In our journey toward the resurrection, we have been discussing concepts that come “before the resurrection,” teaching us and leading us in preparation for Christianity’s most important doctrine. Our focus today rests upon the Sabbath, a concept not often associated in preparation for Easter Sunday. A Sabbath’s structure and rest helps us embrace the resurrection. Let’s explore some important teachings.
All We Do is Work
We spend a large portion of our lives working. Whether our work takes place in the realm of business and industry, or whether it is centered in the function and nurture of the home, we tend to work from sun-up until sun-down. Every believing man or woman works in a world in which work runs and rules our days. Idolatry is a pervasive temptation alluring and seducing them away from a transformed and raised life.
Even good work environments produce endless combinations of lifestyle choices. We spend most of our waking hours taking up residence in a world saturated with forms of idolatry. The worship of a false god today rarely looks like bowing the knees to a hand carved statue of the forbidden pleasure. Instead it subtly eeks us out of our commitments, our habits and our character. Work places a spotlight on four prominent idols: finances, time, technology and relationships.
The workplace offers us a chance to secure, grow and prosper our financial status. Financial status becomes an idol when we do one of two things. We can become obsessed with finances – with their security, with working more to gain additional resources, with the status and position it brings, and with acquiring and building bigger barns in which to store it. But finances can also become an idol when in our minds we become owners rather than stewards.
Time is one of our most precious commodities and we gladly offer it to our work. Technology creates an environment where mechanics and automation dominate our behavior and our beliefs. Relationships at work become a task of pleasing those who critique and reward our efforts, and basking in the attention given to us by others. Idolatry permeates the work place.
Remember the Sabbath
God offers a simple solution which keeps work in balance with life. Rest on a Sabbath. For a person to grow spiritually, and to function and prosper physically, mentally and emotionally, the believer must keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the fourth of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). Additional references to the Sabbath in the Torah include Exodus 16, Exodus 23:10-12, Exodus 31:12-17, Exodus 34:21 and Exodus 35:1-3.
On the Friday evening of the Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, devout Jews in Jerusalem, Athens, and Alexandria kept the Sabbath. Shortly after Jesus had been taken from the cross and placed in Joseph’s tomb, His disciples – faithful Jews themselves – paused to keep the Sabbath. This practice did not stop because of the turmoil of their immediate circumstances. Their tradition, heritage and weekly habit of a lifetime guided their actions and thoughts. They kept the Sabbath.
At sundown on Friday evening, two candles were lit with a prayer in Jewish homes. The prayer uttered to welcome the Sabbath was simple: “Blessed art Thou, O God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by Thy commandments and has commanded us to kindle the Sabbath lights.” The two candles were lit to honor the two times the commandments are listed in the Torah – in Exodus 20:8, 10-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12, 14-15.
On Saturday at sundown the prayer was repeated, the candles lit again, and the final prayer, the Havdalah, brought the day of rest to a close. The Hebrew word Havdalah meant “separation” and refers to the verbal declaration that Shabbat, a holy day separated from the mundane, comes to a close. Havdalah is a multisensory experience that includes fire, spices and wine.
The commandment asked the Jews first to “remember the Sabbath.” In the Exodus passage, they are reminded of God’s rest in creation: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:10-11). The Deuteronomy passage encourages them to “remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 5:14-15).
Keeping the Sabbath is not just about resting from work, but remembering what the Lord has been doing.
The disciples would have paused to remember – the many acts of God throughout the Old Testament. Because they recognized Jesus as the Messiah, would they have spent hours in this day remembering what Jesus had done? Would they think about the calming of the sea or feeding of the multitudes? Was the image of Jesus walking on the water in their minds?
Did they remember the raising of Lazarus less than thirty days earlier?
Keep the Sabbath Holy
Not only were they to remember the Sabbath, they were to keep it holy. Holiness meant keeping it separate from the regular pattern of the week. In contrast to work, they were to rest. Instead of spending the day at home or at work, they spent the day in the synagogue or Temple. Might they contrast other events or even attitudes on that day as well?
Keeping the day holy means to set the day aside as special. The Shabbat is a holy day – holiday. It is to be kept “to the Lord.” Attention is to be directed to God in a way that is more focused than the other six days.
Keeping the Sabbath holy meant to keep it thoroughly – a point that we often miss today. You cannot rest yourself, but put your servant to work for you. The oxen cannot be put out in the field while you rest. You miss the point if you try to “get things done” or “keep the business running” by using servants, relatives or animals.
Can we throw a load of laundry into the machine on the Sabbath? Should we allow the iRobot to run and sweep the floor? The Sabbath is to be different – separate from the other days of the week. Just like showing that you trust God by giving Him a portion of your finances, you are showing that you trust God by giving Him a portion of your week.
Place the Shema in the Forefront of Your Mind
The Shema is one of two prayers that are commanded in the Torah. It is the oldest fixed prayer, recited in both the evening and the morning. It consists of three passages from the Torah, two of which specifically say to speak these words when you lie down and when you rise up.
The first part of the Shema begins with a foundation of Jewish belief, and is the phrase from which the Shema derives its name: Hear O Isreal (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). The second part repeats many of the themes of the first part, but adds the promise of both reward and punishment (Deuteronomy 11:13-21). The final part of the Shema talks about wearing the commands like a string around the finger to remind of the commands and the Exodus from Egypt (Numbers 15:37-41).
The bigger picture of Hebrew teaching can be seen in the comparisons made to the Exodus from the slavery in Egypt. We are encouraged to see our slavery in sin and the exodus given by God for the faithful. While sin focuses on individual acts, sin also points to the larger consequence of death. We are encouraged to remember what God is doing to provide passage from death to life.
Prepare for the Work God is About to Do
The Sabbath rest was not picturing completed work and perpetual rest. Sabbath anticipated God would again work following the rest. We are to prepare for the work that God is about to do.
The prayer of the Shema is brought to a close as the Chazzan (the cantor) loudly proclaims “The Lord, Your God, is True!”
For us today, we are raised – it is true that the Lord is our God.