a lesson from Sam
a burden not carried alone—Galatians 6:2
Fiery ash falls from the mountain, eerily illuminating the air, as dark smoke ascends from the black boulders. Frodo Baggins is slowly succumbing to the power of the Ring as he seeks to destroy it in the fiery pit of Mount Doom. In a moving attempt to inspire Frodo to push onward, his best friend Samwise Gamgee eloquently reminds him of the beauty of the Shire, but a waning Frodo tells Sam that he is encased in darkness and can see nothing beyond it. In one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in The Lord of the Rings, Sam cries out, “Come on Mr. Frodo, I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!” He desperately hefts Frodo over his shoulder. Step by precarious step, Sam trudges up the rest of the mountain, knowing that evil, embodied by the Ring, has a stronghold on his friend’s soul, and though Sam cannot carry the burden of the Ring, he can carry the burden of Frodo. It is his only hope to free his friend from the clutches of the darkness and rid Middle Earth of this evil.
J.R.R. Tolkien has been heralded for his brilliance in crafting this literary masterpiece. Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of the trilogy does not disappoint. Tolkien wove Judeo-Christian values and themes throughout the epic tale that he wrote between 1937-1949, while Jackson brought them to life on the silver screen over twenty years ago. In this particular scene in The Return of the King, we encounter a powerful application of the Christian directive to bear one another’s burdens.
The apostle Paul says in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” What exactly does he mean by “the law of Christ?” Peek back just one chapter in Galatians, and we discover exactly what he means. Galatians 5:13-14 says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
The death and resurrection of Christ fulfilled the Old Testament Judaic law. As Jesus himself taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mt. 5:17). As Paul explains in Galatians, the law is fulfilled in the command Jesus gave to love your neighbor as yourself. The instruction is to serve. Bearing one another’s burdens is one way to serve another; therefore, in doing so, we are fulfilling the law of Christ.
It is a call that is simple, but not easy. Humble, yet profound. Tolkien expertly explored this theme in The Lord of the Rings. As he told one interviewer, “I am a Christian and of course what I write will be from that essential viewpoint” (Myth, Allegory, and the Gospel, 141). Bearing each other’s burdens is a theme that is threaded throughout Scripture from beginning to end. God’s plan from the dawn of time was that we would be a people who would care for one another. We see it in Genesis 2 when the Lord creates Eve. Out of all the magnificent creatures of the world, there was not one suitable to be a “helper” for Adam. The Hebrew word for helper is ezer, which is actually a word that is used to describe the Lord Himself. There is no misogyny lurking under the surface of this role, contrary to the common feminist notion. Rather, ezer, used to describe the role of the woman, is the same word used to describe God in places like Psalm 115:9, “Oh Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.” [Italics mine.]
In Psalm 81:6-7, the Lord reminds His people that he relieved them from the yoke of slavery in Egypt. “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I delivered you…” In the book of Numbers, Moses becomes utterly overwhelmed by the complaints of the Israelites and he pleads with God, “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness” (11:14-15).
As I read this, I don’t envision Moses at his best, more like an elderly man throwing a child-like tantrum! Even so, God is gracious and provides seventy men to assist Moses. In verse 17, the Lord says, “I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.”
In His loving-kindness, God provides others to help us bear our earthly burdens. The best news is that for those who place their trust in Christ, Jesus himself carries them. Isaiah prophesied about the Christ, “For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian…For to us a child is born…” (9:4,6). The Messiah frees his people from every burden and oppression. Jesus himself said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mt. 11:28-30).
As we journey along our mortal paths, we will still suffer from the weight of our burdens, but we possess a hope that is sure and true. “For while we are still in this tent [physical body], we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life…So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:4, 6-7).
I have been blessed by experiencing the Lord’s provision in my darkest moments. When my soul felt torn asunder, and I wallowed in the mire of anxiety and depression, Jesus lifted me from the depths by putting people in my life who filled the shoes that Samwise Gamgee filled for Frodo Baggins. As I surrendered to their care and allowed them to carry me from darkness to light, they lifted me in prayer, walked beside me, encouraged me and genuinely loved me. Through their precious gift of service to me, Jesus healed the fissures of my broken mind. My own story of falling apart only to be mended by the Lord through the compassion of His people compels me to encourage the church today to continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Together, may we heed the call of the Spirit to bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
For to us a child is born,
To us a son is given;
And the government shall be upon his shoulder,
And his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
