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23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2: 23-28 (NIV)
INTRODUCTION
Sabbath. The seventh day in the week on which the Israelites were instructed not to work, but to rest. A day holy unto the Lord. But what does holy mean? It means separated, dedicated. A day meant to be set apart for rest. The religious leaders of that time made it into a set of rules, instead of taking it for what it was - a day of resting from all the worrying and working.
LORD OF THE SABBATH
The religious leaders in ancient Israel took the breaking of the Sabbath as a means to try and corner a lot of godly principles they were taught and transformed them into rules made by men. The Bible is a guide, an instructional book on how to live our life to the fullest. It was never meant to be a set of rules followed so religiously, that it becomes devoid of the life it was intended to bring.
The very word holy means set aside, dedicated unto something. And in this case, it was meant to be dedicated to resting. More specifically resting in the Lord. Worshiping Yahweh, being in His presence with praises and spending time with Him and our family. Leaving worrisome things aside for the day.
Over time that simple meaning got lost. It became a religious rule separated from Yahweh and so not life-giving. Following the Sabbath became a work devoid of life that only produced self-righteousness.
J. Michael Feazell has the following to say in His article The gospels: Mark 2: 23-28 - A lesson about God’s love (1):
When it comes to the Sabbath, an idea has gotten around that the Sabbath is greater than God. Let me explain. It is as though God is the guardian or protector of the Sabbath, making sure that people keep the Sabbath holy, and finally awarding salvation only to those who are faithful Sabbathkeepers. In other words, in this kind of thinking, the main thing is the Sabbath; God is the enforcer of the Sabbath. God made the Sabbath, then made himself subject to it, then made people subject to it.
Jesus cleared all such convoluted recipes off the dinner table. He made things plain: people were not made to be servants of the Sabbath; the Sabbath was made to be a servant of people.
Sabbath was intended for man to bring them rest, and refreshment after a long week of working. And worrying about what one was to eat was never going to bring rest. Sabbath is not above the needs of men.
And still, we are meant to observe the Sabbath. Yeshua did not come to abolish the law. Sabbath is good for us. It refreshes us and provides us with strength for the week ahead. It is beneficial to rest at least one day per week. Get filled with strength, wisdom, love, and energy for the week ahead. To be satisfied and filled so we would be able to complete our assignments the following week.
To many Christians, it means spending time with loved ones and doing things that honor and praise the Lord. To others, it may mean separating oneself for a day. I believe it depends on the season too. For one season it may mean spending it alone, separated from the rest. Just you and Yahweh. In other seasons it may mean spending it with family, with the Lord being present. And then on other days, it may mean spending it in a special gathering of the church.
But let us not grow religious about it. For Sabbath is meant to serve men and not men serve Sabbath. Let us not consult Sabbath what it is and what is not righteous to do. Go to Yeshua for that. For He is:
THE LORD OF THE SABBATH!
Application:
Next Saturday actively decide to spend it with the Lord or family depending on the guidance of the Lord.
CREDITS
J. Michael Feazell. The gospels: Mark 2: 23-28 - A lesson about God’s love. 2004, 2012. Link: https://www.gci.org/articles/a-lesson-about-gods-love-mark-223-28/
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