Rest

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Rest.

In the beginning, Gd worked and then God rested. Before he created, was he resting? In a state of eternal, perfect delight and communion within his Triune Self? He broke his perfect rest to work, to create in order that mankind might to enter this rest, to share this eternal delight. This was what we were created for: divine rest. Lost at the bite of fruit, we are restless. Restless. 

Restless, provoking Lamech's revenge. 
Restless, provoking the hedonism and evil that brought the flood.
Restless, creating a grand Tower of Babel to try to find a resting place. 
Still, we are restless. 

Rest promised to Joshua, but hard fighting did not win this rest of God.

Rest promised to David, and indeed the land was conquered, but the kingdom was torn from his grandson, split in two, and rest was shattered.

Rest promised by the prophets, a perfect rest. 
Rest promised, but waiting, waiting.... 

And here—rest promised by Jesus. Not a mere meek platitude. A thunderous shout, shocking truth, a time-shaking tout: "Come to me, and I will give you the rest of God, lost since the beginning of time, promised and promised and failed and failed… but in me, it is here."

Rest

Here

Now

Thunderous shout—a claim to divinity. A carpenter saying he can give the rest of the Sea-Separating, Light-Giving, Sun-Shaper, Moon-Hanger, Earth-Filling, CreatorGod.

Time-shaking tout—the fulfillment that Joshua, David, Nehemiah and Ezra, and the kings failed to achieve was now here in this wandering homeless man. What Israel had longed for in years, realized and incarnated in a man of no stature.

The restless, ever-greedy, infinite heart, created to give God-sized glory and eternal delight, now satisfied.

The inescapable joy, that melts as soon as it is touched and swifter than ice cream on the tongue, now flowing forth.

A billowing delight, fulfilled.

The craving, gnawing hunger, satisfied with the finest of fares.

The eternal presence of God, infinite and transcendent, intimate and immanent in this man. 

"For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9).

Christ.

Rest.

Psalm 16, 27, and 63 become bold, present realities, taste and touch. 

"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple"

(Psalm 27:4).

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

(Psalm 16:11).

"Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips"

(Psalm 63:3, 5).

Am I still weary? Still hungry? Still unsatisfied?

We are still coming to him. Still coming to be like him. We press on to take hold of him—but he has taken hold of us. In this truth, there is indeed a deep, true rest this side of heaven. He has hold of us. He is drawing us into his presence. Cry out, cry out--but quiet, too. Not yet, now.

We came.

We come.

We are coming.

We will come.

The Spirit and the Bride say come, "Enter my rest." Quiet. Rest in the embrace of the meek Shepherd who is the Fulfillment.