Talk
I’m going to preach this Word right away to you: God is giving you real rest.
That person beside you might be tired.
That person beside you might be experiencing the pandemic of exhaustion.
I want you to tell that person, wake him up:
God is giving you real rest.
We’ve been going through five weeks already– five weeks of analyzing low-grade exhaustion that people are carrying like a badge of honor.
Because if you’re not tired, people will say you’re doing nothing, and therefore, probably you’re irresponsible and, you know, you’re passing on the responsibilities to other people. And so we carry this exhaustion. And we think it’s normal.
But for the past five weeks, we’ve also been saying that God has an antidote. And that antidote is Shabbat. And Shabbat is sacred rhythms of rest and relationship.
How many here can actually say that in the past five weeks, God has spoken to you? God has dealt with you, and you have been blessed by our series.
We Don’t Have Sabbath Rhythm
There’s something that troubles me.
We, Catholics, are supposed to be loving and obeying God. But I noticed that many of us don’t have any sort of Sabbath rhythm. We go to church or to The Feast. But that’s it.
I have a hunch. I think we’ve misread the Gospels. In all four Gospels– Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John– there are a bunch of stories where Jesus heals on a Sabbath.
But a bunch of guys called the Pharisees took Sabbath seriously. They criticized Jesus for not making the Sabbath the way they wanted Him to. We’ve got this message: If Jesus did not take the Sabbath seriously, why would we?
Maybe, it’s not very important.
In this talk, we will convince you otherwise: That Jesus took Sabbath very seriously– but in a different way.
So, extend your hand towards the Word:
Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “I will give you rest.”
The global average of burnout is 45%.
That is shocking. It means that people of all ages in different cultures and nationalities are experiencing burnout.
But there is something worse.
In the Philippines, a Deloitte study shows that 63% of millennials and 70% of Gen Z are going through burnout. This is wild and crazy.
The verse above is very relevant but then Jesus shocks everybody as He continues:
The Yoke of Jesus
A yoke is a harness around the neck of an oxen or a carabao.
Can you rest while carrying a yoke?
No. But if it’s Jesus’ yoke, you can rest.
Here’s news for you: God is not in the business of removing your burdens. He is in the business of replacing them.
We have the wrong notion of what rest means. We want a comfortable life but what we really want is the absence of burdens. Yes or no?
How many of you dream of not having any burden? How many of you want to retire early? We want that.
My friends, there is such a thing called rest but there is such a thing called real rest. Real rest, however, is not the absence of burdens.
A study about people who retired at the age of 55 versus a group who retired at 65 shows that people who retired at 55 increased their risk of death by 37%.
You know why? They just stayed at home, and they didn’t do anything anymore. So, their health suffered until their death. They had an absence of burden.
Be sure that if you retire, you’ve got something to do. Continue to carry burdens. Stress is good. Many people say that stress kills. In one sense, it does. Butonly for people who think that stress will kill them. But stress can strengthen you. Jesus continues: For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.
Why is the yoke of Jesus light? Because the yoke is usually made for two animals.
Jesus wants to carry your burden with you.
Put your hands on your chest and say: “Jesus, speak to me. Continue to transform my life by the power of Your Word. Give me real rest. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.
Real Rest
How many of you can say that Matthew 11:28-30 is one of your favorite Bible passages? May I shock you? That verse is connected to Sabbath. That verse, on its own, is very comforting and inspiring.
Do you want to know the full meaning of that verse? You must find out the original intent of the author,
Matthew. You’ve got to know the surrounding verses and the context. This verse is found in Matthew 11.
In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “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 I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew follows those lines with two controversial stories where Jesus does “scandalous” chores on the Sabbath. There is rest and there is real rest. Rest would be whatever we do such as sitting on a couch while Netflixing or Tiktoking– which is fine.
But there is such a thing as real rest. In the mind of Jesus, during the Sabbath, one may have three important dispositions:
- Enjoying God’s Presence; Trusting God’s provision 3. Loving God’s people
Where do those three ideas come from? They are in the two Sabbath stories that came after the verse we just read a while ago: “Come to me, all you who are weary…”
What are these two stories?
- Can You Pick Wheat on the Sabbath?
- Can You Heal on the Sabbath
Two Scandalous Sabbath Stories
Let’s read Matthew 12:1-2:
Imagine the disciples walking with Jesus in the grainfield. They got hungry and they started to pluck wheat grains and munch them like popcorn.
The Pharisees saw them and said, “Aha, you broke the Sabbath law!”
They were referring to the Sabbath law stated in Exodus 44: On the Sabbath, you cannot plant, and you cannot harvest.
What were they doing? Walking in the grainfield, plucking wheat, and eating wheat. Now, here’s the big question: Was that harvesting?
For the Pharisees, the answer is Yes. Absolutely.
Jesus disagreed. He gives two reasons to defend Himself.
Let’s read Matthew 12: 3-4:
Why were David and his companions able to break the law? Because David was king, and kings had the authority to interpret the law for specific situations. And according to King David, this was allowed at this particular time.
So, by telling this story, Jesus– in a not-so-subtle way– was announcing to everybody, “Hey, guys, there’s a new king in town.”
And then, get this: He starts defending Himself or explaining His decision through another way…
Let’s read Matthew 12:5:
My dear Friends, at that time, everyone did not work on a Sabbath– except the priests at the Temple. At the end of the Sabbath, you can imagine their white robes drenched in blood because their work was preparing animal sacrifices.
Why were the priests allowed to work during the Sabbath?
Because they were working in God’s Presence.
When you work in God’s Presence, it is not work.
It is hanging out with God– just like Adam and Eve were hanging out with God in the Garden of Eden.
Back to Eden
So, Jesus says, “I tell you there is one here who is even greater than the Temple.”
Jesus is kind of telling the Pharisees, “I am not only the new King. I am also the new Temple.”
He was announcing to the Pharisees– and he was saying it not in the way
I am saying it…
He was saying, “I am the living, breathing, walking, moving Temple…
I bring the Temple of God.”
Remember, when Matthew was writing this story, the Bible, particularly in this case, Genesis 1-3, was always the lens in telling stories. When the disciples –Peter, James, John– were walking, plucking, and eating wheat with Jesus, the new King, the new Temple, Genesis 1-3 was happening– they were walking in the Garden, the Garden of Eden,
God was there. This was not work.
This was just a grainfield but in the spiritual realm, behind the curtain of the visible and the invisible, we are back in the Garden.
Jesus brought us back to the Garden.
And the wheat– what was that? The fruit of the Garden. God says to Adam, “The fruits are all there.”
This is provision: Sabbath is about enjoying God’s Presence, trusting God’s
provision, and loving God’s people. All of those happening at that moment.
Okay, let’s review: In the mind of God, the Sabbath was first, enjoying the Presence of God; second, trusting God’s provision; and third, loving God’s people.
We kind of got it, from the first Sabbath story about enjoying God’s Presence– because Jesus was with the disciples in the grainfield. And yes, trusting God’s provision– because look, wheat we can eat…
How about loving God’s people?
Ah, that comes from the Second Sabbath story. This is what Matthew says– Matthew 12: 9-10:
My dear Friends, just in that line, you capture the idea that Someone took His Sabbath seriously. He went to the synagogue.
Jesus was no law-breaker who said, “Come on, Sabbath is passe– it’s already Old Testament. I’m the New Covenant…”
No, no. He was Someone who followed the law and He took His Sabbath seriously.
And then a man with shriveled hand was there in the synagogue.
This is the controversial part. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they ask Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
And this is what Jesus says: “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it, and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep? Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Sabbath in the Mind of Jesus
My Friends, for Jesus, in His mind, Sabbath is about loving God’s people. It is about sharing God’s goodness with our neighbors.
You know what I’m doing here on a Sunday– on my Sabbath?
Every Sunday, I am working hard.
I’m preaching. Not only me. Everyone here, onstage– our Worship Team. Not only them. Every usher and person in the Awesome Kids, the Intercession, the Admin, and the Finance.
All these people are like priests in God’s Temple. They are working hard on the Sabbath because they are working in the Presence of God.
Therefore, that’s not work. We’re just hanging out in the Garden.
But of course, after The Feast, I’ll hang out with my family. We’ll eat together.
I’ll rest. I’m going to be in the presence of love. I will enjoy.
Every time you gather for a meal– whether you pay for it or someone else pays for it, it’s all the provision of God. You’re enjoying God’s provision.
Jesus was fulfilling the purpose of the Sabbath. That’s why He calls Himself the Lord of the Sabbath.
States of Life
Yesterday, I attended a beautiful musical show with my son Francis. I happened to be beside Miss World. The woman beside me was blonde, had a crown, and was seven feet tall.
But I’m talking about the other woman who is my Miss World.
My Friends, I’d like just to move this to a close.
I believe that in life, there are two states.
State 1: No Struggle
This is no-struggle state. This is where we all want to be. This is where we all lie on a hammock and just enjoy life.
State 2: Struggle
This is a difficult stage. You carry all sorts of burdens in life like family, work, ministry. But this is the state where you grow. This is the state where you become better, stronger, and wiser.
In State 1, you’ll stop growing. This state is where you atrophy. So many people want to be in State 1.
I’m warning you: Avoid that state.
In State 2, I’m married to Miss World.
Do you know how difficult it is to be married to Miss World? I must take care of her and meet her needs. It has been a heavy responsibility for the past 25 years. But I love it. It made me stronger and wiser.
It made me more loving and patient.
I also have two boys. It’s difficult. It’s a burden.
But fatherhood has made me so happy.
At the same time, I also lead, preach, and serve in the ministry. Sometimes, when I’m really exhausted, I have this tantalizing idea:
What if I just stop serving– cold turkey. Stop preaching, stop caring for people, stop helping people, stop getting involved in other people’s problems– messy as they are. Ahh, comfortable life, wonderful life, beautiful life … for a while.
At a certain point, I’ll feel empty. I’ll feel miserable. You want to be in State 2 with all those burdens.
Stress is good for you.
State 3
I have good news for you. There are not just two states of life. There is a third state of life called “Surrendered Struggle.”
It is a state where Jesus comes and says, “I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. I will carry the burden with you.”
God never designed you to carry your burdens alone. If right now you’re carrying burdens– your worries, fears, pains in your heart, hurts caused by other people, confusion, chaos, the storm within you– you are designed to surrender them to God. At right, Feast Bay Area Builder Bro. Audee Villaraza, like Jesus, helps Bro. Bo with his bags.
Let’s go to the Third State. It’s called the Sabbath.
As we worship God, enter into your Sabbath.
Say this after me:
Jesus, Thank You that You died for me on the Cross and You rose from the dead for me–to give me life and to bring me to the ultimate Sabbath not when I die but right here, right now where I’m enjoying
Your Presence, trusting Your provision, and loving Your people. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
