Mark 2:23--3:6
These two stories about the Sabbath day are so different. One is the disciples traveling with Jesus and they are hungry, so in order to eat they pluck the heads of the grain in the field. The religious authorities somehow know this and they have violated the Sabbath by doing work. Work to feed themselves as they are traveling. The next one is about a person who is in the temple and they need healing of their hand and Jesus makes it whole. So it seems in my mind that the two would be not related. One offense may be really bad and one might be smaller because of the care for another, but that's not the way the law works if you are a stickler for the law. Also, we don't really follow that law so what does all this really have to do for us today?
We have to look at chapter three verse four in order to hear this today. "...Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?" To save life or to kill life. It makes me think of Israel standing at the brink of the promised land, you have before blessings or cursing, life or death, choose life. See when we truly observe Sabbath we give life to ourselves. Life to our weary bodies because we rest, life to our minds because it rests, life to our souls to find peace, to connect with the divine. This is what Sabbath is for, not a rule, not so we can catch someone out. It is a gift to remind us to choose life.
In a world where statistics now say the average person works more hours a week than at the turn of the industrial age, isn't this good news? Take a rest, don't think about work, don't do work, choose life. Because all our life cannot be work. The treasures of life are not found in work. The life-giving connection to God is not found in working every hour of every day. They are found when we take rest, when we acknowledge our connection to God and feel motivated to act out of this love. This is exactly what Jesus is talking about to the religious authorities and they don't want to hear it.
So we need to ask ourselves when do we choose life and when do we choose death? Because as the religious authorities of our own time shouldn't we be asking this question of ourselves? When have we stood on the brink of promise and connection and chosen death or cursing instead of life? When was the last time we gave life to someone other than ourselves? See this is in this story too. The disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath giving life to themselves. Jesus heals the man on the Sabbath giving life to another. This man's life is changed forever, he can work again, he can be an equal in society instead of everyone trying to figure out when he sinned. Jesus gives life to another. When do we give life to another?
We can listen, really listen and give life. We can hold someone's hand and just be with them and give life. In a world which doesn't listen but only puts your own right point first actually listening and talking things out is giving life. Sending an old fashioned card in the mail, or even reaching out with a text when you think of someone is life giving.
We can even go further with this. When do we choose life and death? Look at every day, did you choose life today? When did you feel most connected to the Creator of life today, this is your life giving moment, when did you feel most disconnected from the giver of life today?
See we're not any different from the Israelites standing on the brink of the promised land. Its all in what we choose. Do we choose blessing or cursing, life or death? This one question can bring us our own blessing and cursing should we choose to look at it. Because there are moments, for each of us, when we are deeply blessed and these are gifts of renewal. Not only to us but to the creation. It's our choice though, choose life.
These two stories about the Sabbath day are so different. One is the disciples traveling with Jesus and they are hungry, so in order to eat they pluck the heads of the grain in the field. The religious authorities somehow know this and they have violated the Sabbath by doing work. Work to feed themselves as they are traveling. The next one is about a person who is in the temple and they need healing of their hand and Jesus makes it whole. So it seems in my mind that the two would be not related. One offense may be really bad and one might be smaller because of the care for another, but that's not the way the law works if you are a stickler for the law. Also, we don't really follow that law so what does all this really have to do for us today?
We have to look at chapter three verse four in order to hear this today. "...Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?" To save life or to kill life. It makes me think of Israel standing at the brink of the promised land, you have before blessings or cursing, life or death, choose life. See when we truly observe Sabbath we give life to ourselves. Life to our weary bodies because we rest, life to our minds because it rests, life to our souls to find peace, to connect with the divine. This is what Sabbath is for, not a rule, not so we can catch someone out. It is a gift to remind us to choose life.
In a world where statistics now say the average person works more hours a week than at the turn of the industrial age, isn't this good news? Take a rest, don't think about work, don't do work, choose life. Because all our life cannot be work. The treasures of life are not found in work. The life-giving connection to God is not found in working every hour of every day. They are found when we take rest, when we acknowledge our connection to God and feel motivated to act out of this love. This is exactly what Jesus is talking about to the religious authorities and they don't want to hear it.
So we need to ask ourselves when do we choose life and when do we choose death? Because as the religious authorities of our own time shouldn't we be asking this question of ourselves? When have we stood on the brink of promise and connection and chosen death or cursing instead of life? When was the last time we gave life to someone other than ourselves? See this is in this story too. The disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath giving life to themselves. Jesus heals the man on the Sabbath giving life to another. This man's life is changed forever, he can work again, he can be an equal in society instead of everyone trying to figure out when he sinned. Jesus gives life to another. When do we give life to another?
We can listen, really listen and give life. We can hold someone's hand and just be with them and give life. In a world which doesn't listen but only puts your own right point first actually listening and talking things out is giving life. Sending an old fashioned card in the mail, or even reaching out with a text when you think of someone is life giving.
We can even go further with this. When do we choose life and death? Look at every day, did you choose life today? When did you feel most connected to the Creator of life today, this is your life giving moment, when did you feel most disconnected from the giver of life today?
See we're not any different from the Israelites standing on the brink of the promised land. Its all in what we choose. Do we choose blessing or cursing, life or death? This one question can bring us our own blessing and cursing should we choose to look at it. Because there are moments, for each of us, when we are deeply blessed and these are gifts of renewal. Not only to us but to the creation. It's our choice though, choose life.
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