The Gift of Rest

But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

Matthew 8:20 NLT

Jesus had many people around Him.  Large crowds pressed in on Him or packed the houses where He was staying or teaching.  People of all kinds wanted to follow Him.

Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

Matthew 8:19 NLT

When a religious teacher declared his desire to be numbered among Jesus’ followers, Jesus’ response wasn’t to welcome him with open arms, but rather to warn him of the cost.

Perhaps this religious leader, believing that Jesus was the Messiah, the coming king in a political sense, wanted to be on the winning team.  Perhaps this religious leader was thinking of what he had to gain, political influence and status and wealth, rather than what he would have to give up.

“The Son of Man has no place even to lay His head.”

I’ve always read this statement figuratively.  Jesus was saying, I’ve believed, that He left His home in Nazareth, giving up His own bed, to be a nomad and have no permanent home.  He moved from place to place, staying in the homes of friends or even strangers.  Jesus spent three years couch surfing.

I haven’t taken Jesus’ statement as literally as I should.   I think, in part, Jesus was saying that the demands of ministry were so great that He rarely got time to rest.  His life, His ministry, it wasn’t glamorous.  It was exhausting.  People’s needs were always pressing in on Him.

Jesus could only get the rest He needed if He was intentional.  He had to escape from the crowds to find a quiet place.  He had to go into the wilderness, or in a cave, or in an olive garden, or up on a mountain, or even on a boat in the middle of the sea to find rest.

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake….  Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.

Matthew 8:18, 23-24 NLT

Jesus wanted to go to the “other side” of the lake.  The other side was the Gentile side.  While I believe the Father was sending Jesus to the other side to deliver the demoniac, humanly speaking I think Jesus wanted to go there to get away from the crowds.  Between the boat ride and the brief stay on the other side, Jesus would escape the crowds and find the rest He needed.

After saying “the Son of Man has no place to even lay His head,” Jesus got in a boat and laid His head on a cushion, immediately falling asleep.  Jesus was so exhausted, He slept right through a vicious storm that threatened to capsize the boat.

There have been times I’ve been so exhausted, my body could hardly move.  Even if it was the middle of the day, I collapsed on the couch or bed and fell asleep so hard I couldn’t be awakened.  I was in a “dead sleep.”

I think that must have been how Jesus felt.

I’ve never considered that Jesus used the disciples’ boats and journeys on the Sea of Galilee to escape and rest, but I think He did.  I think the solitude of the boat and the sea was restorative for His body, mind, and soul.

There are time a drive in the car is that for me.  That space becomes my sanctuary.  I think of the 9 hour drive up to North Carolina for Billy Graham’s funeral in 2018.  I listened to his autobiography.  I prayed.  I reflected.

I rarely think of the demands Jesus faced and how physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually drained He might have felt.

Jesus needed rest.

Jesus prioritized rest.

Jesus found rest where He could, even on a boat in the middle of a storm.

This blogpost originally appeared at: The Gift of Rest – Sonlife and is based upon Sonlife’s study, Knowing Him / A 50 Day Study in the Life of Christ / Day 32