Lectionary: Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145: 8 - 15; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Anyone who knows me knows: 1) I hate to exercize, and 2) I love Lady Gaga. I exercize because I know it’s good for me. I’m stronger and have more energy and a clearer mind. When I exercize, I’m usually listening to Lady Gaga.
But even though I know it’s good for me, I really don’t like to exercize and the littlest thing becomes a reason not to do it: I’m tired and need to sleep in; I have an early meeting; I’d rather be praying. How’s that for a good excuse? Guilt-free avoidance!
I know what I should do, yet I don’t do what I know is right. I keep doing what I know is wrong.
But this internal war can be serious – even life or death. If you’ve ever kept watch with a person addicted to alcohol and drugs as they try to work through this internal war, you know how hard a struggle it can be. They want to stop – they’re desperate to stop, but the addiction is strong and compelling.
I know what I should do, yet I don’t do what I know is right. I keep doing what I know is wrong.
Or a diabetic who knows what they should and shouldn’t eat, yet when they’re out with friends or at a church gathering, they eat the very thing that will do them harm. One of my son’s best friends has juvenile diabetes. When he came to stay with us over the Christmas break, I had all kinds of sugar-free food and snacks for him. I made duplicate desserts, one with sugar, one without, so that he wouldn’t feel left out. So which ones did he eat? The ones with sugar. Then he’d stick himself in the leg, right through his jeans, with insulin.
I know what I should do, yet I don’t do what I know is right. I keep doing what I know is wrong.
This internal war is the subject of Lady Gaga’s song, “Judas.” I know this song has sparked some controversy, but that’s just the literalists who can’t or won’t listen to the symbolic language in her lyrics. In this song, Judas represents sin which leads to death, and Jesus represents life. Gaga captures the nature of the internal war we humans suffer saying: “Jesus is my virtue, and Judas is the demon I cling to… I’m just a holy fool, oh baby it’s so cruel, but I’m still in love with Judas…”
The alcoholic would say, ‘I’m just a holy fool, oh baby it’s so cruel, but I’m still in love with beer.’ The diabetic would say, ‘I’m just a holy fool, oh baby it’s so cruel, but I’m still in love with cheese cake.’ St. Paul says it like this: “I don’t understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
I know what I should do, yet I don’t do what I know is right. I keep doing what I know is wrong, even though I know it will destroy me.
That being human nature, where is our hope? I love that St. Paul asks this question so honestly: “Wretched [one] that I am – who will rescue me from this…?” Who will rescue all of us from the demons we cling to? The answer is Jesus Christ, the Lord.
But loving Jesus isn’t enough. As Paul says, “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.” Gaga says it like this: “I want to love you, but something’s pulling me away from you…” The point is: our strength and our desire aren’t enough. Humankind is frail.
But God’s grace is sufficient (2Cor 12:9). As the psalmist says, “The Lord upholds those who fall; he lifts up those who are bowed down.” The love of God in Jesus Christ is all we need. That’s why Jesus tells us in the gospel of Matthew to yoke ourselves to him: “Come to me all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…” I will show you the way, for I am kind and gentle… and you will find rest for your weary souls… “for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
When Jesus spoke these words he was criticizing the religious authorities who were heaping heavy burdens on the Jewish people who just wanted to be faithful. They wanted to keep the law of Moses and be assured of their place among the people of God. But the burdens placed on them by the religious leadership were causing the people to lose hope.
Into this setting came John the Baptist and the Messiah. Yet these same religious authorities, attempting to maintain their unfair and burdensome status quo (from which they benefitted greatly by the way), criticized John and Jesus. So Jesus’ criticized them right back, making plain their hypocrisy: “… John came neither eating nor drinking, and they [said] ‘He has a demon;’ the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they [said], ‘Look a glutton and drunkard.’”
The people’s heads were spinning. How can we know what’s true? Jesus says simply, “… wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” Look at the deeds, the fruits of their labors and their lives. Whose fruits are worthy? Whose fruits do you want to share? The religious authorities’ or the Son’s?
If you want to share the fruits of the Son, then yoke yourself to him. To be yoked is to be joined together. When two oxen are yoked together, the stronger animal leads the team and carries the greater share of the burden.
What an amazing thing! We can be yoked to Christ – we can be joined to him and let him lead the way and carry the heaviest of our burdens.¬ We don’t have to rely on our own strength or our own wills. We don’t have to be in a constant internal war knowing the right thing but not being able to do it - because our loving Savior wants to be with us, and he will show us the way. “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Being yoked to Christ also means being yoked to one another because we, the church, are the body of Christ. Christ is in the midst of us, leading us all and showing us the path of life. No matter what demons we cling to, individually or as a church with a history, Jesus is our virtue – our standard of righteousness. Thanks be to God, “for such is God’s gracious will.”
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