3 March 2024
For God is a God who bears. The Son of God bore our flesh, he bore the
cross, he bore our sins, thus making atonement for us. In the same way his
followers are also called upon to bear, and that is precisely what it means to
be a Christian. Just as Christ maintained his communion with the Father by his
endurance, so his followers are to maintain their communion with Christ by
their endurance. We can of course shake off the burden which is laid upon us,
but only find that we have a still heavier burden to carry — a yoke of our own
choosing, the yoke of our self. But Jesus invites all who travail and are heavy
laden to throw off their own yoke and take his yoke upon them — and his yoke is
easy, and his burden is light. The yoke and the burden of Christ are his cross.
To go one’s way under the sign of the cross is not misery and desperation, but
peace and refreshment for the soul, it is the highest joy. Then we do not walk
under our self-made laws and burdens, but under the yoke of him who knows us
and who walks under the yoke with us. Under his yoke we are certain of his
nearness and communion. It is he whom the disciple finds as he lifts up his
cross.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
No comments:
Post a Comment