Matthew 11:28-30
Recently, my youngest niece sent some photos of the veterans' cemetery
where my fathered was buried in February, including this one of his headstone:
This was the first time I had seen my father's headstone. Its
simplicity is appropriate for a man whose life was characterized by his
unassuming and humble demeanor. I was especially interested in the final line:
"At rest with God." These four words punctuate a life spanning eight
decades. The word "rest" and its variations are often used when
referring to those who have passed on. I suppose this is because the toils of life have finally ended.
But I began thinking about this statement, "At rest with
God." I understand the sentiment it is trying to convey on the headstone,
that my father is now enjoying his eternal rest in the presence of his Maker.
But do we have to die before we can be "at rest with God"? Is there
no rest to be obtained while we walk this earth?
Sadly, the whole concept of "resting" has pretty much been
lost on modern-day Christians, especially in this country. We have been sold a
bill of goods that says, if you go to church for an hour (or two if you're a Pentecostal),
you've satisfied your weekly "rest" requirement. But attending church
services is not what God had in mind when He declared a Sabbath rest for His
people, nor is it what Jesus had in mind when He called His followers to come
to Him to enjoy rest from their burdens.
As a former pastor, I always struggled with the concept of a "day
of rest" since Sunday was my busiest day of the week, if not the most
spiritually exhausting. The most rest I usually enjoyed on a Sunday was a nice long
nap in the afternoon. As a bi-vocational pastor, I still had to put in a normal
work week starting Monday morning.
So how do we obtain this elusive "rest" while we're still
drawing breath? In the Old Testament, God's instruction to the Hebrews was to
abstain from doing their regular work on the Sabbath. This regulation extended
to their beasts of burdens as well as their servants (Deuteronomy 5:13-15). God
knew that we require a regular day of "recharging our batteries" -
physically, mentally and spiritually. Modern medicine has proven that we have a
regular seven-day cycle that has to be reset in order for us to maintain
overall health. Those of us who continually override this cycle of work and
rest eventually see the results in fatigue, health problems, sleep disorders,
and general dysfunction in our relationships. Like many things commanded in
Scripture, observing a Sabbath rest isn't just some random idea; it serves a
very real and practical purpose in our lives.
In the New Testament, Jesus invited us to come to Him to enjoy a
different kind of rest. Because Jesus follows His invitation to rest with some
additional requests, I don't believe He was talking about the same type of rest
that was implied in the Old Testament law:
"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 humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light."
In order to understand this rest, we need to first understand who it is
addressed to: those who are weary and burdened. But weary and burdened from
what? Jesus gives us some clues in the following verses.
"Taking His yoke" implies being joined with Him in a common
purpose, as when two animals are yoked together to plow a field or pull a cart.
The implication is that when we are at odds with His divine purpose in life, we
will become weary and burdened. So much of modern Christianity is performance-based,
and quite frankly, it is creating a Church full of zombies. Christians who are
burdened with trying to "act like Christians" have the appearance of
being alive, but they really are somewhat dead inside. Jesus did not die on the
cross so we could spend our entire lives trying to earn our salvation, or prove
that we are saved. The mission Jesus called us to is pretty simple, but most
churches would rather teach their rules-based doctrines instead. Jesus
commanded us to love God and one another. Period. He wasn't interested in our
doctrinal stances, our avoidance of anything "sinful", or the amount
of time, energy and resources we devote to the church. He just asked us to
love. And when we love, that love expresses itself in ways that are especially
pleasing to Him. The parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 is an
example of things that are done by those who love. He didn't commend the
"sheep" for attending church, tithing, going on missions trips, or
teaching Bible studies. He commended them for taking care of the needy, the
downtrodden, the invisible people of our society - acts of selfless love.
Jesus said that, if we learn from Him, we will develop a gentle and
humble heart. Gentle and humble hearts are often lacking in modern
Christianity, yet these are what most closely resemble the nature of Christ. When
we learn how to have a gentle and humble heart, we will find rest for our
souls. We won’t be worn out from our attempts at self-promotion, comparing our
spiritual progress against other Christians, competing with other ministries,
or from any of the other things that are so prevalent in our modern churches
which tend to put the spotlight on us instead of Christ. People with gentle and
humble hearts will be more likely to notice the unmet needs of those around them,
and do something about them. They defer honor and prestige to others while they
quietly work in the background, yoked to Jesus.
Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. If you feel
burdened and weary, perhaps you're not properly yoked with Jesus, and missing
out on the rest that He freely offers. Take some time to evaluate where you are
in life, what you're spending your energies on, and who you are trying to
please. Make changes where necessary so that you can enter into the Sabbath
rest that Christ has invited you to enjoy, now instead of when there's a stone
laying above your head.
Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day, and a blessed week!
Pastor David
