Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

Sabbath: Leading to the Perfection of Creation

Daniel Thomas

Orlando MTC

27.  Then 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."

Sabbath - day of rest, considered holy to God by His rest on the seventh day after creation and viewed as a sign of the covenant relation between God and His people, and of the eternal rest He has promised them (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary).

"Bereshith Rabbah," a Rabbinical commentary of the second century, said of the institution of Sabbath this way:  A king created a wedding canopy which he ornamented beautifully.  When completed, there was but one thing missing, and that was the bride.  Likewise, when the creation was completed, its perfection required nothing but the Sabbath.

The habit of Jesus was to observe the Sabbath as a day of worship in the synagogues (Luke 4:16),  and it was, in fact, His mission statement of His earthly ministry (vv. 18-19).  But His failure to comply with the minute restrictions brought conflict (Mark 2:23-28; 3:1-6; Luke 13:10-17; John 5:1-18).  Jesus didn't violate one of the Ten Commandments, but He refused to obey the man-made laws that violated what God intended for the Sabbath.  Instead of the Sabbath being seen as a day of rest in remembrance of God, it had become a joyless ritual because of the Pharisees' regulations.  Jesus insisted on observing the Sabbath as it was originally intended.  Rather than discarding the commandment to "keep the Sabbath day holy," Jesus instead demonstrated that one way to obey God's directive for the day was feeding the hungry.  Jesus used the action of David to show that the Pharisees' narrow interpretation of the law diminished God's intention (Mark 2:25-26).  The spirit of the law in respect to human needs took precedence over man-made ceremonial regulations.

James in his epistle says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (1:27).  Whenever we forget the love, forgiveness, service, and mercy that are the heart of religion and replace them with the rules and regulations, we practice hypocrisy and thereby defeat God's will for us.

PRAYER

Gracious Father, the Lord of Sabbath, guide us to  respond to the needs of others.  May Your Spirit of love and mercy empower our hearts so that we may find joy in serving the needy.  Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Sabbath proclaims that God has originally created this world and its creatures in a perfect and complete manner.

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more