stopping
Do you want to rest, or are you more interested in stopping or pausing what you’re doing?
In the Gospel According to Matthew 11:28, we encounter a common and quotable passage, which I’ve translated as: “Come to me everyone who is tired and burdened, and I will stop you.” My translation differs in one key way from most common translations of this passage. I chose to use “stop you” rather than “give you rest.”
The Greek verb used in this verse, ἀναπαύω (anapauo), literally refers to making someone or something stop or cease. The important emphasis is that Jesus is saying he actually will stop people who come to him. Stopping people seems to be something rather different than what’s suggested by the common translation. That rendering from the Greek refers to Jesus giving people who come to him some intangible sort of rest.
When in your life has Jesus stopped you from doing something? Did you wish to be stopped? After Jesus stopped you, were you happy or unhappy?
you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.
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