This morning, as I was looking through the lectionary readings for July,
I came across the passage from Galatians 6, wherein Paul writes:
“All must test their own work;
then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for
pride. For all must carry their own loads.
Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their
teacher. Do not be deceived; God is not
mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap
corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal
life from the Spirit.” [Galatians 6:4-8, RSV]
The idea here
– “all must carry their own loads,” and “reap what you sow” – seems universal,
but how do Islam and Judaism treat this concept? To begin, here’s some of what the Koran, the
holy book of Islam, says:
“No soul shall bear another’s burden. If a laden soul cries out for help, not even
a near relation shall share its burden.” [Koran,
Chapter 35, “The Creator”]
“No soul shall bear another’s burden. To God you shall all return and He will
declare to you what you have done. He
knows your inmost thoughts.” [Koran,
Chapter 39, “The Hordes”]
“Have you considered him who
turns his back upon the Faith, giving little at first and then nothing at all? Does he know, and can he see, what is
hidden? Has he not heard of what is
preached in the scriptures of Moses and Abraham, who fulfilled his duty: that no
soul shall bear another’s burden, and that each man shall be judged by his
own labours. . .?” [Koran, Chapter 53, “The Star”]
This seems
pretty clear: No soul bears another’s
burden. Each person will be judged on
the last day based on what s/he has done.
What did the
“scriptures of Moses and Abraham” preach?
For example, Jeremiah and Ezekiel each refute the proverb about how sin
is passed from father to son. Each tells
that we’re each responsible for our own sin.
Jeremiah says
“In those days people will no
longer say, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are
set on edge.’ Instead, everyone will die for his own sin;
whoever eats sour grapes – his own teeth will be set on edge.” [Jeremiah 31:29-30, NIV]
Now, turn to
Ezekiel 18, wherein the prophet explains why the sons will NOT pay for the sins
of their fathers. He cites the same
proverb as a starting point. Here’s
Ezekiel 18:4 and 20:
“For every living soul belongs to
me, the father as well as the son – both alike belong to me. The
soul who sins is the one who will die. . . The son will not share the guilt
of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The
righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness
of the wicked will be charged against him.”
[NIV]
We seem to
have agreement: There are scriptural
bases in all three Abrahamic faith traditions for each of us bearing
responsibility for, and reaping the rewards of, our own behaviors, both
righteous and sinful.
Copyright Richard L. Shafer