The promise of rest | 4

“. . . and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11.28

After Jesus’ invitation that the weary and burdened should come to him, he promised them rest. Can we trust his promise? Could it be that Jesus may decide after all not to give us rest on this particular occasion? Jesus confidently makes this promise, not just as a promise to be there, looking out for us, but also because of what he went on to do – die for us.

The rest that Jesus promises could be summed up by another phrase in the Gospels, living life ‘to the full’ (John 10.10). Jesus said that he came so that we would experience this. It is interesting to read that in the very next verse Jesus spoke of himself as the good shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. In other words, the promise of abundant life is linked to Jesus laying down his life for us.

This is why we can be confident about Jesus’ promise of rest, not because it is a promise of what he will do but because it is a declaration of what he has already done. By dying for us, Jesus has opened up the way for us to enter into the presence of God, and our rest flows from being with him.

So it isn’t a matter of Jesus continuing to ponder about whether or not to give us rest, since he took that decision when he died for us. Rest is ours, if only we will come to him. Take a moment to consider the implications of this truth: Jesus laid down his life to give you abundant life.

Being in need is a good qualification to come to Jesus – listen to John’s one minute talk: 

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