of sin and die in your place. So now you are forgiven. I don’t condemn you. Don't commit adultery any more. Not because you fear stoning. But because you have met God, and have been rescued by his grace.” Jesus restored the woman gently by carrying her burden. Jesus confronts us gently and speaks truth in love. Along with these, he shares our trials and struggles together. This is how God restores us.

The Law of Christ

In verse 2 Paul says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Then, what is the law of Christ? Galatians 5:14 says, “The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The law of Christ is the law which is summed up as love-your-neighbor. To love our neighbor, to carry another’s burden, is a big commitment and sacrifice for sure. But actually, by doing this, we live. In Luke 10 a lawyer asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells him the parable of the good Samaritan. And he says, “Go and do the same, and you will live” (vv. 28, 37). Henry Nouwen, a well-known spiritual writer and Catholic priest, had taught at some of America’s premier universities. But despite his academic success, he left those institutions and became a priest in residence for mentally and physically handicapped people at Daybreak community. In particular, Nouwen became a close friend of Adam, who was profoundly retarded and unable to speak, walk, or dress himself.  Each day Nouwen took almost two hours to finish this task – bathing, shaving, brushing his teeth, combing his hair, helping him eat breakfast, and so on. In his book, Adam: God’s Beloved, Nouwen tells us that it is he, not Adam, who gets the main benefit from their friendship. At first, it was hard for Nouwen to carry Adam’s burden. But as time went by, he had learned to love Adam, truly to love him. In the process he had learned what it must be like for God to love us—spiritually uncoordinated, retarded, able to respond with what must seem to God like inarticulate grunts and groans. In the process Nouwen found his true identity in Christ. He says, “We, like him (Adam), are also precious, graced, and beloved children of God, whether we see ourselves as rich or poor, intelligent or disabled, good-looking or unattractive.” As we carry our Christian brother or sister’s burden within the church, it might be difficult for us at first, but in the process we will benefit from our relationship with that person. And by doing this, we will live.

How can we carry each other’s burdens within the church? That may mean visiting and spending time with our shut-ins or homebound church family members. That may mean helping with transportation. That may mean paying a bill for someone who lost his or her job. That may mean baby-sitting for parents. There are various ways to carry each other’s burdens. But along with all these, the most powerful and effective way to share another’s burden is intercessory prayer. S.D. Gordon said, “The greatest thing anyone can do for God or man is pray.” Samuel promised to the people of Israel and said, “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the LORD by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right” (1Sam 12:23, NLT). This is my prayer and promise to God and to you. I will never cease to pray for you. Oftentimes, when I visit our shut-ins, they say, “I wish I could do more for others. There is almost nothing I can do for the church now.” And I always say to them, “If you pray for your family and for the church, you are doing the greatest thing you can do for them. Please continue to pray for us.” Then, their faces brighten into a smile. Let us carry each other’s burdens by praying for each other.

Carry Your Own Load

In today’s scripture Paul warns us that we will not be able to bear each other’s burdens, unless we have a proper, gospel-based self-view. When we carry another person’s burden, we are easily tempted to fall into pride. We can find a biblical example of this tendency to elevate self in Nehemiah. As the people were working on various parts of the wall, some declined to get involved. The writer says, “Their nobles did not lift a finger to help their supervisors” (Neh 3:5). Pride will create a heart that resists humble service to the church family. That is why in verse 5 Paul says, “Each one should carry his own load.” Now we see there are two different kinds of burdens. Paul uses the term baros in verse 2, meaning a “weight or heavy load.” But he uses the term phortion in verse 5, referring to a “man’s pack.” In other words, some things in life are so heavy we cannot bear them alone. We need help. Other matters in life are like carrying a backpack. Pastor Timothy Keller says, “God has given each of us a different set of difficulties and opportunities, a different set of weaknesses and gifts. These are our “load”—our responsibility before God.” Our load makes it possible for us to bear the burdens of others and to stay humble at the same time.

The Harvest Is Coming!

It is not easy to carry our own load and share other believers’ burdens. Our church missions and ministries, especially compassionate ministry, can make us weary. Standing up against injustice can make us exhausted. All of us in this room can become discouraged in doing good deeds. So Paul says in verse 9, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (NLT). I love the word, “harvest.” The Bible says that the harvest is coming! Some of us may not be satisfied with where we are. Some of us may not feel a sense of family and community in this place yet. But let us not give up. If we sow love today, we will reap the fruit of love. If we sow hope today, we will reap the fruit of hope. So let us diligently keep sowing. Let us continue loving one another. Let us keep bearing one another’s burdens. Let us keep doing good. In His time we will reap what we sow today, although it may take years. Some of us, including myself, may not see fruit, but it is still worth it. Last April my family and I had a chance to visit Washington D.C. For me, personally, the most impressive place was Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. There is a 30 feet-high relief of King named the "Stone of Hope," which stands past two other pieces of granite that symbolize the "mountain of despair." Visitors figuratively "pass through" the Mountain of Despair on the way to the Stone of Hope. Dr. King said, “I have a dream today… with this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” So by faith let us keep sowing to the Spirit. The harvest is coming! Amen.