The Importance of Rest in the Savior's Ministry

"Come Unto Me and I Will Give You Rest" by Yongsung Kim

We live in a busy time of the world. It is easy to be overwhelmed with work assignments, church callings, family responsibilities, and the unending to-do lists that accompany our lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that we should both "be anxiously engaged in a good cause... [doing] many things of [our] own free will" (D&C 58:27) and "not run faster or labor more than [we] have strength and means provided" (D&C 10:4). While these principles appear to be in conflict, we can learn how to apply both approaches in our lives as we study the example of Jesus Christ.

It is fair to say that Jesus had a few things on his to-do list. He was a teacher, missionary, and ecclesiastical leader called to preach the pure gospel to large multitudes and hard-hearted government leaders. He was training and preparing a group of mostly fishermen to lead an organization that would stretch from Italy to Israel and beyond. He sought to do His Father's will, inspire the faith of the Jewish nation, and live so that he could be the promised savior when the time came. Amid the hustle, he was also part of a family, had relationships with several friends, served the poor and needy, and participated in the traditions of his people. Jesus understands what it is like to be busy and to juggle priorities that are all important.

Yet, the Lord of the Sabbath, who rested on the seventh day of creation, also frequently withdrew from the busy-ness of life to rest, prepare for what was ahead, spend quality time with loved ones, and commune with our Heavenly Father. He understood what sounds obvious: that we get more strength through appropriate rest.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus "was led up of the Spirit, into the wilderness, to be with God" (JST Matthew 4:1). There he fasted for forty days, a number that is symbolic in Hebrew culture for a period of preparation. After he had fasted and communed with God, he returned to normal life and the temptations and challenges it brings. Jesus was tempted by the devil himself, but he was prepared to withstand all of the buffetings of Satan and command him to depart.

Jesus returned from the wilderness and taught in Galilee, Nazareth, and Capernaum. He cast out devils and healed many people of a variety of inflictions. The scriptures do not say exactly how much time passed from the start of his ministry to an evening in Capernaum when he healed all who would come to him, but we're in the same chapter when we read that Christ then "departed and went into a solitary place" (Luke 4:42).

Christ taught again in the synagogues in Galilee and was teaching a group of people on the banks of the Sea of Galilee when he found Peter, James, and John and filled their nets with fish. They went with Jesus to Capernaum where he healed a man's leprosy and "great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed." (Luke 5:15-16).

Jesus returned to his work and healed a man of his paralysis, called Matthew to follow him, and confronted and taught the Pharisees several times. When he provocatively healed a man's withered hand on the Sabbath in front of the Pharisees, they were "filled with madness" (Luke 6:11). "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom he named apostles" (Luke 6:12-13).

This pattern continues throughout the ministry of Christ: he was present and focused on what needed to be done and then he took time to withdraw and rest. Sometimes he rested for only an afternoon or a long night in prayer; other times he withdrew for a period of several weeks. In each case, his focus was less on protecting himself or his perceived needs and more on building capacity to move forward.

As it is with us, Jesus' plans for rest did not always go as planned. When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been killed, he got on a boat and left Capernaum to be alone in the wilderness. The multitudes followed him on foot and met him on the opposite shore about five miles from the city. Despite his grief, Christ had patience and compassion for the people and took the time to teach them and miraculously feed five thousand of them with a few loaves of bread. Then he "straightway...constrained" his disciples to leave in the boat and sent the multitudes back to the city.

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone" (Matthew 14:22-23). It was from this vantage point that Jesus saw his disciples desperately rowing against the wind and being tossed upon the waves of the sea. Cutting his time to grieve and recharge short, he went down from the mountain and walked about four miles across the sea to get to his struggling followers. Reaching the boat between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning, Jesus invited Peter onto the water, saved him when his faith wavered, then calmed the storm so they could all return home. There is no indication in scripture that Christ was able to go back to the mountain, but he did the best he could with the time he had and then moved on to other demands for his time.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were friends of Jesus in Bethany, also called Bethlehem, about two miles south of Jerusalem. They were close friends and Jesus wept when he heard Lazarus had died (John 11:35). After Jesus publicly brought Lazarus back to life and knew the Jewish rulers were furiously plotting to kill him for it, he escaped to the wilderness of Ephraim about thirteen miles north of Jerusalem. Many scholars believe that he was in the wilderness for at least two weeks.

When he returned from Ephraim on Palm Sunday for the Passover, Christ went around Jerusalem to first reunite with his friends in Bethany. The scriptures don't say exactly why, but it was likely much more than simply checking into his lodging. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were a source of strength and comfort for Christ throughout his ministry, so it is no surprise that he goes to help when they are in trouble and goes for help when he is in trouble. He would stay with them throughout the most difficult and notable week of his life, walking to and from Jerusalem each day, until his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane in the dark hours of Thursday evening.

Following the Savior's example, we are taught to be both anxiously engaged and take appropriate time for preparation, rest, and communion with our Father in Heaven. King Benjamin counseled his people to, "See that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man [or woman] should run faster than he [or she] has strength...[But] it is expedient that he [or she] be diligent, that thereby he [or she] might win the prize" (Mosiah 4:27).

We are diligent and build capacity to move forward as we follow Elder David A. Bednar's counsel to, "Identify the two, the three, the four most important priorities in our lives, and then... make sure that each one gets the [time] that it needs." He continues, "Don't spend all of your time trying to achieve this perfect equilibrium because it doesn't exist. Focus on the things that matter most in the moment, and you'll have the Lord's help to be able to juggle and attend to all of those important priorities in your life." 

As we stay close to Him, the Lord will help us attend to our responsibilities. And sometimes, just as the Savior was, we will be "led up of the Spirit" into the wilderness, into the temple, into the strength we can receive among loved ones, and even, as Nephi, into the comforting and loving arms of the Lord who understands what we are experiencing and promises to give us rest (2 Nephi 1:15, Matthew 11:28.