Luke 6:1-11
Once upon a time, Sundays were unique. Stores were closed. People dressed up and went to church. Family met together. Is this a Sabbath? In Jesus’ day there were Sabbath rules too. Was that a Sabbath?
Jesus in our text today opens up true Sabbath. Luke points out two key aspects of Sabbath, which is holy rest.
The first and most important dimension of Sabbath is its focus. Not behavior. Not rules. Not appearances. Jesus. Pick some grain, if we must, but not because it is another day of harvest season. Do it because you and Jesus are hungry.
Sabbath is time to nurture our relationship to our Teacher, Savior, and Lord. In that relationship is our deepest rest. That relationship is our most important work.
The second part of Sabbath follows from the first. Nurturing a life with Jesus isn’t about doing nothing, but about doing His tasks here and now. In Luke, a man’s hand needed healing. Jesus healed. That was work. To the man, that was grace.
True Sabbath is time given to the practice and performance of Christ in us. We set aside time from our culture’s demands and preferences, and enter the alternative world of the kingdom of God. Over time, if we keep Sabbath well, it is the culture that is the inconvenience, not the Sabbath.
Sabbath shapes souls to be like Jesus, or else it is just show.
Union City Presbyterian Church Blog 