Finding Rest For Your Souls

Every so often, a season of study of Scripture takes on a theme.For me, over the past month or so, I find nearly all the reading, studying, pondering, and praying over Scripture I do being funneled through the lens of Yeshua's invitation to us, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am meek, and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." - Matt. 11:28-30I have given myself to this for the time being.Every midweek prayer/study meeting I lead, every sermon I am preparing for the immediate future is being sifted through the fact that Messiah offers us an experience of Him, and understanding of His example, a path, a means ... to bring rest to our souls.This is not to say all the work will be taken out of life.  ;-)My wife's grandfather was fond of saying, "Staying alive is a full-time job."Life is a challenge, and there is no way around that.But we are told something by Messiah meant to give us hope: there a way to go through life without being bowed over by the weight of the journey.Where to start?Messiah said, "Come to me."So - to the best of our ability – we will.We are 'hanging out' with Yeshua - sticking around Him (as we study the written records of His life and habits) – seeking to learn from Him," so His example might help us see, know, understand, and apply exactly those things that allowed Yeshua to go through life with a "rested" soul, rather than a burdened one.Messiah knew he had come into the world to suffer and die on our behalf.That was the end-stage of His journey, just as the mortal end of our lives is the end stage for all of us; but Yeshua was not living like someone waking up each day burdened by the mortality He faced. He lived each moment for that moment's purpose, knowing every moment contributed to the meaning of His existence, and to the destination to which He would arrive at the mortal journey's end.He said, "You will find rest for your souls."He said that rest could be found by learning from Him.He said, we could cast off our heavy yokes (our own learned views and habits), and take on His yoke, which is light.So be it.For the coming season, we are joining Yeshua's crew, so to speak. ;-)We'll blend with His entourage, His roadies, His students, His peeps.We'll draw near enough to His example to learn from it – we pray.And may rest for our souls flow.Shabbat shalom this Shabbat Hazon (Sabbath of Vision),Rabbi Bruce L. CohenManhattan 12 July 2013