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Religion – the Way it Was Intended
based on Matthew 11: 28-30
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
There
is no doubt in my mind that RULES are part of the reason why organized religion
is shrinking, especially those rules that are rooted in the culture of ages
past—rules that don’t make sense in today’s world.
Examples of
such rules, often unspoken, include:
-
Wearing
formal clothes to Church
-
Giving
isn’t optional, ushers will collect
-
Certain
seats (and offices) are “reserved” for faithful donors
-
No
applause during the church service
Many years
ago, this list of rules was substantially longer (here are a few):
When Jesus
said"Come
to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give
you rest,” (Matthew 11:28), he was talking about his idea of spirituality over
and against the spirituality that was preached by the priests and Pharisees of
his time.
Being religious in
first-century Judea meant that you had to observe the Purity Laws which included
the 600+ Laws of Moses, as well as hundreds more that were added by the
religious leaders. The Pharisees, especially, would load their followers down
with commandments, rules and expectations to a point where people couldn’t
possibly keep up with them.
Can you imagine how that
would have burdened people’s consciences? They must have lived in a constant
state of guilt.
This idea of religion that
advocates observance of rules as a path to salvation is all too common even to
this very day, and sadly, even prevails in Christianity.
But Jesus advocated for a
very different kind of spirituality, one that wasn’t based on fulfilling the
law, but one that was grounded in God’s love and compassion. That’s why grace,
forgiveness, love and compassion are recurring words in Jesus’ sermons, while
the Pharisees emphasized theological words such as: obedience, duty, sin,
punishment, and condemnation.
Jesus didn’t negate the
validity of the law, however. He just had a different emphasis. He once said
(Mark 2:27): “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the
sabbath” In other words, the law was created for us, to be a benefit,
established so we could be guided to live a good, happy and fulfilled life. We
are NOT supposed to serve and slave under the law in Jesus’ theology.
It is in this context that
Jesus says: “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.”
Jesus
audience was familiar with “spiritual” yokes. The opponents of Jesus had made
wearing their spiritual yoke a heavy, demanding, draining burden. Yes, Jesus’
first audience knew what it meant to wear a “yoke” and it wasn’t an easy task.
Jesus words
would certainly have gotten the people’s attention. What does he mean “my yoke
is easy?” How can a yoke ever be easy?
In first
century Judea, when
farmers brought a team of oxen to the yoke-maker, he would spend a good deal of
time measuring—their height, width, the gap between the two animals, the heights
of their shoulders.
He would go
to work and a week later, he would gently place the yoke over the shoulders of
the oxen, watch for rough places, and carefully smooth the yoke until it fit
perfectly. For the
oxen, the yoke was then “easy.”
And that’s
the kind of yoke Jesus offers us—one that fits, one that makes the tasks of life
easier. A good fitting yoke is a great tool that can even make heavy burdens
manageable. This kind of yoke is helpful.
Jesus’
idea of religion is that it should be helpful to us, it should be guiding us and
help us take the burden off life, NOT become a burden in addition to the
hardships of life.
When you
enter into the church of Jesus you will be greeted with love, grace, and
forgiveness. In Jesus’ church, you will find rest and inner peace. No need to
carry the heavy burden of guilt around with you; you are accepted, you are
forgiven, you are somebody important in Jesus’ church.
There you
will find guidance for your life, you will find the joy of God’s presence and
experience the love between brothers and sisters. There you will find the higher
purpose that God has placed on your life. And you will be fitted with a yoke
that helps you carry out that calling so that you can make this world a better
place. That’s Jesus’ idea of religion, that’s why his yoke is indeed easy.
Jesus is
inviting us too this morning, saying, “Come! Take my yoke upon you. You’ll find
that it fits you just right!”
Eugene
Peterson translates Matthew11:28-30 as follows:
"Are you
tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll
recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work
with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay
anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to
live freely and lightly."
Amen and
Amen.
