“Lean on Me” – Jesus Said It First

You’ve heard the several versions of the song, “Lean on Me.” Well, Jesus said it first! Fresh out of boot camp with Jesus, his newly trained disciples were sent out to teach and proclaim his message. They must have come back exhausted and discouraged, for as Jesus summarized, the people twisted the truth of John the Baptist, and they twisted the truth of Jesus. Then he gave them a word of encouragement: “Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” (Matt. 11: 19b)

To assure his disciples they are neither alone in their struggles nor dependent on ordinary means to cope with the pressure, Jesus reminds them “All things have been handed to me by my Father.” (Matthew 11:27) He said this to them to be clear that what he, Jesus offers is far more than peer support or expert advice. He is offering the infinite capacity of God the Father to share their burdens, transforming them to be manageable.   

“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.”   (Matt 11:28-30)

We live in a culture of rugged independence that casts weakness as a failure and sets impossible expectations. We’d rather say, “I’m fine, I’m good, I can manage” than “help me.” Sometimes we have a trustworthy person, even a therapist, to help us cope. Prayer brings divine power to the problem. “The Lord upholds all those who fall; he lifts up those who are bowed down.” (Psalm 145:15) 

We are all faced with heavy burdens. Sometimes they are internal, like Paul’s struggle to do the right thing and not do the wrong thing when instincts lead him astray. Sometimes our burdens are relationships that go poorly, or situations that are out of our control. Sometimes, as with his disciples, they are the pain of doing everything right for God and still having our message rejected. When these burdens overwhelm us, let us pray, “Help me Jesus!” Jesus wants us to bring him our burdens, so he can do the heavy lifting for us. He wants us to be free to enjoy life, even when we have struggles. He offers a way for our souls to be at peace, even when our lives are full of unrest.

This gives us the capacity to carry on in faith, praising God for our blessings and our opportunities to bring the love of Christ to others, so “That the peoples may know of God’s power and the glorious splendor of God’s kingdom.” (Psalm 145:12)

That’s why we are Church, and we can do it, with God’s help.

Amen.