Burdern & Surrender

The Gospel of Matthew, in chapter 5, begins the record of the Sermon on the Mount with what have become known as the Beatitudes.

The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever preached in the history of the world, but these Beatitudes offer to humanity the best possible scenario as to how we can live and what we can be.

Truthfully, if I had to describe humanity, I would take the Beatitudes and turn them inside out.
What we seen in the every day lives of people whom we love, with whom we attend church, our leaders - secular and spiritual, can only be described as the opposite of the virtues we see in Jesus' ideal.

The seedy, the unholy, the disgusting outworking of emotions - these are the things we see in human life and conduct today; ranging from the school house, to the church house and in the state house.

Instead of humility, we find pride.
How many families have been ruined by pride? The world may never know.

Instead of mourners, we find pleasure seekers.
Is there any place more apt to try to fill the seeker with pleasure than the modern megachurch?

Instead of meekness, we find arrogance.
What ever happened to the football player who cried when he won, being overwhelmed in gratitude for his family, friends, coaches and God?

Instead of mercy, we find cruelty.
Sadly, it is a true statement that Christians don't pick up our fallen; we shoot the wounded and call it honesty and reality, telling ourselves, 'it will be good for them...'

Instead of finding peacemakers, we find resentful.
But are we resentful because someone tried to help or that someone won't give us our way?

And instead of beating our spears into plowshares, we often find people more than willing to fight and if capable, they will use every weapon at their disposal.

Culture and education may help some; it may refine the human barbarian a bit - but we are barbarians nonetheless.
These total reversals of the virtues of the Beatitudes which Jesus describes aren't limited to society in general; these attributes are found vividly available in many of our 'Christian' churches of all denominations, stripes and flavors.
If you are a Christian, surely you are alarmed at this worldly trend among the bretheren.
I can promise you this - these things I have mentioned as the reversal of Jesus' ideal for mankind, they have caused more human pain and suffering than all diseases combined.

As for Jesus, when we read His words they seem strange and out of place.
Given the world in which we live - why wouldn't they?
His words are indeed peaceful in a warring world. They are the essence of truth in a society whose own leaders lead first and foremost in deceit to retain power.

Jesus, on the other hand, does not need to deceive to retain power; nor is keeping His followers confused what makes them conform.
Instead, Jesus uses what leaders on all levels fear the most - truth.
Only those who fear Truth are those who fear what will result in the knowledge of truth, which is freedom.

Whether we are talking about a government, a people, a race, or a Christian finally freed from sin, culture or legalism - it is the truth of Jesus Christ that sets us all free.
Yet, we cannot be free without a burden and a surrender.

Jesus Christ has never given an opinion; He speaks only out of the fullness of the Godhead.
And what He taught was a truth about His yoke being easy and His burden light.
In a society where nobody uses a yoke for oxen any longer to plow fields and nobody really knows what a true burden in their heart is like because we value easiness- Jesus' words fall on, not deaf ears but uncaring ears because the truth is no longer understood.
On a side note - maybe this is why when a pastor is burdened by the Holy Spirit over something and expresses the concern publicly, he is greatly misunderstood and criticized.
But I digress as the reversal of the Beatitudes are once again brought to mind.

Jesus has proclaimed out of the fullness and truth of the Divine Godhead that His yoke was easy and His burden light.
If you do not see the correlation - they're opposites.
A Yoke is not easy and a Burden is not light - to a listener of Jesus in the first century, it would seem like a ridiculous statement to say these things.

Yet, to the one who was listening with spiritual ears, with eyes turned toward heaven and a heart seeking God as His Son taught, that person would realize, as men do today when their spirit is quickened by the Holy Spirit - Our Burden is Internal.

The burden which is within us, which is introduced by sin and spreads like cancer - it is this manifestation we see as the reversal of the Beatitudes in our lives.

Of all the outworking, pride may very well be our greatest problem.
People will cover up so much out of self-love; they learn to fear 'being found out' that they're not as holy, or as good, or as nice or whatever.
And this fear gnaws at thousands upon thousands in American Churches like rats in the sewers of New York. Seriously, it is hard to give yourself totally to God when your favorite idol is in the mirror each day.

That could very well be why Jesus instructed us to come as little children.
You see, children don't compare.
Children don't judge.
Children don't base their enjoyment or pleasure of something by relating it to someone or something else. This doesn't happen until they've been corrupted by adults.

Part of the sin or pride we have often evidences itself in our acts and words of artificiality.
While Jesus was always true and never false, many times we find our spiritual beacons surround by reefs of artificiality.

Recently I had a conversation with a man about Christ, churches, marriage and life. He complained one of the reasons he had left previous churches was because the people seemed false, not real, or as I have put it - artificial.

As much as I hate to admit it - the man was only expressing what has frustrated millions of Christians and non-Christians alike. Many times our churches become our country clubs with steeples on top to make us feel better about ourselves.
While this artificial flavor is sadly evident in some churches, it isn't true in all churches.
And personally, the best people I have ever served with in the ministry, military or have encountered medically; all of them had one thing in common - they were real.
If we can harness this realness in love, we will do well for the Lord; but it will only come after a surrender.

You see, it is so easy in life to get trapped into things that are artificial and we've been lured by our own fallenness to believe they are important. And this isn't an indictment, it is just what happens when our bearings are off, even slightly.
And we will use books, programs, people, money and a myriad of things to help us play 'the game.' All of which is of no avail.
All of this, of course, drops when we surrender to Jesus.

In Christ, we understand that we are truly weak as God as said man is, but at the same time, we understand that a man in God's sight is more important than the angels which guard the throne room in heaven.
In ourselves, we are nothing; yet, in Christ we are everything and anything as He leads.

In our time, the heart of the world is breaking under theweight of spitefulness, meanness, arrogance, pride and pretense. So, while Jesus' words seem strange, they are strangely welcome.
For it is Jesus who gives us rest.

Until next time, try to win one for the good guys.