What Kind of Rest Does Jesus Give?

A Biblical Theology of Rest, Part 2

Photo by Robert Zunikoff on Unsplash

Matthew 11:28 is perhaps one the tenderest invitations Jesus gives to us in the gospel accounts. In it He says, “Come to Me, all you who are wearied and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

There’s something about His words here which brings a sense of calm over our often anxious souls, doesn’t it?

But here’s my question: what exactly does Jesus mean by rest?

Well, I have a hunch that it’s connected back to God’s creational rest in Genesis 2. And the concept of rest then becomes a theme which stretches across the Old Testament’s entire storyline.

For this post, I want to review God’s rest in Genesis 1-2¹ and then specifically examine how this theme is developed throughout the Torah (Genesis — Deuteronomy).

Recapping the Creational Rest in Genesis 1-2

In the ancient Near East, the deity was often described as resting in his/her temple after building it. And this rest indicated that the deity had dispelled all forces of chaos and established order (for example, Marduk defeating Tiamat in Enumma Elish). In other words, all was right with the world when the god was resting in the temple. And by extension, this meant that all was right with the people too.

In Genesis 1-2, the story begins with God separating the chaotic waters by His Spirit / wind (Heb. ru’ach) (Gen. 1:1-2). The ensuing creation narrative contains many echoes of Israel’s later tabernacle / temple.² The message being telegraphed is that God created the world to be His temple and humanity as His priests in it. Thus, when Genesis 2:1-3 says that God rested on the seventh day, the point is that all was now right with the world. God had abolished chaos, built His temple (the world), and established order. And the prime beneficiaries of this work were human beings, whom He made to enjoy His presence (Gen. 2:4-15) and share in His rule (Gen. 1:28).

Rest in the Torah

Sadly, in Genesis 3, the chaos of sin shatters the order God established. In the aftermath, we’re told in verse 17 that the ground was cursed because of Adam’s sin. So in essence, what propels the biblical storyline forward is God’s unfolding plan to again rid the world of chaos and re-establish His rest. That is to say, God’s redemptive purpose can (and should) be understood as a work of re-creation. And this can be seen when we take a look at the Hebrew underlying Noah’s name.