Has an airline company ever lost your luggage while you were traveling? I believe there are few more frustrating experiences in this life than traveling a long distance from home only to arrive in that location and not have any of your stuff.
The possibility of our luggage being lost is why many of us choose to utilize carry-on bags whenever it is feasible. The carry-on bag is a lifesaver because you can put everything in it you need for temporary survival without having to check your baggage. When we board the airplane with a carry-on bag, the airline company essentially acts like we don’t have baggage because they don’t require us to check it. So, the carry-on bag allows us to keep our baggage in our possession, thus alleviating our concerns that it could potentially be separated from us.
And while the carry-on bag is beneficial when we are physically traveling, it has no place in our spiritual journey. Consider what Hebrews 12:1-2 says…
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…
This verse teaches us three important truths about baggage. First, it teaches us that no one is bagless. Did you notice that the author made a reference back to the heroes of faith from the previous chapter? The “cloud of witnesses” by whom “we are surrounded” is a call back to Hebrews 11, which describes the heroic faith of several Old Testament individuals. It should be noted that despite their heroic identification in Hebrews, the Bible clearly presents all of these heroes as having baggage. Abraham lied about his marriage. Moses murdered a man. David committed adultery. All of these heroes of faith had baggage, yet they are identified as a cloud of witnesses for us. Ultimately, they serve as a reminder that no one is absent baggage. We all have hurts, habits, hangups, history, or hardships. There is no one who is bagless.
The second thing this passage teaches us about baggage is what baggage is. The author refers to our baggage as “every weight, and [every] sin.” In addition to sin, some translations use the term “encumbrance” or the phrase “everything that hinders.” The author of Hebrews employs a running metaphor in this passage. He’s saying that baggage is anything that would slow the runner down and hinder his or her ability to complete the race. This has led one modern translation to translate the passage this way: “Let’s throw off any extra baggage, [and] get rid of the sin that trips us up.” The point is that baggage is anything that holds us back, anything that hinders our progress, or anything that prevents us from moving forward.
Finally, this passage teaches us what we’re supposed to do with our baggage. We’re specifically instructed to “lay aside” our baggage. This terminology implies that we will leave it behind instead of taking it with us. In other words, the biblical expectation regarding baggage is that we will check our baggage rather than carry our baggage. And this is ultimately what Jesus is inviting us to do in Matthew 11:28-30 when He says…
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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.
Have you ever felt “heavy laden”? Have you ever felt like you were carrying so much weight that you weren’t going to be able to stand much longer? Jesus is saying that He can relieve you of that baggage. He can make such a claim because He took our baggage and nailed it to the cross!
But Jesus cannot CHECK your baggage until you are willing to CLAIM your baggage. You see, it’s one thing for us to collectively admit that everyone has baggage. But it’s another thing for us to individually claim that baggage. And the only way you can get rid of your baggage is by acknowledging that you have baggage. That’s the point John was making in 1 John 1:9 when he said, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The point is that our baggage must first be claimed by us in order for it to be checked by Christ.
So, this is an invitation for you to claim your baggage because the One who never obtained any baggage has already taken the necessary steps to check your baggage. Won’t you let Jesus become your personal baggage handler today?