After all these lessons on work, we come to this: God rested (Genesis
2:2) and so should we (Exodus 16:30).
In today’s focal text (Exodus 16:22-30), the house of Israel made sure
they could rest on the seventh day by getting food for day seven
prepared on day six. Some Orthodox Jewish communities still practice
that discipline.
In Mark 2:23-28, we have a situation in which Jesus put this whole
sabbath rest into perspective. As the disciples walked through a
grainfield on a Sabbath day, some of them began to pluck up grain for
food. When the Pharisees protested, Jesus gave an example from the
life of David. In that account (1 Samuel 21:1-6), on a Sabbath the
high priest gives David food that was supposed to be reserved for the
high priest. Then, our Lord clarifies what that means: Sabbath rest
is for the benefit of humankind. Humankind was not created to benefit
the Sabbath; it is the other way around; Sabbath was created for
humankind.
This does not mean that we ignore the gift of Sabbath rest. It is
part of God’s creating rhythm. Genesis 2:2-3 tells us of God’s
example of rest. (The Hebrew words translated “rest” and “Sabbath”
are varying forms of the same root word.)
Does Sabbath begin on Friday night? Does Sabbath begin on Sunday
morning? If a pastor works all day on Sunday, can Monday be the
Sabbath? What our Lord is trying to make clear is the importance of
Sabbath is not in its “legal requirements.” The importance of
Sabbath is measured by the way it honors the one who is Lord of the
Sabbath (Mark 2:28).
Right after Jesus spoke up about the Sabbath, He had another
opportunity to clarify Sabbath practices. Mark 3:1-6 tells about
Jesus’ healing a man on the Sabbath. This so upset the Pharisees—
sticklers for the law—that they began plotting how to get rid of Jesus
(Mark 3:5). Even against that threat, Jesus gave priority to healing.
If we do not observe Sabbath, we are missing one of the strong gifts
of God.
What Someone Else Has Said:
Matthew Sleeth (24/6, Tyndale Momentum of
Tyndale House Publishers) put it this way: “Up to this point,
everything has been created out of nothing, but on the morning of the
seventh day, God made nothing out of something. Rest is brought into
being.”
Prayer:
As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Thank You,
Lord, for rest...”
