For today’s sermon on Deuteronomy 5:12-15 and Mark 2:23-3:6, I tried something a little different and did the first portion of the sermon from the perspective of one of the Pharisees criticizing Jesus.
Following the worship service on Sunday, we did a family service project making mason jar brownie and cookie mixes to give out through the Greene food pantry and to the staff at Valley View Care Center. Not only is this a good example in my opinion of a good Sabbath activity, it’s also the first part of our “God is on the Move” summer theme. You can read more about that here.
Some people are just out to stir up trouble. Look at this new rabbi, Jesus. No respect for the Sabbath; no sense of religious obligation. Look at the influence he’s having.
For thousands of years, we have faithfully followed the Sabbath. It’s not that hard! One day; no work. In fact, it’s a gift. Work hard for six days, then take a break to rest.
Even the Lord rested on the seventh day of creation. God didn’t get tired or something; it’s an example for us to follow. One day of rest. We honor God by faithfully observing the Sabbath from the beginning of the day at sundown on Friday to the end of the light on Saturday. It’s a mark of who we are, God’s chosen people.
Now, of course there are exceptions. In a real emergency, God doesn’t expect us to just sit by and watch. If my cattle get out and run away on the Sabbath, of course I’ll go get them. If my neighbor has an emergency, I’ll help him and worry about the law later.
But Jesus and his disciples? They’re just trying to stir up trouble. They said they had to glean grain because they were hungry. Now, I’m a nice guy. I have no problem with them plucking grain as they travel. The law of Moses explicitly allows gleaning by travelers. It’s just good hospitality. But to do it on the Sabbath!?
Jesus’ excuse was King David had once done something similar. That’s true, but David and his men were starving because there was an army chasing them! No one is chasing Jesus. Of course he’s hungry – he’s traveling on the Sabbath! If he stayed home like he was supposed to, or even just made some food ahead of time, then there’s no problem.
And healing that guy with the withered hand in the temple. You might think I’m upset because I didn’t want him healed. Or maybe you think I’m accusing Jesus of being a fraud, of planting him there or something to raise money. That’s not it at all.
I believe God is doing miracles through this Jesus, and I’m very happy for the guy. I’ve seen him there for years. Can’t think of his name though…Anyway, that’s not the problem.
The problem is this was not an emergency. Not at all. His hand’s been that way for years. Like I said, I’ve seen him there…can’t think of his name for the life of me. But he’s been around for years. So, what’s the rush? It’s not like he’s bleeding, or dying, or anything. If it’s so important he be healed, well then Jesus could have just waited for sundown, for Sabbath to be over. No, Jesus is trying to stir up trouble.
Did you hear what he said when we Pharisees complained? “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath.” Good so far. The Sabbath is a gift from God for us. Everyone knows we need to rest.
But then he went on, “So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Who does this guy think he is? The point of the Sabbath is to give us a break from life so we can worship God. Worship. God. And Jesus claims to be the “Lord of the Sabbath?”
[Change to pulpit, no longer in character]
Listen again to Deuteronomy 5. “Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 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.”
There are two challenges to this idea of Sabbath. The first is our human tendency to take this good gift from God and making it into a legalistic burden. That’s what Jesus is addressing here. He’s picking a fight to make a point.
Some of you might be familiar with the website Reddit. There’s a section (yes, I know it’s a subreddit) called Malicious Compliance. It’s where people share stories of complying precisely with an instruction, even when they know it won’t have the intended result. Following the letter of the law, rather than its spirit.
One of the stories was about a customer at a store who absolutely insisted on getting a 25% discount rather than letting the cashier give him a 35% off coupon.
Another one is someone insisting on getting a dollar soft drink with her burger, but refusing to allow the cashier to give him the combo deal that would have been cheaper. There are all kinds of stories about people who insist on precisely following a rule, even when it results in the opposite of what’s intended.
That’s the kind of thing the Pharisees are doing here with their strict interpretation of the Sabbath law. God intended the Sabbath to be a day of rest and refreshment, a time to step out of the busyness of the week and breathe, to focus on God. It was never intended to be an excuse to get others into trouble for feeding themselves or healing.
That kind of twisting of the law to get others into trouble happens throughout human history. It’s not just about Sabbath either. We have a great ability to take God’s good commands on how to live and turn them into excuses to judge others or to avoid actually doing what God calls us to do.
That’s one mistake we make with the Sabbath. Just as often, though, we swing too far the other way and we ignore the Sabbath completely. We look at these stories of Jesus working on the Sabbath and think therefore we can treat the Sabbath just like any other day.
Of course, as Christians, we generally move the day of rest and worship from Saturday to Sunday, but we still need a day of rest. This command from God is still for us. As much as our culture tries to tell us otherwise, we need rest as much now as at any point in history. That’s part of the reality of being fragile, breakable clay jars, as Paul puts it in the 2 Corinthians reading.
It takes more intentionality in today’s world to take regular Sabbath time. With cell phones, many people are expected to always be available, even on vacation. I appreciate being able to go shopping on a weekend or late at night, but if I’m shopping, someone else is working. Lots of businesses are open 24/7. Every year on Black Friday, people complain about stores being open earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving, but so many of us still go shopping then.
It may not seem as bad here in Greene as in a bigger city, but this expectation of constant busyness and availability is still a reality, and it’s not likely to get any better. Sometimes it’s the church having lots of meetings and expecting volunteers to just be available.
Sometimes it’s sports teams expecting kids to be available for practice all the time. Maybe it’s school activities or community groups. None of these are bad things, but they make life busier and busier, don’t they? It’s the Sabbath time that gets lost.
I saw a picture this week of a sign that read, “Life is just a series of obstacles preventing you from taking a nap.” Sometimes we just need a break like God intended us to have.
Sabbath rest needs defending. God rested the last day of creation as an example to us. God doesn’t just gently suggest we might need a break; God commands it. Observing the Sabbath in this commandment isn’t just a privilege for some, it’s for everyone, even the slaves and the animals and the resident aliens.
In fact, it’s a necessity – elsewhere in the Bible, the law says the penalty for Sabbath work is death. With that in mind, the Pharisees’ position isn’t completely unreasonable, is it? Maybe we should be a little more vigilant about defending Sabbath time.
If we’re going to try to defend Sabbath time, the trick is to think about it positively. Although we do all sometimes just need a nap, Sabbath is not just nap time. Sabbath rest is intended to refocus you on God, on the larger perspective, on what really matters.
An essential part of Sabbath is gathering for worship, like we have today. It’s about hearing God’s word and being reminded who you really are as a beloved child of God. It’s about gathering at the Lord’s table to receive Christ given and shed for you.
And yes, Sabbath is also about doing good for your neighbors. The law calls for saving life on the Sabbath, not for killing; doing good, not harm. If you have the opportunity to serve someone, as a Christian you don’t get to say, “Oh, it’s Sabbath; I’m resting now, so I’ll serve them later.” Jesus makes it pretty clear that doing good shouldn’t wait until after the sun has set on the calendar day of Sabbath.
This week, I encourage you to pay attention to how you use your time.
I’m not going to prescribe taking half an hour a day to read the Bible, or even five minutes to pray, but pay attention to how you use your time. Is there time for you to take a few minutes to focus on God each day? Is there time to just breathe?
What is God calling you to change so you can be renewed as a child of God in the midst of life’s busyness?
Amen.