How does Leviticus 16:31 connect with Jesus' teachings on rest in Matthew 11:28?

Leviticus 16:31 — A Sabbath of Solemn Rest

“It is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.” (Leviticus 16:31)

• The Day of Atonement crowned the Jewish calendar with a mandated “Sabbath of solemn rest.”

• Rest here was not leisure; it was cessation from work so the people could focus on God’s provision of atonement through the high priest’s blood (Leviticus 16:17, 30).

• Humbling themselves (literally, “afflict your souls”) underscored that forgiveness is God-given, never earned.

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Matthew 11:28 — Jesus’ Invitation into Rest

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

• Jesus speaks to those weighed down by sin, law-keeping, and life’s toil (Acts 15:10).

• The Greek term for “rest” (anápausis) matches the Septuagint’s word for Sabbath stoppage, drawing a deliberate link to God’s pattern of holy rest (Genesis 2:2-3).

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Threads That Tie the Passages Together

• Both texts center on God-initiated rest—first shadowed in ritual, then fulfilled in a Person (Colossians 2:17).

• Leviticus commands rest on the day when atoning blood is sprinkled; Matthew offers rest because Christ’s own blood secures eternal atonement (Hebrews 9:11-14).

• Humbling the soul in Leviticus finds its counterpart in Jesus’ call to “Take My yoke…learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). The posture required is still humility, but now directed toward the Messiah rather than a ceremony.

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Atonement Completed, Rest Extended

• High-priestly ministry once happened yearly (Leviticus 16:34); Jesus, the greater High Priest, entered the heavenly sanctuary “once for all” (Hebrews 10:12).

• Because the sacrifice is finished, the Sabbath-type now opens into an ongoing reality: “There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9).

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Living in Christ’s Sabbath Rest Today

• Stop working for acceptance; trust the finished work of the Cross (John 19:30).

• Practice weekly Sabbath as a joyful reminder—not to earn favor, but to celebrate grace (Mark 2:27-28).

• Approach every day with the confidence that His yoke is easy, His burden light (Matthew 11:30), even amid earthly pressures (1 Peter 5:7).

• Share this rest: point weary hearts to the One who fulfilled the Day of Atonement and still says, “Come.”