February 7, 2024 — Sabbath as a Spiritual Discipline

When we hear someone talk about Sabbath, we tend to think of a weekend worship service. The day of the Sabbath can be Saturday, or Sunday – where we attend worship offering up our prayers, praise and thanksgiving to G-d. But the act of Sabbath is something different and can be done on any day.

In Jesus’ time, the Jewish religious leaders made the seventh day of rest unrecognizable from what G-d intended. Following what they THOUGHT was the example of the prophet Nehemiah, they decided how far a person could walk, the weight they could carry, and even whether or not they could be HEALED on the Sabbath. Jesus’ approach to the Sabbath, however, was based on common sense. He and the disciples usually totally ignored the unbiblical traditions of the Jews regarding the Sabbath because Jesus felt they were missing what was at the heart of Sabbath, and who was Lord of the Sabbath. As Jesus said, “The Sabbath was meant for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27); or as Matthew Henry said “God never designed it to be a burden to us, therefore we must not make it so to ourselves.”

When we are to remember the Sabbath, as G-d inscribed as the third commandment (yes in some denominations it is the fourth commandment), it can be a reminder to worship G-d – and it can be a reminder to find some holy time and space in your day and do nothing but reflect on your relationship with G-d – not to add more rules and regulations to it, but to use it for your benefit.

During Lent, we should be finding time to reflect on our relationship with G-d, and in that regard, it should be more than just a Sunday affair. Taking a Sabbath can happen any day of the week, any day and time we can carve out for quiet, rest and reflection.

Pastor Dave