Finding Rest in Christ: Reflections on Matthew 11:28–30

Christ invites us to find rest for our souls—rest in Him. Hear His invitation.

‘Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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.’ Matthew 11:28–30

Rest and Peace in Christ

Jesus invites us to find rest for our souls—rest in Him, rest in His presence and rest in His ways. His rest is refreshing, a time to regain our strength for what is ahead of us. Jesus is the good Shepherd who leads us beside still waters, guards us in the valley of the shadow of death and leads us in paths of His generous provisions (see John 10; Psalm 23). The good Shepherd protects us and gives us rest and times of refreshing in His presence.

Jesus is also the Saviour whose birth was announced by the promise of ‘peace on earth’ (Luke 2:14). He died on the cross to become ‘our peace’ and reconcile the world fallen into sin with a holy God (Ephesians 2:11–18; 2 Corinthians 5:18–21). Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it—and He invites us into this divine salvation. It is a gift of God’s grace you can receive by faith in Him, the Prince of peace.

Being invited to be with someone is a privilege. In our busy, and often hectic, world, not many people take time to be with people, to give them attention and quality time, to listen and be a true friend. It’s sad but true. Yet Christ’s invitation still remains: ‘Come to Me.’ We can call on Him and His presence can be felt—God is real. He refreshes the weary soul by His Spirit. Jesus had invited those who are thirsty to drink living water from the Fountain of life (see John 7:37–39; 4:10–14). Being refreshed gives us a sense of rest and peace. His presence gives peace, a peace not of this world.

‘Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.’ John 14:27

The peace and rest we find in Christ is divine, supernatural and perfect. Worry, anxiety and fear vanish. It is being kept ‘in perfect peace’ by Him we trust—God the everlasting Rock (Isaiah 26:3–4). God had promised Moses to be with him and that God will give him rest—His presence gives peace (Exodus 33:14). His Face shining on us and His countenance being lifted onto us, gives us grace and peace (Numbers 6:24–26).

‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Exodus 33:14

Coming to Jesus to find rest for our souls is important. Life can really make us weary and heavy-laden. But Christ’s yoke is light; it fits well. His burden is light and won’t crush us, although in the world many crushing experiences are a reality of life. The plans God has for us are good for us. We can trust Him. In the storms of life, trusting God by living according to His ways, gives stability and safety (Matthew 7:24–27)—and with it come rest and peace. Having inner peace in the midst of life’s difficulties and troubles is priceless. Money can’t buy this inner peace. It is not of this world; nothing in this world can give Christ’s divine peace. Its quality is not worldly, but heavenly—it’s divine, not human. And it is a gift offered by the Prince of peace. Rest and peace are found in Christ.

We can come to Christ in prayer and ‘pour out our hearts’ (Psalm 62:8) before the One who hears our every cry and listens to our hearts even if we struggle to express it in words. God is listening. But coming to Christ is not only a matter of prayer when we’re in trouble, get some temporary relief and then fall back into confusion and anxiety all over again. Living in peace is a way of life—a life in Him. God sent His Son to rescue the world from sin and its destructive consequences (strife, division, suffering, sickness etc.). He died so we can have eternal life (John 3:16–17), already now in this life (John 5:24), as we receive Him by faith (John 1:12–13). And after death, there awaits us the comforts of Heaven, without sin, sickness or troubles. A beautiful eternity in His glorious presence!

Jesus promised to be with us until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). He won’t leave us orphaned, and will never abandon us. God is faithful. Christ the Prince of peace gives us His divine peace. The Prince of peace comes to abide in us through His Spirit of peace (John 14:16–18). His presence is always with us to give us rest. The promise to Joshua that God would always be with him (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5–9), was reiterated by the writer of Hebrews to all believers (Hebrews 13:5), combined with a promise from the psalms (v 6; Psalm 27:1; 118:6).

‘… for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”’ Hebrews 13:5–6

Such assurance of divine peace and God’s faithfulness in the midst of storms, challenges and struggles, is especially precious as life has many uncertainties. There are many temptations, too, but God is faithful and will get us through them as we faithfully follow Him and His ways and guidance (1 Corinthians 10:13). Inner peace during times of uncertainty gives us the ability to hear God and think clearly in order to decide properly. Decisions have consequences and we better make the right ones. Once we are at rest, we can work from a place of rest.

Rest in Uncertainty

The context of Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and find rest, raises a few very interesting issues. Chapter 11 of Matthew’s Gospel starts with the uncertainty, perhaps confusion, of John the Baptist. He wanted to know whether Jesus really was the Messiah (11:1–3), although he had been the one preparing the way for Him from the start and even baptising the Son of God (Matthew 3). John had declared that Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), pointing to His redeeming mission. But was Jesus really the expected Messiah, the One who was to come and redeem Israel?

Jesus, in response, simply pointed to His messianic deeds: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the Good News preached to them (Matthew 11:4–5). These supernatural and compassionate deeds expressed the Kingdom of God and His Messiah. Isaiah the prophet foresaw a time when these signs would express God’s rule on ‘the Highway of Holiness’ (see Isaiah 35). Jesus was the Messiah; His deeds showed it beyond doubt. The Spirit of the Lord was on Him and had anointed Him to do these things (Luke 4:18–19). It seemed clear for everyone to see, yet John might have taken offence (Matthew 11:6). Why? Perhaps due to unfulfilled expectations. After all, the Baptist was in prison—where was God’s earthly, political rule to exalt the valleys and bring down the mountains (see Luke 3:5), that is, bring justice on earth by exalting the meek to inherit the earth and give the proud their due?

John must have misunderstood a few things, although the signs were clear. But the crowd wasn’t certain either and Jesus asked them about John (Matthew 11:7–15). What did people go out to see when they heard of John baptising people? What were their expectations? John represented God’s messenger and the ‘Elijah’ (vv 10, 14) that Malachi prophesied about (Malachi 3:1; 4:5–6). What were the people concluding from all of this and how did they respond to that which God was doing and revealing?

The generation of the day was described as one doing the opposite of what would’ve been the appropriate response (Matthew 11:1–19): not dancing to happy music and not mourning to a lament (v 17) was inappropriate. It was a wrong response due to misunderstanding both the messenger (John) and the Messiah (Jesus): whatever they did, someone found fault with them (vv 18–19). The worst of the responses to the signs, the ‘mighty works’ Jesus the Messiah had done (v 20), was not repenting and turning to God (vv 21–24). John the Baptist was all about repenting and turning to God, yet some refused. They persisted in the hardness of heart and failed to respond appropriately to God. Judgment is what they brought upon themselves. Although God had sent His Son into the world to save, not condemn, they chose to remain in the darkness of sin and shunned the Light (John 3:16–21). God’s judgements are always righteous; it’s the human response that sometimes fails. God’s goodness should lead to repentance (Romans 2:4), but some refuse to respond to His mercy.

But those who did respond in humility and meekness (Matthew 11:25–27), would inherit the earth—that was the promise (Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:5). God would reveal Himself to those who turn to Him in humility and child-like faith, not to those who were proud and wise in their own eyes. In the midst of uncertainty and confusion of those who didn’t understand the workings of God through His messenger (John) and His Messiah (Jesus), and those who refused to respond in humility and repentance, yet still, God would give ‘grace to the humble,’ as He always does (Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Jesus would give them rest in times of uncertainty and confusion. The peace of clarity and security is found in Him. Jesus showed the people the ways of God.

Rest in the Ways of God

We’ve already touched on the blessing of stability and safety of living according to Jesus’ words—no matter what storms might come, a house built on the ‘rock’ of obedience to His words will ensure stability and safety (Matthew 7:24–27). Jesus invites us not only to come to Him, but also learn from Him (Matthew 11:28–29). He is not a proud and arrogant ruler of men; He is the meek and humble Servant of God (v 29), who came to serve, not to be served (Mark 10:43–45). As you learn from the One who is ‘gentle and lowly in heart,’ you will find ‘rest for your souls.’

That last line was a quote from Jeremiah the prophet, who also sought to bring people back to God and His ways in a time of sin and a refusal to repent by many. Jesus was referring back to that time and compared it to His own time and situation.

‘Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls.” But they said, “We will not walk in it”.’ Jeremiah 6:16

It was a difficult time for the prophet. The people had forsaken their God, the ‘fountain of living waters’ (2:13), although He had been leading them in the right way (v 17). They loved strangers, walked after them (v 25) and changed their ways (v 36). Their ‘wickedness’ and ‘apostasies’ would make life ‘evil and bitter’ for them (v 19). They became a faithless people due to their ‘harlotry,’ which was spiritual ‘adultery’ with other gods (3:6–9). They refused to turn to God with all their heart (v 10) and rejected His invitation to repent and receive God’s grace (3:11–12). They refused to obey His voice (v 13). God offered them ‘a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of the nations,’ and would be their ‘Father’ (v 19). He called them to ‘return’ to Him and circumcise their hearts (4:1–4). He wanted to show them the ‘good way’ that would give them ‘rest’ for their souls—but they refused (6:16). Jeremiah had announced how God loved His people with an everlasting love (31:3), and how He wanted to satisfy the weary and refresh those who were langusihing (v 25). But eventually, they turned the Temple service into ‘a den of robbers’ (7:11), something Jesus also pointed out in His day, referring back to Jeremiah’s time (Matthew 21:13). By quoting Isaiah (56:7) in the same verse, Jesus also compared His situation to that of Isaiah the prophet. A that time, as in the time of Jeremiah over a century later, God wanted to refresh His people and give them rest, but they refused (Isaiah 28:12).

Jesus drew a parallel between these times of hardness of heart in God’s people. Although God was the loving Father and faithful Saviour, the people’s wrong response brought suffering on them. The hardness of heart makes people reject God’s good ways. The generation Moses led out of Egypt didn’t enter God’s rest due to their unbelief and disobedience (Hebrews 3—4). The writer of Hebrews referred back to this time and quoted the psalm (95:7–11) that pointed out the dangers of hardening one’s heart and missing out on what God has prepared for those who love Him. Rebellion against God due to hardness of heart will make people miss out on His rest. Unbelief and disobedience are a result of hardness of heart. People refuse to listen to His voice.

Jesus, on the other hand, like the prophets and psalmists before Him, called on people to learn the ways of God, the ancient paths that are good for people and bring them rest for their souls. It is time to return to Him and His word—the truth that will set us free (John 8:31–36) and show us the good, ancient paths that will lead us to rest for our souls. The Word of God shows us the will and ways of God. His Word brings light to our path in life (Psalm 119:105) and obedience to His word gives us wisdom and stability in life and its many storms, challenges and uncertainties (Matthew 7:24–27). We can come to Him who gives us rest. His Word, His Spirit and His presence give us rest and peace.

He is inviting you even today—you can find rest for your soul in Him. Will you learn from the One who is gentle and meek? Today, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart. Come to the Messiah and Prince of peace for He will give you peace.

Jesus is the Prince of peace whose presence gives you rest and divine peace. Shalom!