DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Sabbath Healing
by Dan Kidd
Every so often I hear someone voice their concerns about what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like; namely that they fear it will be dreadfully boring. They fear we will spend time bent over in worship to God or meandering purposelessly amongst clouds—for eternity. What I find fascinating is how dull and sedentary are our portrayals of heaven, when Scripture tells us this is the absolute best possible reality we could imagine. Where is the disconnect?
While I don't have a satisfying answer to that question, I suspect that our perceptions of Sabbath are related to our lifeless, colorless ideas about heaven. And I think our perceptions about Sabbath are often, oddly, more like these religious leaders' rather than Jesus'. Often, I find Christians view Sunday as the day set aside for church attending and for family resting—especially afternoon naps. Or, Christians view Sundays as the day they should be attending church and resting on furniture somewhere, but they can't because of other obligations. And to be clear, I'm not sure that either of these perceptions are entirely incorrect, but they are incomplete.
I think one important thing we are at risk of missing when it comes to Sabbath is that we can confuse inactivity or unproductive activities with Sabbath rest. But notice, Jesus wasn’t sedentary on the Sabbath—to the disgust of the religious leaders—because Jesus understood the restorative, re-creative work that the Lord does for us and through us on the Sabbath.
When the religious leaders admonished Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, Jesus responded, "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing."
And what was the Father doing on the Sabbath? The same thing he does every Sabbath day: restoring his people. In this case, Jesus healed a man's body from being paralyzed to being able to walk (which also restored him socially and spiritually, hence Jesus warns the healed man remain righteous in v.14). What Jesus knew, and the religious leaders missed, is that there's plenty of activity being done within Sabbath rest, but it is restorative rather than depleting, re-creative rather than productive, and a proclamation of freedom rather than enslavement.
We could do a terrible disservice to Sabbath by treating it is as dull, lifeless, or legalistic obligation. Yes, our Sabbath days should be distinct from the rest of our week. Yes, we should use it to gather with other Christians in the worship of the Lord. Yes, if we don't rest in the Lord, we will suffer the depravations of it. But we can enter into the activities of Sabbath with enthusiasm and expectation of all that will be done. We can worship with life and heart. We can feast with friends and family. We can take deep breaths of fresh air and fill our hearts as we expel laughter or tears, and we can take part in the things that are unlike the things we do all the other days of the week; putting to rest (for a time) what is necessary, and doing instead what is invigorating.
PRAYER
Lord, we thank you for that myriad of ways you work in and through us in our Sabbath rest. We thank you that you are a God worthy of our devotion and worship, and that you've freed us into a time where we can celebrate our devotion of you. Lead us to leave behind the shackles of endless toiling, into the place of restoration and your provision. Train us to take part in the full measure of your re-creative work in us, and restore our souls as we place ourselves in your care.
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