Good Morning Friends,
That we all have the rhythms of a seven-day week is truly amazing for it is not something that is justified by the moon or the sun precisely although the four phases of the moon roughly correspond to seven days. For the believer, we need to consider the Sabbath, and Hebrew word Shabbat in the light and grace of Jesus. Of course, it is related to the fourth commandment that Moses brought down from the mountain. But there is more. Many consider that it has been set in motion by the Word of God though the act of creation itself and the creation of something new, born out of the cross and resurrection. Others consider that it developed over time to complement the choice of market days and worship in our culture. Maybe it is all these things. Regardless, changing a culture on how we think about this is akin to David taking on Goliath and yet that is exactly what Jesus does in today’s scripture. Again, the Pharisees were challenging Jesus. They followed the law better than anyone else could, which can be a good thing, but in retrospect was rather pointless. For when Jesus entered the picture, he pointed out that in their pursuit of righteousness they had become distracted from loving each other. Unfortunately, the Pharisees put their adherence to the rules over caring for people. They cared so much about following God’s law, which is doing what the Bible says, that they created extra rules that are not in the Bible just to show how seriously they took it. Now Jesus really upset the Pharisees when he healed a person on the Sabbath and perhaps this is the case because he was saying in a way that there are only nine moral laws in the ten commandments for you cannot have a moral law that is limited to one day. The reality of it is that the law, if it is to be of value, has exist in our heart as well as head. Think about this for a moment and perhaps you can more fully understand why they were so angry and why Jesus was so saddened by their reaction. They did not understand the real purpose of the Sabbath. So, Is Jesus The Heart Of Your Sabbath?
Scripture: Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
Exodus 20:8-11 (NRSV)
This “King Melchizedek of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him”; and to him Abraham apportioned “one-tenth of everything.” His name, in the first place, means “king of righteousness”; next he is also king of Salem, that is, “king of peace.” Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. See how great he is! Even Abraham the patriarch gave him a tenth of the spoils. And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to collect tithes from the people, that is, from their kindred, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man, who does not belong to their ancestry, collected tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had received the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case, tithes are received by those who are mortal; in the other, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood—for the people received the law under this priesthood—what further need would there have been to speak of another priest arising according to the order of Melchizedek, rather than one according to the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. Now the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. It is even more obvious when another priest arises, resembling Melchizedek, one who has become a priest, not through a legal requirement concerning physical descent, but through the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of him, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 7: 1-17 (NRSV)
The Lord says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” The Lord sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes. Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth will come to you. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Psalm 110: 1-4 (NRSV)
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
Mark 3:1-6 (NRSV)
Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17 (NRSV)
Message: The words that Mark uses to describe Jesus in this confrontation are anger and grief. Jesus was distressed by this situation. Think about this for a minute. We understand why he was angry, but Jesus is also grieved. The Pharisees had missed the point, they put their adherence to the rules, which were mostly made up, in front of helping someone in need. We get why Jesus was angry but also hurt. He is grieving that his people, the Pharisees, do not get it. They followed the rules, but they got so distracted by their adherence to the rules that they did not see to what the rules are pointing too. God put the law in place to protect us and to help us love God and love those around us. But the Pharisees had taken the rules and twisted them into something else. Jesus is grieved in this moment not just over the person in need, but for the hardness of heart of the Pharisees. Jesus is legitimately sad. He is sad that his people did not catch the purpose of the law. He is sad that his people are ignoring the needs of others. For us, we need to take note of the reality and purpose of the Sabbath and the reality and purpose of Jesus and apply it. We need to take this emotion Jesus experienced and consider what it means. You see, God is angered by evil. And today’s Gospel passage gives us a unique glimpse about our relationship with God. When we make choices that hurt someone else. God is angered by the sin, but he is grieved that we missed the point of grace and forgiveness and a relationship with God through Jesus. And so too, Jesus is grieved that in our actions we do not show love to others as an expression of our relationship with God. Do not miss this, Jesus did not want to condemn the Pharisees. He could have, but he did not want too. What he desperately wanted was for them to love each other, to care for each other, and to provide for each other. That is true for us today too. And how we relate to the Sabbath in this regard tests the health of our relationship.
And So, whereas adherence to God’s Law is designed to be motivated by love, human law is too often designed to be motivated by fear, greed, guilt, and pride. Whereas God’s law points to the resolution of sin through the love of Jesus, human laws point to the perpetrator of the sin with condemnation. Therefore, in regard to the Sabbath, it is designed to bring us in to closer relationship with God. That is why Jesus needs to be the heart of our Sabbath rest. As in today’s messianic psalm, and its rare conversation between Jesus and the Father Jesus is to be the Priest of our Sabbath so we might live into a healthier relationship with the Father through the Spirit.
Pray our heart does not fail to join the victory in Jesus. Pray
we realize that God has already fought the most difficult of battles for us. Pray
we realize that the ceremonial laws were nailed to the cross with Jesus but that we might want to follow some of them in remembrance of Jesus. Pray that we realize that the Sabbath was made for us to enjoy and still can be. Pray therefore we have a rest in Jesus that never ceases to love others. Pray we benefit from weekly worship but keep everyday Holy. Pray we realize that it is always right to do good. Pray we never cease from worshipping God. Pray we never cease from setting aside time to gather together in some fashion to study and learn the will of God. Pray that Jesus becomes our Sabbath. Pray we realize that God never prohibits us from loving. Pray we understand that the Law was a foreshadowing of what Christ would be and do. Pray we see Jesus woven throughout the entire scriptures. Pray that when we keep the seventh day Holy, we never consider it a form of bondage and an act of personal works. Pray we do not ignore, avoid, and reason our way around a relationship with God. Pray our heart always remembers Jesus as the key to our relationship with the Father. Pray we honor Jesus out of love. Pray we take time to draw closer to our Creator. Pray we pause to remember Jesus.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 