Hatred; persecution; conflict; yes, we can expect all these things when we follow Jesus. But according to Him, we can also expect rest. How can these things fit together? After all, a life riddled with conflict, hatred, viciousness, attack, and loss upon loss seems anything but restful. It seems, actually, like the exact opposite. How can Jesus, then, have the audacity to promise us rest when we come after Him?

Jesus makes a lot of promises to those who follow Him, but not all of them are comfortable promises:

“Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

“You will be hated by everyone because of my name” (Matt. 10:22).

“For I came to turn a man against his father, daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household” (Matt. 10:35-36).

It seems, in fact, that though tremendous crowds of people gathered to listen to Jesus teach and witness the miracles He would perform, Jesus sought to thin the crowds when it came time to actually stop merely listening and start actually following. He made no bones about the cost of discipleship; to follow Jesus involves laying down your life. And, as we see in these promises, the life of following Jesus is anything but comfortable.

Promises like these, and the reality of what it might have cost or is going to cost you, seem to contradict something else Jesus said about following Him. For He made another promise – the one with a seemingly different vibe than the others:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-29).

Hatred; persecution; conflict; yes, we can expect all these things when we follow Jesus. But according to Him, we can also expect rest. How can these things fit together? After all, a life riddled with conflict, hatred, viciousness, attack, and loss upon loss seems anything but restful. It seems, actually, like the exact opposite. How can Jesus, then, have the audacity to promise us rest when we come after Him?

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