It might have been well for our Jewish brothers and sisters to celebrate the Sabbath, but how is this relevant for us today? When Jesus came onto the scene in the first century, He invited His followers to embrace the fullness of the Sabbath. The Gospels (the four biographies of Jesus’ life you can find at the beginning of the New Testament) show how Jesus clearly followed the traditions of Judaism, including the Sabbath. Yet we also read in the Gospels how this day of rest had somehow become a list of “dos” and “don’ts”. Jesus reminds us of the true purpose of the Sabbath in Mark 2:27, 28, when He says “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.” Jesus here is moving the Sabbath beyond man-made rules and regulations and shows that the intention behind the Sabbath is about our
It might have been well for our Jewish brothers and sisters to celebrate the Sabbath, but how is this relevant for us today?
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SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • AUGUST 2022
CHALFFY, PETMAL—GETTY IMAGES
From here on, Sabbath becomes a commitment. This commitment doesn’t change throughout the Bible, just as God doesn’t remove the benefits of the Sabbath. These 24 hours reset the order of Creation. In them, we recognise God’s divinity and humanity’s limitations. This time taken out of our work-life routine gives our body and mind the breathing space to reset and be restored in our relationships with one another and with God. Rabbi Samson Hirsch says that the Sabbath was given to humanity “In order that he should not grow overweening [egotistical] in his dominion” of God’s Creation. On the day of rest, “He must, as it were, return the borrowed world to its Divine Owner in order to realise that it is but lent to him.”
relationship with Creation, humanity and God. Setting aside a day in our week makes sense, not just from a restorative viewpoint but also from the perspective of building relationships. In a society where we strive toward achievements, possessions, performance and busying ourselves in work to simply get more, Sabbath can become an antidote to the pressure, if we embrace it. To simply be in the presence of our Creator God, letting us breathe, enjoying family and community is cleansing. “Your body, soul, and family require rejuvenation,” claims Jewish educator Fred Claar. The restoration of our environment and innermost being moves us to express gratitude for this 24-hour period and leads us to a space of wholeness and gratitude. A pause in our packed lives has the potential to
transform us, our community and our environment. In as much as Creation needs to breathe to experience restoration, God in His divine wisdom knew that we needed a Sabbath space to reconnect and restore. For all Creation and humanity in particular to breathe. The biblical origins narrative tells of a God who breathed His breath of life into Adam to create humanity. Then God gave the seventh day for all Creation to rest, breathe and be transformed. To rest in God is to reconnect with the very Breath of Life itself. Kirsten Lundqvist is a Danish pastor who currently resides in Wellington, New Zealand. She enjoys ministering in both secular and Jewish contexts.
AUGUST 2022 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES.ORG.AU
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