It was a long and heated debate that Jesus had with the Jews in John chapter 8. The climax of the hot exchanges came when Jesus declared, “Before Abraham was I am”. At that point, they were so enraged as to stone Him. Before this, he had offered freedom. They replied proudly with their Abrahamic heritage, that they had never been in bondage to anyone. While they were thinking of political captivity, Jesus meant a different order of slavery. A similar offer is made in our text of scripture for today. Jesus invited those who were heavy laden to come and obtain rest. Essentially this is rest from the burden of sin. But since every woe of man is one way or another linked to the sin problem, obtaining rest from sin will automatically open door to other forms of rest as well. When Jesus gave this invitation, it was not in a vacuum. It can be seen in the context of an Old Testament promise which God gave long ago. “It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve” (Isaiah 14:3).

In Isaiah 14:3 alone, we are introduced to a three-fold rest package. These are rest from sorrow, rest from fear, and rest from hard bondage. To think that in God’s calendar there is a day set apart by heaven to accomplish this is an occasion for much hope. The good news is that when Jesus stepped out of eternity into time, the day of rest began. As we come to Him by faith we can enjoy sweet rest in our soul even when it seems the whole world is on collision course. Rest for the soul is a down payment  for the complete rest which will become the lot of those who put their trust in Him. This fullness is reserved for the day of His glorious appearing.