Soul Rest Doesn’t Come from Self-Care
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” But what if that rest doesn’t come from slowing down—but from surrendering?
Have you ever been in a yoga class?
After three back surgeries, my doctor said, "You should start yoga."
"Can you imagine me in yoga pants?" I shot back.
"Seriously, just try it," he said. "The stretching will do you a lot of good."
So I found the least “woo-woo” yoga studio I could.
The next morning, I walked into a packed room and took the last spot in the very front.
Lights dimmed. Music started. A barefoot woman entered, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and whispered:
Sacred Travelers, we begin by awakening Apana vayu—the downward-moving wind—to ground ourselves into the earth through Muladhara, our root chakra.
Then she cupped her hands to her heart and added,
Let us invite the unchanging watcher within to cleanse us...
And I thought—I'm out.
The Most Misinterpreted Verse
I think the most misinterpreted verse in the Bible is:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
On the surface it sounds like Jesus is offering a divine nap.
Stressed? Come to Jesus.
Overwhelmed? Come to Jesus.
Exhausted? Come to Jesus.
And that’s what many Christians are taught that this verse means – as if it’s an invitation to practice mindfulness from a yoga teacher, minus all the chakras.
Here’s the problem.
Jesus wasn’t addressing the exhaustion that comes from modern life in Matthew 11:28.
He was addressing something much more sinister.
Reading The Verse In Context
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” falls at the end of an 11-verse passage (Matthew 11:20–30).
Which means - to understand the verse you have to understand what preceded it.
Jesus begins this section of scripture by denouncing three cities where he had done most of his miracles:
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! ...Woe to you, Capernaum! (vv. 21–23)
Why?
Because they refused to follow Jesus.
They witnessed his miracles. Heard his teaching. But in the end said, “Hard pass.”
Which wasn’t just a rejection of Jesus.
It was a statement: “We’re sticking with the teachings of the rabbis.”
The rabbis in Jesus’ day had taken the entire Old Testament and distilled it down into 613 commands to obey.
Seems logical, right?
But it’s what they did next that angered Jesus.
They created thousands of additional laws to ensure people didn’t break the original 613 commands.
Commands to keep from breaking the commands.
Jesus called these extra laws "the tradition of the elders" (Mark 7:5).
Example of Additional Rabbinic Laws
Here’s an example.
Here’s a command God gave about how to observe the Sabbath (a sacred day of rest and worship from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday):
God’s command: “You shall not work on the Sabbath” (Exodus 20:8-10)
Now, here’s an additional law the rabbis created to ensure you wouldn’t mistakenly work on that sacred day:
The rabbis’ additional command: “You shall not carry anything heavier than a dried fig on the Sabbath” (Mishnah Shabbat 7:2)
Instead of just trusting people to interpret what “Don’t work on the Sabbath” meant for themselves, the rabbis created additional laws to interpret and explain the original laws.
Eventually they created so many additional laws that by the second century the rabbis had created over 4,000 additional rules to obey simply to keep from breaking the original 613 commands.
Can you imagine keeping track of and trying to obey thousands of laws?
“Rest” Means Rest From Legalism, Not Exhaustion
When Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened," he wasn't inviting burned-out professionals to unwind.
He was offering rest from legalism.
The Pharisees turned God's law into an oppressive spiritual grind.
Jesus came to set people free from it.
To underscore what he meant, notice what Jesus said immediately following his teaching about rest:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me... For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28–30)
A yoke was a wooden crosspiece laid across the shoulders with ropes hanging down on each side to attach to buckets (see picture above).
A yoke enabled someone to carry much more weight than they normally could.
Jesus used the imagery of this common tool found in any home in first-century Galilee to metaphorically describe a person’s beliefs that guide their life.
That fact is, according to Jesus, everyone wears a yoke—even atheists.
According to Jesus, a “yoke” is a belief system used to make life work.
All Yokes Made By Humans Become Oppressive Burdens
Any yoke a human being creates will eventually hurt more than it helps:
The yoke of legalism from the rabbis
The yoke of performance from American hustle culture
The yoke of anti-supernatural beliefs about the way the world works
Anything and everything can become a yoke people use to guide their lives.
Rest assured—if a person created the “yoke” you’re wearing, it’s going to eventually beat you down.
Jesus offered a different yoke.
One revealed to him by the Father.
Not manmade. Not soul-killing.
But still a yoke.
Jesus offered his hearers the opportunity to discard the oppressive “yoke” of the rabbis (their additional rules) and put on his “yoke” (a new set of teachings directly from the Father).
The Paradox of Obedience
Here’s what Christians must understand.
Jesus didn’t promise “rest” in the way the world understands it.
Here’s what culture teaches vs. what Jesus teaches:
1. Rest as Escape
The world says: “Get away and unplug.”
Jesus says: “Take my yoke and learn from me.”
His rest isn’t escapism—it’s engagement with Him.
2. Rest as Comfort
The world defines rest as feeling tranquil, detached, stress-free.
Jesus offers a yoke—a tool of labor—yet calls it easy.
His rest brings peace through obedience, not indulgence.
3. Rest as Self-Care
The world says: “Treat yourself. Prioritize you.”
Jesus says: “Deny yourself. Follow me.”
True rest flows not from self-prioritization, but surrender.
4. Rest as Laziness or Idleness
The world promotes rest as doing nothing.
Jesus offers rest while we walk and work under His guidance.
His rest is active—rooted in rhythm, not sloth.
The fact is taking Jesus’ yoke upon yourself often brings persecution, sacrifice, and death.
Remember: yokes were used to add more weight to your shoulders, not remove the weight off your shoulders.
The irony, however, is that obedience, even in suffering, also brings a deep sense of soul rest.
Why?
Because the most exhausting life we can live as a disciple of Jesus is one marked by disobeying Jesus’ teachings —and then living burdened by the weight of the consequences of our sinful actions.
How can we expect to find rest for our soul while slandering a coworker?
Or nursing hidden bitterness?
Or refusing to forgive someone?
Jesus isn’t offering rest through positive vibes.
In Matthew 11:28 Jesus offers deep soul rest through obedience.
True Rest
The point I want you to take away is this:
Freedom from exhaustion, overwhelm, hurry, and overcommitment does not come from baptizing the best mindfulness advice psychologists, yoga teachers, or even spiritual formation thought leaders have to offer and then adding a Bible verse underneath that advice to make it sound like something Jesus taught.
Does Jesus want you to lower your cortisol levels and live a healthy and intentional life?
Of course he does.
But we must always remember that rest is a byproduct of obedience — not a state of mind we can generate through mindfulness techniques or solely through spiritual discipline practices that promise to quell a life of hurry sickness.
The kind of rest Jesus offers our souls comes through denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following him.
This means if we are living within the perfect will of God, our souls can be deeply at rest while we are being carried away to be martyred for our faith.
Like Jesus.
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With much love,
Brian