The sun beat down upon the man, sweat poured down from him. His feet were burned by the sand even through his shoes. He began to realize that he was too weak to make such a long journey through such a perilous wasteland. If he didn’t find help through this desert he might even die.

“Friend Donkey,” said the man in desperation, “You are very strong. May I ride upon your back a while. I fear that without your help I may faint.”

The donkey was very stubborn, thinking only of himself. Why should he carry this weight and great burden that is not his? Why should he care about this man? “No,” said the donkey, “I will not carry you. My great strength is only for myself.”

The small hare was watching. He had such compassion; he felt the man’s pain. “I would carry you if I could.” He said, “I would not disdain. But alas I am too small. All I can do is love you and walk here by your side.”

The man was grateful for the hare and his compassion. So they walked along, the heat beating down mercilessly. The man stumbled on the rocky road. Finally in the chill desert night the man fainted lying helpless in the path.

The hare felt such compassion and love but there was nothing he could do. He stood over the man weeping great tears for the man’s pain. The tears fell into the man’s parched dry mouth and the man revived and was strengthened. He was able to begin his journey again, the donkey on one side the hare on the other.

The donkey said nothing when the man stumbled and fell. He made no move to help. But he watched the hare’s compassion and he saw the results of it. He began to realize how wrong it was for him to be so stubborn and rebellious, his heart only full of himself. He began to realize how wicked his heart really was and the selfish things he felt. But he couldn’t stop the way he was or change himself.

He began to grow sadder and more grieved as he walked along. His heart ached with his shame. He could not lift his eyes to look at the man. How he suffered in his pain. Finally he fell beneath the heavy load of his own sins and failings. He could not take another step. He knew he would die there if he did not rise but he just couldn’t bear up under the load and there was no one to care about what happened to him.

“Friend Donkey.” The man called coming quickly to him where he fell. At the man calling him friend he turned his head away in shame. He had not been a friend to the man when he needed him to be, though he should have been.

“Can you get up?” the man asked pulling on him trying to help.

“It’s no use.” Said the donkey knowing he would die where he fell.

The man gently touched the donkey’s head and lifted it so he could look into the donkey’s eyes. “Give me your load, I will bear it for you my friend.”

“I can’t.” the donkey said, “It’s mine to bear. I’m too ashamed. It’s too much. There’s too much pain.”

The man so lovingly held the donkey’s face in his hands. The love in his gaze was more than the donkey could understand. “Let me carry your load my friend. If you don’t you will surely die.”

“Why should you care about me? I didn’t help you in your need.” The donkey said.

The man spoke still holding the donkey’s head, “That’s what friends do, they share the load regardless of what’s been done. I’ll be a friend to you with unconditional love. It’s not based on what you’ve done or haven’t done. It can’t be bought that way. It’s unconditional love.”

The donkey knew he didn’t deserve to be helped and that this wasn’t fair to the man but he hurt so badly and he was afraid to die, so he surrendered to his plan. The man staggered at the weight of the load. It seemed that he would fall but he didn’t give it back or complain at all. Each step seemed harder his footprints left bloody tracks, though there were no cuts, he was bleeding from the pain of the load.

All were silent for a while and finally the donkey spoke. “Let me carry you as I should have done all along. It’s only fair; you carry my shame and pain. The least I could do is carry you.” But the man refused though the load seemed too much to bear, he still didn’t give it back or complain.

It hurt the donkey to see him suffer because of him. All of this time he had watched the small hare. It was the hare’s compassion that had convicted him to begin with. The hare was very small and the way was long and hard, so the donkey crossed to the other side of the road and spoke to him.

“Friend hare,” he said, “it was because of watching you that I learned about love. You see here this man carrying my load, a gift I don’t deserve, as we both well know. He won’t let me carry him now. But I’ve been watching and I have seen that you are a true friend to him. It was your tears that revived him. You love him and he really loves and appreciates you. I must do something for him to show my gratitude and love but I don’t know what to do because he won’t let me carry him. Friend hare as his loved friend would you please allow me to carry you in his place?”

The hare looked at him a moment to see if he meant it. “I’d be honored.” He said and hopped up on the donkey’s back.

The man revived and began to laugh and shout and jump up into the air and dance about. “You see,” he said, “I’m a burden bearer, that’s what I do. I carry you. And when you learn that way of life and your heart changes enough to carry others burdens it gives me great joy. It is strength to my body.”

Immediately they were at the Oasis they were traveling to. Then the donkey realized the man was Jesus. “How could that be?” the donkey asked confused because the man had been so weak.

“How strong did you let me walk with you?” Jesus asked, “How strong I am with you is up to you. I am as strong with you as you let me be along the way as you go. But when you strengthen smaller Christians you strengthen my body. Then I can be stronger too with you. A three-fold cord is not easily broken. It was the physically weak Christian’s love and prayer of compassion that made me strong in your life again, when you were about to quit and give up on me. That would have caused you to die inside. How appropriate that you should strengthen him.”

Jesus is a Burden Bearer, but He could not be strong for the stubborn rebellious one until he learned to be like Jesus and bear other’s burdens as he could. Jesus is a Burden Bearer brining unity and strength to all who will let Him be strong on their moment by moment; day by day walk through the wilderness. How long till we get out of the desert? When we learn to truly bear each other’s burdens.

When Jesus walked on water the sea was rough. The disciples had been rowing and getting nowhere but when Jesus got into the boat “immediately” they were at the shore. Perhaps were walking on the right path but until we learn to depend on him and give him all of our burdens and then we also share other’s burdens, we won’t have him in the boat with us or arrive at the shore.

Jesus is a Burden Bearer – Are You?

Amen