The Sabbath Syndrome
Just last night a friend shared about some criticism she received from an associate pastor. Her ministry involves serving the needs of refugees, helping them find housing, jobs and assimulating into American culture. Almost all the men worked at a factory on Saturday, so she arranged for a trip to an amusement park on Sunday for the families. The pastor said it was not appropriate, because she did so on Sunday.
The irony of this whole discussion is that the Sabbath runs from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday. So for centuries the universal church has ignored the true definition of Sabbath, substituting in its place Sunday, the day on which Jesus rose from the grave. Yet this discussion goes beyond the keeping of the Sabbath. It extends to all the “rules” we live by.
The truth is that God intended us to rest on a Sabbath day, where our focus was on worshiping him and fellowshiping with friends and family. The point of the Sabbath was for the refreshment of man, not for condemnation and legalism. Jesus once pointed out how the Pharisees would severely condemn someone because he walked too far on the Sabbath, but would not hesitate to pull their own ass (as in donkey) out of a well. In essence, common sense is not illegal.
As a point of meditation, are the rules we live by necessarily wrong? Obviously, not. They are often well intended and, in most respects, worthy to be followed. But at what point do the rules we live by separate us from others, and for what reasons? What are the responses of the non-believer to our rules? Are we guilty for being quick to “correct” others without seeing the Spirit of God working in them?
Chapter 5 comes full circle in verse 39, when Jesus said “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
Do we sometimes tend to be Bible-centric rather than Christ-centered? This is a tough call for any believer who takes God’s Word to be autoritative and trustworthy. But are there times when we are quick to seemingly “know” the Word, but are slow to see what God is doing in the life of another, or to show compassion and grace rather than knowledge and judgement?
The true meaning of Father
Ever have a small, insignificant encounter turn into a huge controversy? It is interesting how that happens in our lives. Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. While certainly significant to the recipient, he was so excited that he went off without even knowing Jesus’ name. But word got around and eventually he pointed to Jesus as the man who had healed him. Jesus was accused of breaking the Sabbath.
For some reason, Jesus used this man, who was an invalid for 38 years, as a segway into a much deeper issue that divided him from the religious leaders. God was his Father. Today, we hear the term and really do not think anything of it. But in his day, the term insinuated divinity. It says the Jews persecuted him because he said “My Father is always at his work.” Some, “the Jews”, were even wanting to kill him because “he was even calling God his own Father … making himself equal with God.”
From this point, Jesus begins to explain the relationship between himself and God. Rather than I listing these out, read verses 19 through 30. Create a list of your own and outline the aspects of this relationship.
