Jesus invites us all to rest our souls

 

 

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Don’t forget to read Peaceful-Rest – BT2 for the summary and the ‘take away’ action items.

 

In Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus says:  “[I strongly urge you to] deute Come-near-NOW pros toward-reaching Me, all who actually, presently exhausted-from-working (a) kai and/coupled (b) are already [with ongoing effects] phortizo weighted-down-from-being-overloaded, and/then (b) I shall actually give you rest (c). “[I strongly urge you to] take My yoke (d) upon you and/coupled (b) learn (d) apo of/off-from Me, for/because I am gentle (e) and humble/lowly in heart (f), and/then (b) you shall actually find rest (g) for your souls” (h). <Notes> a) kopiao:  growing tired, weary, fatigued, or exhausted from toil, burdens, or grief, b) kai usually has a “and/coupled” copulative force, but sometimes also a cumulative force as here – twice Jesus gives 2-part imperatives to obey to produce His desired results:  “still, besides, also, then, therefore, moreover, likewise, even, indeed, namely, specifically,” c) anapauo:  a ceasing of movement/activity or labor/toil through repose, rest, ease, quiet, calm, tranquility, or sleep in order to refresh us so as to recover or collect our strength. This may be in a remote/isolated place away from people as this word is used in Mark 6:31-32, d) see next paragraphs, e) mild/meek:  a ‘flavor’ of unconditional-love in Galatians 5:22, f) this is not an act or simply a mental decision but His mind/heart nature, g) anapausis:  noun of anapauo, h) psyche:  mind, emotions, will – see Identity.

 

“Take My yoke” from above:  A wooden frame or bar joining two animals (a) for pulling heavy loads (b). This image was used metaphorically to describe one individual’s ‘bound’ subjection to another – see Surrender-Control, or even ‘connected or bond of’ fellowship with another (c). Here it is used figuratively of the restrictions that a rabbi–teacher would place on his disciple-followers. Also, the yoke is a common metaphor in Judaism for the strictness of the Mosaic Law (d), particularly the scrupulous observance of the oral Law in order to be a disciple-follower of a particular rabbi–teacher, who had greatly expanded the “burden” of scripture placed on people to obey.  Furthermore, yoke also referred to Israel’s ‘bound’ subjection to foreign oppression:  “With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven; we are weary, we are given no rest” (e).  Israel’s return from the Egyptian captivity is described as release from the heavy yoke of servitude:  “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high” (f).  We will see that Christ’s yoke is completely different than the Law’s or its teachers, and is definitely related to being meno connected-to/abiding in koinonia fellowship with Him! See A 11-21-2021 Vision about Meno abiding. <Notes> a) oxen or horses, b) wagons, plows, c) 2 Corinthians 6:14, d) Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1; 1 Timothy 6:1, e) Lamentations 5:5, f) Leviticus 26:13; Exodus 6:6–8.

 

“Learn of/off-from Me” from above:  As a disciple or student of Christ, we are to learn directly of/off-from Him as our “One Teacher” (a). The NT makes it clear we have absolutely in fact NO need of any other teacher, who was the Father, then the Son come to earth, and finally NOW the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (b). No other rabbi, guru, OT scripture, or even NT writing should be our ultimate source of learning. This is an invitation to come directly to Jesus without any intermediary!  There is no chance of anything “lost in translation” when by the Holy Spirit we akouo hear-to-understand/know directly from Jesus. <Notes> a) cf. “learned Christ” Ephesians 4:20, b) Matthew 23:8 – see Teach One Another – BT10; presently/ongoingly: 1 Thessalonians 4:9; John 14:26; 1 John 2:20, 27.

 

This is not learning by hearsay what others have said Jesus said, as recorded with gramma letters formed into logos messages in NT writings or even writings from prophets throughout Church history, but directly-heard prophetic rhema words from Jesus directly-spoken TO YOU. It seems the religion of Christianity has led people to put their trusting-relying-faith in what the Church over 300 years eventually determined to be the “NEW scripture” for a New Testament book to keep up with the Jews they were always arguing with, but when Jesus said “Come-near-NOW to Me,” He said this long before there was any such writings!  This emphatic, imperative to “Come-new-Now” is very close in meaning to perserchomai or eggizo “draw near/close-beside” God Hebrew idiom for proseuche conversational-prayer and proskuneo worship.  James 4:7-8 also link hupotasso submissive-subjection/surrender-of-control to God to eggizo “draw extremely-near/close-beside Him kai and/then He will eggizo ‘draw extremely-near/close-beside’ you” and both of these are linked to “resisting-by-standing-ground the devil kai and/then he will flee from you.”  You can’t separate these linked ideas or you won’t get the desired results, and note the special ‘cumulative-force’ use of kai as mentioned above.

 

The Holy Spirit is now our direct link or interface to Christ’s Voice in our lives.  Jesus said “My sheep actually, actively, presently/ongoingly akouo listen/hear-to-understand/know My Voice, and I actually, actively, presently/ongoingly, experientially-relationally ginosko know them, and they actually, actively, presently/ongoingly follow Me” (a).  The Greek always shows so much more than our English bible – see Bible Info.  That’s what His disciples do!  By going to something or someone else to “learn from,” many of us have forgotten how to “actually, actively, presently/ongoingly akouo listen/hear-to-understand/know Christ’s Voice!”  I’ve run into plenty of Christians who study the bible, but few that know how to hear Christ’s Voice directly.  <Notes> a) John 10:16, 27.

 

My studies in early Church history showed that in the first 200 years and subsequent revivals, they had trusting-relying-faith in the Spirit-baptism’s prophetic grace-gifts instead of “authoritative, dogmatic writings” such as scripture, creeds, doctrines, and theology, to provide life-changing truth.  Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5: “For I decided to know absolutely in fact nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. . . .  and my speech and my [gospel] logos message were absolutely in fact not in plausible words of wisdom [like so many preachers today work at], but-instead in demonstrable-proofs of the Spirit and/coupled of enabling-power, so that your trusting-relying-faith might not in possibility be placed in the wisdom of men but-instead in the enabling-power of God.”

 

Throughout the NT “enabling-power of/belonging-to God” always referred to the manifested outpouring of the Holy Spirit through grace-gifts, signs, and wonders. These “demonstrable-proofs” are what Paul relied on to convince others of the gospel truth – not mere “messages of wisdom or eloquence of speech.”  Peter’s first sermon of the Church in Acts 2:17-19 on the Day of Pentecost after the Holy Spirit was poured out cites Joel 2:28-32 that from this point on “in the last days” or ‘church age’ the WAY the Spirit is “poured out on all flesh” specifically to God’s “sons and daughters” and more specifically to His “male and female servants” was through prophecy, particularly via visions and dreams.

 

It’s interesting that dreams require us to literally be ‘peacefully at rest asleep,’ usually unconscience unless you are lucid-dreaming.  Visions require us to be cognitively or consciously be ‘peacefully at rest’ in order to eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know by our mind’s eye what God wants to show us, using what Paul says in Ephesians 1:18 are “the eyes of our heart.”  I’ve woke up and stared into my pillow’s blackness and continued for 2 hours dreams I woke up from.  I’ve somehow been awake inside dreams and been able to ask questions, make decisions, and even direct the dream.  Many others have talked about this!  That’s what Job 33:14-18 says: “For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive/understand it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then He opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, that He may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; He keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.”  There’s nothing in the NT about learning from a book called the “Holy Bible” that came 300 hundred years later!  There’s also nothing in the NT about studying under new “rabbi-teachers” like bishops, cardinals, popes, theologians, or even bible-school professors.  None of these people will give you peaceful-rest!  In fact, they will keep your really busy toiling and laboring under the burden of trying to accurately understand and obey the bible.  This is the exact opposite of why Jesus came!  See Coaches and Facilitators and Teach One Another pages.

 

In 1 Corinthians 14:21 Paul cites Isaiah 28:11-12 saying: “For by people of strange lips and/coupled with a foreign tongue Yahweh will speak to this people, to whom He has said, ‘This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose’; yet they would absolutely in fact not eisakouo intensely hear/listen-unto-the-result-of-understanding/knowing.”  In context, Paul refers to “these strange/foreign lips/tongues” as the Holy Spirit’s grace-gift of supernatural tongues given for the Church age from Pentecost on in order to convince the unbelieving Jews from many nations of the gospel’s logos message.  Yet, still so many Jews refused to have trusting-relying-faith, just as Isaiah prophesied.  Jesus says He is the place of rest and repose for the weary, just as we see Isaiah and Paul saying.  But instead of coming directly to Jesus for the “gospel’s logos message of the Lord” in full, many Jews went back to the OT scripture and the rabbinic teaching of it as Isaiah 28:13 says: “And the logos message of Yahweh will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” – many scholars have correctly seen in the Hebrew this to a gibberish, childish song of mocking those so-called ‘wise’ teachers and their methods of teaching people how to know God by bible study while mocking the prophets, even killing them – see New Covenant Ways – BT17 and – BT18.  What was the result of turning away from the person of Jesus and direct revelation from the Holy Spirit through prophesy?  Isaiah goes onto say:  “That they [these teachers] may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.”

 

Reflection:

 

As Christian musicians, the “rest” Jesus brings is the true eschatological “Sabbath rest” for which Israel has long hoped for – see Peaceful-Rest – BT1, a realization of a deep existential peace, a shalom, or sense of ultimate well-being with regard to one’s fellowship with God and His will.  Jesus’ teaching is the true fulfilled-completion of the Law, and those who come-near-now to Him will enter into a discipleship that produces rest for their souls, rest from ever striving to correct understand and then meet the burdensome requirements of the Law.  Jeremiah 6:16 also called Israel to this:  “Stand at the crossroads [of their lives] and horao observe/perceive-know/discern; inquire for the ancient, well-worn paths/roads [of life from God]; ask where the good/better way is and walk in it, and then you will find rest (a) for your souls.  But you said, ‘we will absolutely-in-fact-not walk in it.’”  Yet, this “rest” that Jesus promises us goes way beyond religion, but to intimate koinonia fellowship in which we learn directly from Christ how to live in this world.  As complicated as life may become, discipleship with Jesus is simply walking with Jesus in the real world and having Him teach us moment by moment how to live life His WAY, for Jesus said He was “The WAY, The Truth, and The Life” (b). <Notes> a) margowa: rest; hagnismos: purification, expiation, b) John 14:6.

 

Prayer:

 

 

Lord, keep us from falling into the snare and trap of the Pharisees and scribes, supposing that they could actually have an experiential, relational yada/ginosko knowledge of You “through diligently searching/studying scripture and by this they would take hold of zoe genuine-life” as Jesus criticized them for, completely missing the point of the entire Old Testament graphe scripture of gramma writings:  “But they testify-witness about Me, yet you ongoingly refuse to come-near-now to Me that you may have-to-hold zoe genuine-life” – per John 5:39-40.