"...when Christ or St. Paul, or whoever said bear, or whatever he Aramaically said instead of bear, he meant something much more like carrying a parcel instead of someone else. To bear a burden is precisely to carry it instead of." - Stanhope: Descent Into Hell, ch. 6.
"Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." - Paul the Apostle: Galatians 6:2
Stanhope talks about literally taking on someone else's burden, in this case, a fear. My question with this is in bearing Pauline's burden, or yoke, was she completely free, or did they trade yokes?
"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." - Jesus Christ: Matthew 11:29-31
It seems that in taking on the yoke of Jesus that we traded ours for his. We took on the yoke of His lightness and easiness, and He took on our sinful yoke.
So maybe this is stretching something, but it's just a question to think about. When bearing one another's burden, is it one person bearing another person's burden so that they have none, or is it two people, or more, bearing each other's burden, so as to take the specific pressure off of that person, even though a burden is still being carried, just a different one? And does the burden seem less for you in knowing that you are relieving your brother of that burden?
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I think you are onto something...
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