A poem by Bryon Cottee titled “Rest in Peace”:
A face we love is missing
a voice we know is still,
a place is vacant in all our hearts,
that only you could fill.
Tears in our eyes they won’t go away,
we wish you were here with us today.
We know you never meant to hurt us,
or to make us cry.
Our love for you will always stay,
if only things didn’t end this way.
But now you’ve brought it to the final end,
we will always remember you as our friend.
We love you
Rest in Peace until we meet again
If you have ever walked through an old cemetery, you have most likely seen tombstones with the initials R.I.P. “Rest in Peace” is a short epitaph or expression wishing eternal rest and peace to someone who has died. A similar phrase “he sleeps in peace” was found in the catacombs of the early Christians and indicated that “they died in the peace of the Church, that is, united in Christ.” “Rest in Peace” didn’t appear on tombstones until the eighth century, but it became customary on the tombs of Christians in the 18th century as a prayerful request that their soul should find peaceful rest in the afterlife.
Over the past few weeks we have been exploring the biblical concept of Sabbath rest. We were reminded of how God established the Sabbath rhythm himself by resting on the seventh day after he created the world and everything in it in six days. During Israel’s wilderness wanderings, we saw how God provided enough manna and quail in six days to feed the Israelites for seven days so they might enjoy a Sabbath rest. We also learned that God codified the Sabbath law in the fourth commandment to protect his people from the life of perpetual production that they experienced as slaves in Egypt. And last week, we saw how God established a host of holidays as extensions of the Sabbath to help his people rest from their labor and reflect on God’s character.
Today I want to conclude our Sabbath series by highlighting the fact that the Sabbath was and is a foreshadowing of the final spiritual rest offered through the person and work of God’s Son Jesus Christ. I want all of us to know that Jesus has invited us to partake of the ultimate and eternal spiritual rest that only he can give! He extends this infamous invitation in Matthew 11:25-30!
Come to Jesus (25-28, 29)
Jesus had just finished pronouncing judgment on the cities and towns in Galilee where he performed his most magnificent miracles. Even though he did some of his greatest work in towns like Bethsaida and Capernaum, by and large the people there rejected him and refused to repent from their sins. He even compared these towns to some of the most wicked cities in ancient history; their pride and arrogance would lead them to Hades instead of heaven.
Jesus expressed his exasperation in his prayer in verse 25. He thanks his Father, who is Lord of heaven and earth, for concealing his gospel from the “wise and understanding” and revealing it to “little children.” These metaphors provide a contrast between those who are self-sufficient and deem themselves wise and those who are humble, dependent, and want to learn the ways of the Lord. God is completely sovereign and it is his prerogative to reveal or conceal his gospel to whomever he chooses—and he chooses to reveal it to people who humble themselves before him.
In verse 27, Jesus declares that he is the exclusive agent of this revelation. Just as the Son praises the Father for revealing and concealing according to his good pleasure, so the Father has authorized the Son to reveal and conceal according to his will. Jesus’ reciprocal relationship with the Father gives him the authority to extend an invitation to all who are weary to find their rest in him. (Carson 277)
Jesus reiterates his invitation to discipleship in verse 29 when he says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me…” The “yoke”, put on animals for pulling heavy loads, is a metaphor for discipleship. In contrast to the yoke of the Pharisees that burdened people with more laws, rules, and regulations, Jesus’ yoke is easy and light. He does not burden souls; he gives them rest!
Jesus’ invitation is still good today. He is still bidding everyone who is wearied and weighed down by the cares of the world to come to him and find spiritual rest. He is still calling us to repent from our sins and give up our pride and self-sufficiency! He is still summoning us to put our faith in him and follow in a life of discipleship. He is still offering us eternal salvation so that whenever we die, we can rest in peace in heaven forever!
Have you accepted his invitation yet? Have you drawn the conclusion yet that you are not good enough, wise enough, or clever enough to get to heaven on your own? Have you humbled yourself before the Lord of heaven and earth and have received Jesus Christ as your Savior? Or is your soul still restlessly wondering and wandering?
Consider the words from St. Augustine’s Confessions: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Also, consider the words of the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal: “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words, by God himself.”
I hope that we will all give up on trying to pursue our own happiness; for that quest leads to emptiness. Rather, I pray that we will simply come to Jesus and rest in his peace!
All Who are Wearied and Burdened (28)
Notice to whom Jesus extends this incredible invitation—to “all who are wearied and burdened.” Who fits into this category? Everyone! Because of humanity’s fall in the Garden of Eden, every person bears the burdens of physical toil, emotional exhaustion, and spiritual brokenness to some extent.
In addition to our normal jobs, many of us bear the physical burdens splitting wood, washing dishes, shoveling driveways, folding laundry, cleaning toilets, replacing plumbing, packing lunches, changing diapers, weeding gardens, tapping trees, cooking meals, and chasing kids. The problem with all these endeavors is that you must keep on doing them. The task is never finished!
Even if we can keep up with the physical labor in our lives, our bodies begin to break down. As we get older we can look forward to weaker muscles, brittle bones, and saggy skin. Do you get excited when you think about bifocals, hearing aids, and bedpans? How about colonoscopies, CAT scans, and MRI’s? Do you think you will by-pass these things? Think again! They are coming faster than you may realize!
Not only do we bear physical burdens through life, but we also collect mental and emotional baggage along the way. Some of us carry the weight of personality disorders, perfectionistic tendencies, and private insecurities. Some of us bear the mental burdens of economic apprehensions, employment anxieties, and financial fears. And others carry the emotional stress of marital conflict, family friction, and child discipline. And I haven’t even mentioned anything racial tensions, social unrest, or political squabbling in our nation yet!
And if this wasn’t enough of a load already, many of us bear the spiritual burdens of our own faith struggles, character flaws, moral temptations, and ethical dilemmas. One of the biggest spiritual burdens people bear today is trying to earn their own salvation. They think that if they are good enough people or do enough good deeds or love enough people that God will somehow cancel out their sins and let them into heaven when they die. All this spiritual striving is exhausting—and pointless! No one can ever be good enough or do enough good deeds to go to heaven. The only way to get to heaven is by accepting Jesus’ invitation to come to him—by receiving him as Lord and Savior—by making a faith commitment to him and becoming his true disciple! Jesus is the only one who can offer rest for the weary and burdened soul!
Find Rest for our Souls (29-30)
When Jesus promises “I will give you rest” in verse 28 and “you will find rest for your souls,” in verse 29, he is not merely referring to an afternoon catnap, a good night’s sleep, or even a quiet Sunday morning Sabbath; he is offering eternal spiritual rest for weary souls. He is offering a down payment of peace in this life and ultimate peace and rest in heaven for eternity.
Just as God has given us the gift of the Sabbath, one day a week when we break away from the stressful routine of work and spend time resting, reflecting, and worshipping, Jesus offers us the ultimate Sabbath in heaven, where we will not be subject to any of the consequences of sin.
In heaven, we won’t carry any of the physical burdens that drag us down in this life. There won’t be any physical problems—no stomach bugs, no root canals, no kidney stones, no strokes, no heart attacks, and no cancer! No more doctor’s appointments, no more medications, no more rehabilitation, no more hospital beds, and no more funerals. Our bodies will rest in peace!
In heaven, we won’t carry any of the mental or emotional burdens that plague us now. No more mental illness, no more shootings, no more addictions, no more layoffs, no more break ups, and no more poverty or prejudice. And for you political junkies, there will be no more “alternative facts” or “fake news” in heaven! Our minds will rest in peace!
In heaven, there will be no more spiritual struggles—no more character flaws or moral failures! We will live in perfect harmony with God and each other. We will truly rest in peace!
One day someone will walk through an old cemetery and see your tombstone. Your name, birthdate, and death date will be inscribed on that block of granite. It may even bear the letters R.I.P. or the words “Rest in Peace.” But will you really be resting in peace?
Come to Jesus, all you who are weary and burdened, and he will give you rest!