"He ain't heavy Mister - he's m' brother!"

The Hollies had a big hit record in 1969: "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother". I think it was birthed from this quote found way back in the 1940's, and had it's roots in Father Flangan's "Boys Town". (I could be wrong about this, but it's what I read).

There's a Bible verse, which I would expect might be the true root cause for such a heart felt line, and song. It says: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." Gal. 6:2

Here's what a old saint had to say about this Holy Scripture verse:

" ..to love is not to wish well one to another, but to bear one another's burdens, .... Christians must have strong shoulders and mighty bones, that they may bear flesh, that is, the weakness of their brothers. Love therefore is mild, courteous, patient, not in receiving, but in giving; for it is constrianed to wink at many things, and to bear them. ....
This commandment then of bearing one another's burdens belongs not to them who deny Christ; neither does it belong to those who continue in their sins. On the contrary, it belongs to those who hear the Word of God and believe, and yet fall into sin, and after they are admonished, not only receive such admonition gladly, but also detest their sin and endeavor to amend; these, I say, are they who are overtaken with sin, and have the burdens that Paul commands us to bear." -Martin Luther

These are some deep words to ponder I thought. Luther had a gift for helping us find the deeper, and fuller, meaning of the sacred writings. I thank the Lord for sovereignly blessing His Church with so much wisdom for us to glean from. So that we can understand, and then walk in faith, and be doers of the Word, and not just going through the motions.