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May,
2008
One of my
favorite stories is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
The story begins with these words:
"I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair, and
when I got out of bed this morning I tripped over my skateboard and ... I
dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running, and I could tell
it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."
Later, Alexander goes to school and his teacher doesn't like his drawing; he
doesn't get a dessert in his lunch bag and his best friend doesn't want to be
his best friend anymore. After school, his mom takes him shopping and buys him
plain sneakers instead of ones with red and blue stripes, the dentist finds a
cavity, there are lima beans at dinner, and he gets soap in his eyes when he
takes his bath. Exasperated, Alexander declares, "It was a terrible,
horrible, no good, very bad day. I think I'll move to
Australia
." His mom says, "Some days are like that – even in
Australia
."
We all know about those kinds of days. Even Jesus knew. Or at least that is the
picture Matthew paints in the 11`h chapter of his gospel. Jesus' bad day began
when he received word that John the Baptist had been arrested. Jesus knew that
his arrest meant that John would likely be dead very soon.
Then later that day, Jesus saw children playing in the city square. The children
were so engrossed in their games that they were oblivious to everything else.
Apparently this reminded Jesus of all the people that he had seen in so many
places who were so involved in their own games that they hardly noticed the
things of God. Jesus exclaimed, "To what shall I compare this generation?
You are like a bunch of children."
Exasperated, Jesus declared that on the judgment day, those cities who rejected
him would get what they deserved and that it would be no better for them than it
was for
Sodom
.
I tend to believe that this was not one of Jesus' better days. So what did he
do? He prayed. And then he offered an invitation that seems to be an answer to
the prayer he just prayed. He said, "Come unto me, all who labor and are
heavy laden and I will give you rest."
It is as if Jesus was providing a prescription for unburdening folk from all
of the terrible, horrible, no good and very bad days. He said, "Come to me
and I will give you rest!" And that sounds so very, very appealing. But he
didn't stop there. Jesus continued, "... Take my yoke upon you ... for my
yoke is easy and my burden is light."
One moment Jesus is talking about providing rest for weary people. And in the
next moment he offers them something they seem least to need. Instead of an
escape or an extended vacation, Jesus offers weary people a yoke. Martin Luther
noted that only Jesus could say, "Come to me all you who are heavy
laden" in one breath, and "I will place around your necks a yoke"
in the next breath.
Will Willimon suggests that Jesus spoke of giving us rest by placing his burden
upon us because Jesus knew that the issue in life is not if we shall be burdened
but rather which burdens we shall bear. In other words, life's greatest burden
is not having too much to do but in having nothing significant or worthwhile
to do. Willimon suggests that persons grow weary not because they have too
much to do but because they become exhausted by constant engagement with the
trivial and inconsequential.
So Jesus invites us to take upon ourselves his yoke. Jesus is inviting us to get
into his harness so that where he leads, we will follow. Jesus is saying:
"Walk with me. Work with me, Watch what I do. Let me chart the course, set
the pace, determine the direction." That is Jesus' cure for those no good,
very bad days.
Jesus isn't trying to inhibit us, but free us up so that we can link up and join
in his creative and life giving work in the world. As George Matheson's hymn so
eloquently puts it, "Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be
free."
See you Sunday,
David
