Jonathan Munson, Executive Director
“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, 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.”
Matthew 11:28-29
It’s usually around the end of the Christmas season that I start to wear down.
As much as I love all the festivities, they can be stressful and exhausting. Honestly? Sometimes, I just want to escape to a tropical island and sing “Mele Kalikimaka” with Jimmy Buffet.
But rather than jetting off to try and escape the chaos, I have a better plan.
Jesus offers us rest in the middle of the chaos.
The rest Jesus offers is unlike any other rest in the world. He’s not talking about a nap, a mental break, or even a tropical island vacation. Jesus invites us to experience “rest for our souls.” Put differently, Jesus’ rest isn’t physical; it’s spiritual, though having a soul at rest certainly benefits our physical health.
The soul is the part of us that God “breathed into life” (Genesis 2:7), and unlike our physical bodies, our souls live forever. The good news is that we don’t have to wait until we die to have a restful soul. Right here, right now, Jesus is offering a rest that permeates every fiber of our beings and every facet of our lives.
Yes, even during the craziness of Christmas.
Let’s briefly unpack the rest Jesus offers:
•“Come” Jesus doesn’t force Himself on us. He simply extends an invitation. As with any invitation, we must choose whether to accept or reject it. It’s a decision we make, not only when we first come to Jesus as new believers, but every day for the rest of our lives. Even mature believers never outgrow their need for Jesus’ rest.
• “To Me” Rest is not found in a set of beliefs, going to church, or in knowledge about Jesus or the Bible. Rest is found through a personal, intimate relationship with the living Christ.
• “All” Jesus doesn’t exclude anyone. His invitation is open to whosoever. The only requirement is that we openly admit our need for His rest.
• “Weary” We all get worn down by the stress and strain of life, but Jesus is specifically referring to the weariness from our struggle with sin. He doesn’t command us to clean up our act before coming to Him. We can come to Him as we are: weary, broken, mired by sin, and let His love change us from the inside out.
• “Burdened” It’s easy to feel crushed under the compounding weight of life’s burdens, but Jesus wants to help shoulder the heavy load. “Yoked” to Him, we learn a rhythm of life that makes our burdens feel lighter and easier to carry. In context, the Pharisees placed stringent religious demands on people (Luke 11:46) that were almost impossible to bear. Jesus offered them an alternative way of relating to God.
If you think about it, Christmas is a celebration of the rest Jesus offers. He was born to save the “weary and burdened” from our sins, and we first encounter His rest when we humbly come to Him for salvation. We’re liberated, once and for all, from trying to earn salvation by trying to be good enough for God. Through faith, His rest comes into our lives as an act of amazing grace.
But His rest is not something we experience only once.
Notice Jesus says, “I will give you rest.” His rest is a gift, and He wants us to open it again and again- anytime we need it.
His rest changes how we handle our everyday responsibilities.
His rest changes how we interact with members of our immediate and extended family.
Whatever we’re facing this Christmas, His rest enables us to rise above our circumstances.
So, draw near to Jesus. Let go of your way of doing life and do life His way. Allow Him to help carry your burdens. He wants nothing more than to refresh and reinvigorate your soul.
Have yourself a restful little Christmas.
DIG DEEPER
Read “Did Jesus Come to Bring Peace on Earth?” at GotQuestions.org
