The Adventure of the Forest of Burdens
Weekly Reading: Sir Knight of the Splendid Way Chapter Ten
A dark and distressing forest stands between our hero knight and the marvelous City beyond. Here he meets an aged man, bowed under a burden he can hardly carry. He tells sir Constant the reason.
“All who dwell in this Forest, and they are many, must pay a tribute to their lord, Sir Justus…This is the law of the Forest of Burdens: and there is none that may escape it… the way is heavy, and the burden more than I can bear. Yet bear it I must, for it is the law.”
A choice is set before Sir Constant: continue on the path of protection and hope or join an afflicted burden-bearer that could require uncalculable costs.
Sir Constant, with a heart to hear the quiet voice of his King, could not let this suffering soul pass by without offering aid.
“I must share his burden with him…I must aid him, even if I never reach the City Royal.”
Oh, to have a love that loses sight of oneself!
To the man’s surprise, the kind knight not only relieves his burden, but in doing so, he takes on himself the thorns and briers that wound his exposed hands and brow. The pain is great, but for the sake of the one whose burden he carries, he does not utter a word of complaint (see Isaiah 53:7). His actions reflect the words of the King,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Finally, through much toil and anguish, the old man and the seasoned knight arrive at a grim and foreboding fortress whose lord is called Sir Justus.
Here Sir Justus has full right to demand a toll from the dwellers in the Forest of Burdens. Each must pay his way. Yet, as Sir Justus reveals,
“There is one law greater than the law of the Forest, and that is the law of the Pierced Hands and Feet and the Bleeding Brows.”
This New law, established by the sufferings of the King Himself, has paid the toll for all who come by that way, and has conquered the Old law of the Forest, under which no man can stand. Like the King, Sir Constant now bears similar marks of suffering. Throughout his journey he was able to bear the burden of others and by doing so, he fulfilled the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
Upon seeing the sacrifice of the servant of the King, the work of love began to break the burden of the law.
“Long [the old man] gazed at those wounds, and suddenly he broke into tears, and gently kissed the marks, and cried, ‘These wounds were for me!’ Then he stood before the Emblem of the gallant shield, and said, ‘This is the Sign of the King who sent thee. By thy deed, I know that He is love, despite the pain and mystery of this Forest. So let me be His man forever!’…The sight of those wounds had touched his heart as nothing else had touched it through all the days of his life.”
It is this love that lifts those burdened by the law of sin and death. This love is shown in the wounds of a King who humbled himself unto death, even the death of a cross (see Philippians 2:8). It is shown in the one who would lay down his life for his friends (see John 15:13).
Finally, our hero reaches the City of his youth’s desire. What a welcoming surprise he receives! He was not weary in well doing; for so an entrance was added to him abundantly in the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58).
He was finally home.
“Come,” said the Voice. “You have fought a good fight, you have finished your course, you have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for you a crown of righteousness, which my Father Himself shall give you. Come, He has been waiting for you.”
Memory Verse: Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Sir Knight of the Splendid Way
Deep into the Vale of Promise ventures Sir Constant, a young knight who desires nothing more than to be in the service of the Great King. Though unworthy of this high calling, he sets forth on the Splendid Way—the perilous road that all who desire to serve the King must take. His faith and valor will be tested, his strength and endurance will be challenged, and his allegiance to the one true King will be proven. A rich allegory wrought with biblical truth.
