Easy For You To Say

In the 6th chapter of the gospel of Matthew Jesus warns his disciples to discern carefully how they will model their lives. Will they choose to heed his words or instead follow the example of the hypocritical pharisees who pray, fast, and give alms not for the glory of God but rather to be seen admired by others? He exhorts them not to store up treasures in heaven and reminds them that no one can serve two masters. It is here that his discussion culminates with a common: “Do not worry”.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matt. 6:25-33. 

Have you ever struggled with the teachings of Jesus or the example he has set for us to follow? I admit that as much as I love to pray and study God’s word that there are moments when I do not understand or do not agree. That doesn’t mean that I reject God’s word but rather I try to walk even closer with Christ in my journey to grow into who I have been called to be. And while I know that Jesus is right, that he is sincere and loving in his command not to worry I bristle at that command because I feel the burden of my worry more than the comfort of his grace.

"And while I know that Jesus is right, that he is sincere and loving in his command not to worry I bristle at that command because I feel the burden of my worry more than the comfort of his grace."

I want to respond to Jesus and say “Don’t worry? Don’t worry? It’s easy for you to say. You aren’t running a parish, balancing a budget, dealing with a crumbling facility, a volunteer shortage, and the burnout that comes from trying to balance work and life and feeling like you're failing at both. You don’t have an email inbox that never get to ‘0’, bulletins to proof, and a congregation that’s looking to your answers.”

Thankfully, lightning did not strike me as I wrote this post! Part of what makes Jesus so great is that he knows how to handle complaints. He’s heard every doubt and fear. He isn’t flustered by those who challenge his wisdom. 

I’m tempted to respond to Jesus in anger and frustration because I look at the world in which he lived and wonder if things were simpler back then. Jesus didn’t have the constant notifications from a smartphone to distract him, or the pressure to serve on committees and councils. But as I dig deeper into the text and the life that Jesus and his followers lived I realize an important lesson: a life of faith has always been challenging.

Jesus lived under a brutal Roman occupation and a corrupt, blood-thirsty king (Herod). He lived at a time when you really didn’t know where your next meal might come from and the smallest illness or fever could cost you your life. He was constantly rejected for telling the truth and abandoned by his followers who couldn’t accept his teachings. And of course he endured the humiliation and suffering of the cross. I may think that Jesus had it easier but that doesn’t make it true. His burden and the burdens of the early Church weren’t lighter than the burdens I carry now, just different. 

It’s here where the conversation can go one of two ways. I can take the road that tells me to be quiet, to stop complaining and making a fuss about “how bad I have it” and just get back to work. “Everyone has it rough Alex, so stop complaining”. But that just takes me back to a place of isolation and pain. The other road I can take is where I am honest about how I feel about the burdens I am carrying. I take accountability for the ways in which my choices and the way I am living have contributed to my difficulties. I am also honest in how I need to ask for help and support from those around, building relationships with clergy and laity so that I do not bear these burdens alone. This is the road that leads to health and wholeness. Jesus knows what it means to carry heavy burdens. That is why he invites us who are weary and carrying heavy burdens to come to him. 

I don’t think that Jesus wanted his followers to ignore their daily needs of food and clothing. Rather, he wanted them to replace their worry with trust in God. The opposite of faith isn’t doubt, it's fear. It’s okay to ask God how he is going to do something. That doesn’t mean he will always tell us but we are free to ask. Worrying expends precious time and energy on the things we cannot change at this moment. Faith is placing our various conditions and challenges in God’s hands knowing that he knows what we need to love and serve him. The Church continues to waste energy worrying about the challenges it will face instead of placing our trust in the God who knows what we need. But that doesn’t mean that I should just sit back and do nothing. Just the opposite. Jesus tells us to be about the work of seeking the kingdom, because when we seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness all those other things come in their due time. 

Our day to day worries can be a tremendous burden of stress and anxiety. I’m sure that even in his ministry Jesus dealt with the practical needs of spreading the Gospel. But Jesus placed all those burdens at the feet of his father in heaven. And what was his reward? People did flock to Jesus to hear him and accept him. Strangers, friends, and family gave him and his disciples support and comfort. And of course because he remained true to the will of the father God gave him the glory that exceeds all other glory. The good news is that our father in heaven wants us to lay those burdens at his feet too. He will send us people to help us along the way in our earthly pilgrimage. And if we remain true to God’s will, he will reward us with all that we need and more.