I still remember sitting in Bible school when the teacher said "Jesus' yoke is easy and his burden is light." At the time, I was 23 and so I just raised my hand and shouted out, "That seems like a contradiction since he also says you've gotta hate your father and mother, carry your cross daily, and turn the other cheek." The teacher rightly rebuked me for my disrespect, and unjustly ignored me for having a legitimate question worthy of being addressed.So, whoever said following Jesus is easy was nuts (with the exception of Christ himself who was inspired, spirit-filled, and sinless). Seriously, imitating Christ is a standard that seems so lofty and high... who could ever reach it? Maybe for some people following Christ is simple. As they get older, it becomes easier and more simplistic. I can buy that! For me though, Christianity is just plain hard. I see those who have walked the long road for years faithfully... and yet, even they couldn't stand up to the scrutiny of God's plumb line (or ruler for those of you who are measuring). The standard reaches deep and wide. No one is worthy, not even one.
Maybe this is the place where I talk for a while about grace. Maybe here is where we discuss how we've all been forgiven, we all are not worthy, we are all saved by grace through faith. Maybe so. Still, before you toss me a simplistic bone to answer my heart's dilemma, remember that this is an enigma that has plagued me for years. Is it easy to follow Jesus? Depends on who you ask. Depends on when you ask it.
5 comments:
Chris, My first thought is that maybe it's easy in comparison with the alternative. We see so many people around us who are just living for themselves; lying to friends and family, cheating on their spouses, selfishly fighting to get ahead in buisness, etc...Those people really are usually not very happy or healthy. I look at the broken families here in Mexico due to machismo, alchoholism, abuse, corruption, etc...; and have to say that a life of following Christ has to be easier in the long run, than living with the consequences of not following him.
I don't know. Just a thought.
I think Erin is on to something, but I would expand the miserable life definition to those that depend on themselves for their salvation, which often describes me. I think it is telling that the verse before his yoke being easy says this, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." From childhood I have been told the key to being a good Christian was being wise and learned. And yet Jesus consistently says that the key is trusting like a child. What makes Christianity hard is that we have become convinced that we are the ones who have to make it work or it just won't. We will trust God in theory, but as soon as things don't seem to be going well(in our minds) we begin to strive to fix it, and most of the time we feel things aren't going well. This flies in the face of 2 Cor. 3:5-6, which says we are inherently incompetent(back to the "not even one" thoughts). I have been reading the gospels recently looking to see if Jesus had good "closure" on most of his interactions and the answer is no. Many of his experiences ended awkwardly and off balance. I, on the other hand, am a closure addict-a happy ending deviant. I want everything to go just right and everyone to be happy at the end. I'm a pleaser and don't know how not to be. This puts me in a constant position of trying to "work things out on my own", while paying lip service to trusting God in all things. Jesus didn't have a Messiah complex. He was seemingly not frustrated by all the loose ends of life. Bottom line: He trusted His Father completely. He fully believed that "What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
I can't find a way to wrap this up positively-man I'm gonna be frustrated with this all day :)
I really appreciate both of your comments... especially considering the source of who is offering them. Last night I called Mike Wiist and was talking to him about the struggles of ministry. He pretty much said what both of you did (looks like all the godly people in my life are on the same page). Then Mike told me about a guy in the congregation he's working with who just found out last week he had Leucemia. The guy's wife is pregnant with twins. Anyway, two days later and he's in a coma and then he's passed away. Wow, that Mike's a great encourager! Anyway, it got me to thinking about our blessings in Jesus. Being a Christian is not easy... that's for sure. But, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Think I'll blog that this morning.
Love you both so much.
Hey Chris, I've been thinking about this lately and where it's brought me is summarised by this statement. God has a high opinion of me, but low expectations. What I mean by that is that God values me enough to die for me; that's how high his opinion is. However, he knows I am a sinner and although he has begun a work in me it is not yet completed. As I am not yet finished my life will continue to be fractured and broken by sin. Therefore, in this life I remain broken but not beaten. I am not Jesus and even in my glorified state I will not be Jesus. I'll be me, the full realisation of me; in whom God's expectations can blossom and grow. Until that day God keeps the expectation bar low, but his opinion has never changed.
Derek. I really like the post. It is truly amazing when we consider all of the options and possibilities here for what Jesus is referring. Like you, I have shared this similar philosophy concerning our state. I remember telling a person how that when we take credit for the death of Jesus (or the bad) and give glory to God for our successes (or the good) he doesn't judge us based on what we deserve (the bad) but on the righteousness of God (the good). That seemed to make sense to me. Still, that might be oversimplifying it, and may not actually be the truth God has called me to. I think God is pleased when we honor him and wants us to be pleased with the job we've accomplished. Anyway, it does create an interesting challenge. Still, I like where you are coming from and tend to agree with your position here.
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