For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3  NASB

Not Burdensome – Rules are heavy.  Regulations weigh us down.  So when John says that God’s commandments are not burdensome, we should be reminded of two other men who say that same thing.  The first is Mosheh.  “For this command which I am commanding you today; it is not too hard for you” (Deuteronomy 30:11).  The second is Yeshua.  “For my yoke is pleasant and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).  Now comes John.  Don’t you think that John’s reference to bareiai ouk eisin (literally “heavy not are”) reminds us of the words of both Yeshua and Mosheh?  The commandments of Mosheh and Yeshua and now John aren’t crushing rules and demanding regulations.  They are the joyful evidence that we love God.

“It is easier to deceive ourselves in this matter than it is to deceive others.  If we tell them that ‘we love God’, they will look for some visible evidence; we should look for some visible evidence ourselves.”[1] This is precisely what Sha’ul has in mind when he calls us to “provoke to jealousy” those Jewish brothers who have not yet accepted Yeshua as their Messiah.  If we don’t display Torah observance, if we make the commands of the Father burdensome, what motivation do we offer these brothers for believing we serve His Son?  Who was Yochanan’s (John’s) audience?  Wasn’t it Gentiles who were followers of the Way?  Gentiles who had the opportunity to demonstrate by their actions that they followed the same God of Israel, YHWH the only true God?  And how would these Jewish brothers and sisters know that Gentile followers embraced the God of Israel unless these Gentiles joyfully exhibited obedience to the commands given by YHWH?  How would anyone know if these Gentiles disregarded the very essence of Israel’s faith – the revelation of God in the Torah?  We might ask ourselves the same question.  How would the outside observer know that we love and worship YHWH if we don’t practice His commandments?  If John and Jesus and Moses are all saying the same thing, why are we so anxious to set those commandments aside?

John makes are pretty strong assertion here.  If we love God, we do what He says and what He says isn’t a burden because it is motivated by love.  If I love my wife, I listen to her requests and I do my best to fulfill them (especially since she is my ‘ezer kenegdo) because it is good for me.  I benefit when I please her.  Of course, I am still a rebellious renegade and at times my selfish desires assert themselves.  I don’t listen to her.  I push my own agenda.  And I discover that I don’t benefit.  I am not blessed.  I repent and try again.  It’s the same with my relationship with YHWH.  But what good would come to me if I said to my wife, “I love you, but I am going to do whatever I think is best for me”?  What benefit accrues to me if I say to my heavenly Father, “Oh, I love You, but I will decide which of Your instructions I’ll follow.  After all, some of them seem too heavy for me”?  Who am I to tell God that His instructions aren’t good enough for me?

Topical Index:  not burdensome, bareiai ouk eisin, 1 John 5:3, Deuteronomy 30:11, Matthew 11:30, commandments

If you happen to be in the Orlando area and you want to sit in on a graduate class on biblical interpretation, inspiration and translation, I will be teaching at the Holy Land Experience on Wednesday May 4 to Friday May 6.  Please email me if you would like to attend.