True freedom is being free to choose what is right
Series: Metamorphosis | Bible text: Matthew 13:18–23
God wants to free us from our wrong priorities and fears. Jesus saved us on the cross, thereby giving us the freedom to make good choices. He sets us free to choose the right path, even if it is not always easy. This freedom brings real life, which rewards us with abundant fruit.
Aron Ralston, a gifted climber and mountaineer, was looking forward to some time alone in the Bluejohn Gorge in Utah America. Far away from civilisation, after 50 km of sandy road through a desert moonscape, he parked his pick-up. He then hiked 13 km to the 18 km long, narrow and technically very demanding gorge with many obstacles. Aron wanted to go down to the gorge and looked for a good entry over some boulders that were wedged in the gorge. Suddenly one turns and Aron jumps down several metres from the boulder, looks up and sees in slow motion how the boulder comes crashing down on him. He tries to flee but the boulder is faster and falls on his right hand.
A great pain shoots through his body. Aron realises his fate. In shock and adrenaline, he desperately tries to free himself from the stone. He tries to lift it, hoping for supernatural powers, but he has no chance against the 360 kg stone. For hours he tries to remove piece after piece with his multitool to get his hand out.
Aron survived the first night. Wearing only a T‑shirt, it was very cold. He realises the sad reality, no one knows where he is, he only has 3.5 dl of water, so his chances of survival are very slim. He plays with the idea of cutting off his forearm. After a hesitant attempt, he loses his courage.
Aron survives the second cold night, the third and also the fourth. He is sure that he will not survive another night and carves his birthday and date of death into the wall. His body is at the end. He has lost so much fluid and burnt up all his energy in the cold nights. His body shakes – he has short dreams and hallucinations. One last time he takes his video camera and says a farewell to his family and friends. In the night he has a vision of a 3‑year-old son jumping into his arms. He wakes up and is more motivated than ever to survive. Aron is convinced that he will have a son one day and does everything he can to get free. He absolutely has to be able to free himself in some way. Suddenly he has an idea: if his forearm is broken, he can amputate his hand. He does this immediately, then takes his blunt knife and starts to amputate. After a painful 45 minutes he is finally free. Aron feels free as never before. It feels like being born again. He has been given a new life. The joy, however, is short-lived. He still has a long way to go with many hurdles. But he manages to abseil down 20 m with one hand, drink from a water hole and sets off on the 13 km hike to his truck. The heat, the blood loss and his weakened, dehydrated body wants to give up 3 km before the finish. Fortunately, at the same time, people meet him, come to his aid and alert a rescue helicopter. What an incredible story. Aron was hopelessly trapped, but gained his freedom. This stone almost cost him his life, but now he is free.
Our Bible text today, the parable of the sower, is also about imprisonment and freedom. «Still other Cörners fell into the thorny bushes, but these had soon overgrown the young seed, so that it finally suffocated»(Matthew 13:8 HFA). Some seeds were overgrown by thorny bushes and never had the freedom to develop properly. Perhaps we are now thinking: What, a thorny bush can choke a grain plant? Surely the plant continues to grow? Unfortunately this is not the case. Most cereals do not tolerate competition that deprives them of light. I have seen this fact many times in Canada. In fields with a lot of weeds, the plants remained very small. They did not develop further and often gave little or no fruit.
Jesus used the soil as a comparison of our heart. Fortunately, he explained it to the disciples. «Yet another part of the seed falls into the thorny bushes. This means: Someone höThe word is heard, but the cares of this world and the temptations of wealth choke it, and it remains without fruit.»(Matthew 13:22 NGÜ). Jesus mentions two things that keep us from the fruit. First, the cares of this world and second, the lure of riches. He says that when we focus on the cares of this world and on wealth, it stifles our spiritual development and the possibility of bearing fruit. Jesus is not against wealth, but as always he goes a step further. True wealth is in God and in eternity. Money is useful and good but must not be our focus. In Canada we lived in a very religious village. Many people thought that having little money was a sign of spirituality. My observation was that people with little money often worried about money more than those who had a lot. An unexpected bill caused them great worry and the world seemed to come to an end. In the Old Testament, wealth was a sign of blessing (Proverbs 10:22). We too are blessed to be a blessing, so that we do not always have to ask for money, but can give money or even lend it.
Further, Jesus tells us that the cares of this world choke our fruit. Worries can be positive or negative. In this context, they are negative and could also be translated as fear. In other words, the fears of this world strangle us and take away all vitality. God does not want us to be crushed by our wrong goals, worries and fears but wants us to live in freedom. God wants to free us from this heavy stone that holds us captive. But don’t worry, we don’t have to break our own arm like Aron and cut off our hand to get free. The good news is that Jesus has already done that. Through his blood on the cross we are free.
Jesus wants to make us free – but what is freedom? What does freedom mean to you? Maybe you think I am free when I can move out of home, when I have finished my education or when I am retired. For others, freedom is speeding down the German Autobahn. For Jocelyn and me, freedom starts when all 5 children are in bed 😀.
Joking aside, many people think freedom is doing what you want. The definition of freedom from the Duden is «Freedom is being able to choose and decide between several options without constraint.«But if everyone wants to do what they like, it doesn’t work out well. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: «Being free just for the sake of being free leads to anarchy.» Real freedom, as we see it in the Bible, is not just being able to choose, but true freedom is being free to choose what is right.önnen. Jesus exemplified this freedom. He was free to choose the difficult path to the cross.
The genius of the Christian faith is that Jesus passed this freedom on to us. We read «Christ has set us free! …»(Galatians 5:1 NGÜ). But often this freedom is not easy and we fall back again. That is why Paul admonished us in the second part of the sentence «…Therefore, stand firm and do not allow yourselves to be forced back under the yoke of slavery!»(Galatians 5:1 NGÜ).
Unfortunately, we tend to fall back into slavery. A biblical example of this is the Israelites. They were oppressed as slaves for 400 years until God sent Moses to free them. They experienced a spectacular deliverance through the Red Sea, saw miracle after miracle. Yet at every slightest difficulty they wanted to go back into slavery. We too live in this tension between the old and the new man.
Jesus says: «Come to me, all you who labour and are almost crushed by your burden; I will take it from you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am kind and humble of heart. In this way you will find rest for your soul. For the yoke I put on you is not oppressive, and the burden I give you to bear is light.»(Matthew 11:28–30 NNT). Jesus invites us to come to him. He takes the burden from us. Then he continues: Take my yoke and you will find rest. The rest he describes is not the same as doing nothing or passivity. His promise is the inner peace of not living under constant anxiety. Take my yoke says Jesus. The yoke is used to harness two animals, often oxen, together to do work. His yoke is light because he is the strong ox, so to speak, pulling and steering in the right direction. How good it is to have a strong partner. Under this yoke we get a new identity and a new direction in life. Rest and freedom come through our new identity in Jesus.
So what does this new reality look like in practice? Freedom begins when we see how God sees us. Jesus gives us a new image. Many times we have an image of ourselves and believe that if I do a great work I will be loved. But as Christians we do not work to be loved or accepted by God. We work because we love like Jesus. We must not only know that we are loved, but see it inwardly like a vision. We must be able to visualise it. Aron Alston knew that if he survived, he could raise a family. But this was not enough. It was only when he could see it visually that it clicked for him.
Freedom becomes a reality when we attain true freedom through our relationship with God. True freedom is being free to choose the right thing even if it is not the easiest way. With his help we are also able to carry out the chosen one.
Possible questions for the small groups
Read Bible text: Matthew 13:18–23
- What are the cares of this world and are these cares important to God?
- Where do our worries and fears lead us?
- Can I be rich as a Christian?
- What is true freedom?
- In which area of my life do I wish for more freedom?
- How should I understand the following Bible verse? «And when your right hand takes you to the BöIf you are tempted by them, cut them off and throw them away! It is better to be maimed than to go unharmed into the Hölle to come.»
