Remember the Sabbath
Scripture References
Deuteronomy 5:12-15
The Ten Commandments
12 “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
The Light of the Gospel
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Treasure in Jars of Clay
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Mark 2:23 – 3:6
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And 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.”
A Man with a Withered Hand
1 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus,[1] to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
The Plains of Pentecost
I remember traveling to Colorado when I was young and the joy I felt when I could first see the mountains appearing on the horizon. I still enjoy seeing them slowly grow larger when I venture that direction. Even though it’s a pretty good jaunt from here, can you imagine the drive down I-80 from the far side of Iowa? Hours and hours of ho-hum scenery until you could eventually see that majestic view.
I bring this up to correlate with the Pentecost season we are entering in the church year. You see, Christmas and Easter are mountainous feasts so to speak and bookends for the many miles of flat plains we drive though in the Pentecost season. I don’t want to say this long part of the church year is ho-hum, but for sure not as exciting as Christ’s birth and resurrection.
Consider looking at it this way. If the world were filled with mountains, we would quite possibly all go hungry. We need the plains, or the Pentecost season, for that is thus the breadbasket which we need to survive.
Remember The Sabbath Day
So, what better way to start this journey on this 2nd Sunday after Pentecost than to remember. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. That is what our readings today offer for us to meditate on as we begin this expedition.
Now, let’s take this opportunity to look in the rear-view mirror at the Old Testament lesson in Deuteronomy 5 and reflect once again to Moses’ sermon on Mt Nebo. This is where he not only reviews the Ten Commandments with the Israelites, but also asks them… and us… to remember. Remember where you come from and who is responsible for where you are today.
I teach the Ten Commandments every year to the 6th and 7th grade School Of Religion class. It takes the better part of a semester to get through these commands and what they really mean. Teaching out of Luther’s Small Catechism, the third commandment is short and simple… Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. I’ll quiz them, what does this ask you to do? I usually get the response… go to church on Sunday. Well, that is a good answer and probably the one I was expecting, but there is a little more to it than that.
If you remember the Sabbath Day by going to worship… Why do you go? To live out your baptism, to care for others, to hear His Word, Or maybe it could be that you like the music, it makes you feel good, or so you can listen to God. …. Each of these motives are reasonably good. But it is more than just a place where you go for these things, it is also a time to come together to love, give thanks, and to serve the needs of others.
Old Covenant Law
Do you ever wonder if we remember the Sabbath for the right reason? Or for that matter avoid going to a place of worship for the wrong reason?
I run across a man who give me his reason for not attending worship and often think about his analogy. He liked going fishing on Sunday mornings instead. He said, “Tell me what is more important? To sit in the pew and daydream about fishing or sit in that boat and daydream about God?” A valid point, I guess. Does this qualify him as keeping the Sabbath day holy? This quite possibly is the same attitude you get from those who consider all the other commands in the Old Covenant Law null and void.
That is when you might hear the argument… What good is all that Law anyway?
These conversations are not that uncommon… if you really think about it… Even though we have a New Covenant with Christ, the Old Testament moral instruction in our daily living has its place. God’s Law serves as a bedrock of guiding ideals to help all of us live in such a way as to love God and love each other. Yes, it will accuse us of our sins… but then it will drive us right into the hands of Jesus. That’s the point… But what about the Third Commandment which says once again… “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy?”
A Talk With God
Listen to the following conversation with God. It could be a meaningful insight in case you were planning on going fishing next Sunday morning.
“Dear Lord, I have not been able to worship as I ought. Even when I show up on Sunday my mind wanders and my worship falters. I have not made every day holy with spending time in Your Word and for sure haven’t been singing hymns and praises. I admit there are other things I would rather do… Then I heard the third commandment, and it reminded me of my shortfall. At that point it hit me, Your gracious work in my life means that I also come to this place of worship to find Your gracious blessing for me. I am reminded of my baptismal grace in the invocation. I hear you speak to my heart in the Scripture and sermon. Then I get fed with Jesus’ very body and blood. Loving Father, you are so good to me here. Instead of judging me You forgive all my sins. Thank you, Lord for giving me this place of Sabbath rest…”
Law With a Different Lens
If we can look at the Law through this lens, then suddenly our commitment to ourselves and for our neighbor to observe the Sabbath, have changed. We are no longer speaking of “law keeping” and “rule obedience”, but of drinking from the water of life, resting in the forgiveness of God, and Christ abiding within us. Our perception of what was once a dreadful command which demanded obedience has now become an invitation to life itself.
This is how our mentality must shift when given these commands. The command not to murder will become an invitation to community and mutual support. The command to honor God’s name is the opportunity to use it like a child to pray to Him and know that we are heard by our loving Father in Heaven. The command not to covet gives us a new outlook on loving our neighbor.
What Jesus accomplished on the cross changes the Law for each one of us in unique and different ways. Yes, it is still the Law. But now, because it describes Him perfectly, it has become the description of what He makes us to be through His gift of grace so freely given.
Remember
Let’s be realistic… I question whether you would experience that whole package in a fishing boat. Regardless, if you are on the lake right now watching online … Be rest assured that God loves you no matter where you are at. But wouldn’t you agree it is easier to love Him back in a place of worship?
For here we get to hear Him, taste Him, feel His presence, experience His love through the sacraments. All in such a way that would be hard to replicate anywhere else during your busy week. This is a great place to remember… remember what God as accomplished in each of our lives… and that we could not have done any of it without our loving God.
I have a high school classmate that will call occasionally and ask… “Do you remember what we did on this day 45 years ago?” I can never recall but know I will soon find out. He usually reminds me of something that probably should have remained forgotten. Some things I do not remember… I even have trouble trying to remember to pick up milk before coming home from town. Could it be the same reason the Israelites had such a hard time recalling what they should remember?
Moses told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 5:15, “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.”
Yes, in those 40 years, God led them out of the grasp of slavery, provided food, shelter, and water. Their adversaries were overcome, and their sandals did not wear out. Then they were given an inheritance in the land flowing with milk and honey. Grace that kept on giving despite their disobedience to the law. How could they forget all that? In our sinfulness, are we any better?
In the Gospel lesson today in Mark, we get a glimpse of how the Pharisees and traditional Jews continued to lean heavily on the Law of Moses. How they seemed to forget what they were supposed to remember as they clinched their fist around the physical portion of the law…
Let Jesus Guide You To Worship
Apparently, on the Sabbath day in Israel even today, the elevators stop at every floor of a hotel so that observant Jewish guests will not break the third commandment by pressing a button for the right floor. For them, absolutely no work is allowed on the Sabbath.
In chapter 3 verse 2 Mark writes, “Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely…” It is ironic that the Pharisees worked so hard on the Sabbath to catch someone else working on the Sabbath. Especially Jesus. It was supposed to be a day of rest.
Now don’t get me wrong, resting one day a week and giving God our undivided attention is still a good thing, whether you attach it to the Law or not. However, we must remember that the Sabbath day was meant to be a blessing rather than a burden for those who observe it. This is what Jesus is getting at in verse 27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
What is the meaning of this third commandment….? In the Small Catechism Luther writes… We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. That is what guides us to this place of worship. This place, where we realize that within these walls… we find a hospital for sinners… not just a museum for saints. The evil one doesn’t want me here. He knows I am weak and cave into breaking the commandments rather easily. He would rather see me go fishing.
Either that or he will simply put other detours in my way and reroute my navigation as I attempt to drive down that highway to the mountainous feast… Life can be like I-80, it is a long road and hard to keep focused on what lies ahead.
Stay The Course
Back in the Gospel lesson, Mark tells us that Jesus was in the synagogue, and it was there that He was despised. The Pharisees didn’t like Him there because it disrupted their man-made law’s. It was there that He angered the men who plotted to kill Him and ultimately, they did just that. Jesus tells us to expect the same kind of friction. Throughout His ministry He was hated by many in the world. Nothing has really changed in our world today.
Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” The world does seem to despise those who find comfort in praising God. But it is in this place we are encouraged to reject the pattern of the world.
I ask once again… Why should we come here? To gladly hear and learn why Jesus went to the cross to die for you and for me. To be reminded of the fact that He did this all because of His unwavering love for each of us. Even if you are sitting there daydreaming about fishing.
A place to remember what Jesus accomplished on that cross in terms of love, forgiveness, and the promise of our eternal destination. Not only that, in this place we experience the Lord’s Supper which points us to God’s grace and love for us in Christ… In remembrance of Him. In this place, we can dial into the mountainous feasts and longer roads of Pentecost to discover powerful reminders of what God has done in our life and who we are in Christ.
Through this Christian community… together we can build spiritual strength as we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest God’s Word from a road less traveled.
Using insights to keep our faith between the curb, using our mirror to see all the blessings God has given us, and using our eternal navigation as our guide, pointing us to Christ. Christian community in action. Now set that eternal promise on cruise, sit back… and enjoy the ride.