And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
–Mark 2:27
The Sabbath principle is both interesting as well as wonderful. The original Hebrew word describes what we can relate to as an intermission. Within the context of the Sabbath principle this makes a lot of sense. An intermission is a break from the normal or routine. It is a respite or in the most simple terms, breathing space.
God Himself initiated the Sabbath principle after creating everything we see in six days. Genesis 2:3 says,
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.
God’s plan and God’s example is for His people to take time, to break from the routine and have some breathing space. Unfortunately, the Jews had transformed what God intended for the benefit of His people into a mandatory law punishable if transgressed. It became a you must instead of the gift it was intended to be. Whether or not we choose to participate in a Sabbath ultimately does not affect God, but absolutely affects us and our relationship with God. Jesus summed this up in Mark 2:27 with His eye-opening statement, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
So what is the practical application here for the born-again Christian living now? It’s not hard to see that we live in a culture of perpetual opportunity and busyness. Our lives are crowded with things to do. As a Christian, many of those things are, at their core and in our intention good. Combine those with our obligation, our families and our hobbies or leisure time and our schedule gets filled up quickly. Many times we have to squeeze in Bible time and prayer before hastily moving on to the next thing. When someone asks us how things are going, the popular response is, “BUSY.” This has almost become the expected answer because if we are anything but “BUSY” we must be slacking. But what if instead we are busy because we are distracted or inefficient in our efforts? How would we even know?
It’s actually quite simple. Take some breathing room. Intentionally set some time aside to worship, listen and quietly be with the Lord. Separate yourself from your agenda, your schedule, your routine. Sounds simple enough, but the actual application can prove more difficult.
The Sabbath principle is based on sacrifice. I have to willingly choose to sacrifice other things in my life in order to offer my time to the Lord. When we think about it this way, the idea of a Sabbath becomes something that has a lot of weight in an already heavy life. Which guides us back to the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:29-30 which says,
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
The teachings and the application of these words are that we need to learn about Jesus. To follow Him means to mimic Him and His example. The only way to do that is to spend time alone with Him. Voluntarily and sacrificially dedicating time away from this world and with Him.
We must also understand that the Sabbath is not just unplugging in the same regard that fasting is not just skipping meals. We unplug from our busyness so that we can plug into God’s presence. Again, that takes intent and application.
So what is keeping you from the Sabbath? Ignorance because of a lack of understanding or bad teaching? The thought that you just don’t have time? Pure apathy toward this Godly principle? We can come up with all sorts of excuses as to why we can’t. But maybe if we see and experience the benefits and blessings that come only from Sabbath time we will prioritise breathing room with God.
Jason Metz, lead Pastor
