“And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath’.” – Mark 2:27
One Sabbath Jesus and His disciples were going through a field and because they were hungry they picked some of the grain to eat. The Pharisees were following close behind (as always) and they chastised Jesus for allowing His disciples to “break” the Sabbath since what they were doing was equivalent with working the harvest. Jesus expressed His frustration with the Pharisees by reminding them that the law of Sabbath was created to be a BENEFIT not a BURDEN. Then He politely reminded them that He was the Lord of the Sabbath.
Today, on our fourth Sabbath during Lent, I want to remind you that this Sabbath was created for you. It is to be a day of refreshment and renewal. It is to be a time when you step back and refocus on the things that are really important…a time of prayer…a time of meditation…a time of rest. It is not to be an unwanted obligation or another religious ritual in a long list of “To Do’s” handed down by an over bearing Father. Yes, believe it or not, some people treat the Sabbath like that. Another requirement.
There were few things that irritated Jesus’ enemies more than His “seemingly” flippant attitude about the Sabbath. What they missed was that Jesus (The Author of the Sabbath) took the Sabbath and the design of God very seriously and its’ purpose even more. In other words, Jesus knew that He had established the Sabbath for the love of His creation not for the imprisonment of it. His priority was and is to express is love for His children.
Jesus said that the religious leaders had made following God a burden to bear. In Matthew He said, “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders…” (Matthew 23:4). This is not what Jesus intended when it comes to the Sabbath…or any other commandment for that matter. These are given for our good…that we might be blessed!
Again, the practice of a regular Sabbath was created by God FOR YOU! It is for your good and designed for you to experience the love of God in your daily living. It calls you to trust Him…have faith in Him…and rest in His loving arms.
So, relax…take a deep breath…and enjoy the day today. Sit in the Father’s presence. Not because you HAVE TO but because there is no other place that you would rather be.