Liberating Rest 

God on Monday
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Jesus said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath‘ (Mark 2.27) 

Reflection

Keeping the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. For some people, this means it should be strictly observed. For others, it means it is a quaint but obsolete stipulation. Both views are challenged by Jesus’ words above. Uttered amid the Pharisees’ allegations that he and his disciples were breaking the sabbath (by foraging for food and carrying out a healing), they may appear to downplay the importance of the Sabbath.

But the first half of Jesus’ sentence - that the sabbath was made for humankind – requires careful consideration. The background for it is the grinding 24/7 culture in which the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Jesus would have been familiar with the Torah’s teaching (Deut 5.12-15) that keeping the sabbath was to be a reminder of (and an antidote to) that culture. Far from suggesting that the sabbath is something from which humans need to be liberated, he is suggesting that it liberates. It is intended to set them free to experience God’s shalom.

Contemporary culture is in danger of returning to the bondage culture of ancient Egypt. Making bricks without straw to preserve the wealth and power of a tiny elite is the experience of many workers today.

Even in highly paid work, the blurring of boundaries between labour and leisure, made possible by improvements in electronic communication, is producing a generation of spiritual, emotional and relational captives. It is perhaps not surprising that we are facing such high levels of burnout and a mental health crisis.

It is time for us to rediscover the sabbath as a form of resistance and as an opportunity for eight other R’s: rest, retreat, review, reflection, reimagination, reprioritization, renewal, and recreation.

Sabbath is neither an unbending rule nor a useless remnant from another age. It is a pathway to blessing and one of God’s richest gifts to human beings. 

Response

What will you be doing this week to practice Sabbath? What steps will you take to help ensure those around you are getting the rest they need? Will you be bold in safeguarding the times you have planned this week and this year for rest and reflection?

Prayer

Almighty God, you are the Lord of work and rest. Made in your image, help me to work this week from a place of rest. Give me the trust I need to plan and to take regular breaks from my work. May I find my spiritual, emotional and relational well-being renewed. Help me to share that blessing with those with whom I work. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This Week's Author

God on Monday is produced in partnership with the Church of England. The reflections are based on the scriptural readings designated for the next Sunday in the Church's lectionary. You can sign up here to receive each God on Monday instalment.

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