Wednesday: A Day of Healing
While the original vision for the Sabbath and Sabbath keeping was broad and inclusive, the Sabbath had become something quite different for many of the religious leaders by the time Jesus came to earth. Instead of a day of freedom and equality, Sabbath had become a day of human, traditional rules and restrictions. In His day, Jesus stood up against such attitudes, especially as they were imposed on others.
Healing
How interesting that He did this most significantly by performing a number of healings on Sabbath. It seems that Jesus intentionally performed these miracles on Sabbath, as opposed to any other day, to demonstrate something important about what the Sabbath should be. Often in these stories, Jesus made comments about the appropriateness of healing on Sabbath, and often the Pharisees used His statements as an excuse to further their plots to have Jesus killed.
Read the stories of Jesus’ Sabbath healings in Matthew 12:9-13, Mark 1:21-26, Mark 3:1-6, and John 9:1-16. What are the most significant things you notice in these stories?
Jesus confirmed that the Sabbath is important. We need to put boundaries around Sabbath time to keep it special and to allow this weekly time to be an opportunity to grow our relationships with God, our families, our church, and our community. But Sabbath keeping should not be selfishly about just us. As Jesus said, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matt. 12:12, NKJV).
Many church members do much good work to care for others. But many of us also feel that we should do more to help. We know God cares about those who are hurting, oppressed, or forgotten, and that we should care, too. Because we are commanded not to pursue our regular work and are freed from the pressures of the week, on Sabbath we are given time to focus on this concern for others as one of the ways of true and active Sabbath keeping: “According to the fourth commandment the Sabbath was dedicated to rest and religious worship. All secular employment was to be suspended, but works of mercy and benevolence were in accordance with the purpose of the Lord … To relieve the afflicted, to comfort the sorrowing, is a labor of love that does honor to God’s holy day”. – Ellen G. White, Welfare Ministry, p. 77.
| What do you do for the good of others on Sabbath? |
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I cannot ignore the fact that the Sabbath is not just a "religious requirement" but a rattling good idea for your health. The lesson author talks about healing others, but we could benefit from thinking for a moment about ourselves and the health benefits that Sabbath.
I have told you before about the importance of Sabbath to me during my years of research study but it is appropriate to do it here again. For many years my main research meeting was on Friday. After several hours of intense discussion and argument, I would be pretty exhausted and I would make the comment to my unchurched supervisor that I was going home to have Sabbath, my day of rest. He envied my day of rest. I would drive home and forget about concurrency control and transaction theory for the next 24 hours, and be refreshed to start again on Saturday night. The funny thing was that a couple of times, while I was sitting listening to the church service, a great idea for my research would pop into my head. I reckon God must have a sense of humour! The time out from doing my intense research was something than kept me sane during those years of study.
I think of how busy we get on some Sabbaths and wonder if perhaps our church busy-ness is destroying the very purpose of the Sabbath than God intended for us.
Jesus knew the importance of rest:
We need to put boundaries around Sabbath time to keep it holy. We have to be intentional otherwise we will drown in selfish desires and motives.
A religion submerged in tradition had lost sight of the principle of the Sabbath.
“To do or not to do, that’s the question,” as they reflect on “keeping the Sabbath holy” in a world where holiness is not easily recognized and time is of the essence.
There is a close link between the Sabbath and the commitment to serve others.
What is the attitude toward the Sabbath?
Amos 8: 5 & 6
“When will the New Moon be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market wheat?”—
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating with dishonest scales,
6 buying the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.
we are invited to look out for those who struggle, who are captives, who are hungry and naked and walk in darkness, whose names no one seems to remember. In fact, if we are honest and take a good look into the mirror, that’s what we ourselves really are.
Fasting and praying are not good replacements for humble service and unselfish giving. Sabbath worship, it seems, cannot be a self-centered pursuit of happiness, but should focus upon God’s dreams and His will for this world.
Instead of pursuing the siren-breathed whispering of i Society, God invites us to experience the sheer delight of discovering His sustaining and creative grace as we serve the society.
Since the Fall our human nature is naturally self-centered. How can service for others invigorate our Sabbath experience?
Read Ezekiel 20. God had a rebellious group of Israelites! God threatened to destroy them because of their rebelliousness, He relented however because of His love and promises of a land full if milk and honey. Are we stubborn when it comes to doing what God has given us to do for Him ? Do we find our own pleasures when it comes to keeping the Sabbath Holy? I am afraid the answer is, yes. Exodus 20:8, we all know by heart.
Paul when you mentioned pleasure, immediately Isaiah’s words came to mind, reminding us to turn from our own pleasures. Isaiah 58:13-14. I add verse 14 because with about every admonishment, command if you will, there is a wonderful promise, reward if you will. I trust you caught why we couldn’t pull up your text, you put a comma after it instead of a period.
Over the years I have learnt that Sabbath keeping helps me heal.just as Maurice put it Sabbath breaks the weekly routine we are so used to and sets our mounds to focus on God and creation.
I usually find that time I spend away from my computer, office desk, my clients and other cares restores my health for a brand new start
Christ also teaches that we can heal others who are afflicted and need restoration on Sabbath, unfortunately in my years as a Seventh Day Adventist I often don't see this happening, we mostly soend our time with people we know it who are close to us.
May God help us (the church) understand this
I do agree that the Sabbath can be a day to help others, wich in a sense is also a way of honoring its Creator. Doing good can be the result of a practical faith. But we cannot be pragmatic about it. Doing good should be a rule for everyday life. In this sense, a little bit of the "Sabbath spirit" should we carry all week long.
In the church where I was baptized in Burbank, Illinois, we would sometimes visit the local nursing home and sing to the residents and visit with them one on one. They seemed to enjoy the time we spent there and we were blessed as well.
I am the only SDA in a family of Catholics (parents and siblings). I have a difficult time attending family functions that are held on Sabbath but sometimes do attend so as my family does not feel forgotten. I try to avoid attending the church mass that is sometimes a part of the events and held on the Sabbath, but if it is a funeral or a wedding of a very close relative this is very difficult. Please comment on how you handle this in light of today’s lesson about being a blessing to others.
Tony, God can use you when interacting with your family even on the Sabbath. Go and be yourself while respecting your beliefs and without disparaging their beliefs and the Spirit will do His work.
I can relate to having Catholic relatives. I was raised by a mother who was educated by the nuns and a father who attended a Catholic boarding school, so if it's a family wedding or a funeral . . . yeah, there will be a Mass. If I'm invited to a ceremony that includes a Mass, I'll go. At least it's in a church, you know? They might even crack open a Bible at some point. It gives me a chance to connect with family and it might even turn out to be a witnessing opportunity, although such opportunities come along very rarely. Besides, a wedding in a Catholic church is better than one in a bar.
Christ 1st mission was to seek and save the lost. Luke 19:10. John 3:17. I believe that Christ second mission as evidenced by the healing on the Sabbath in multiple stories, was to teach the people to restructure there mindset, as to what the Sabbath was all about. It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Matthew 12:9-13. Mark 3:1-6. Luke 13:10-17. John 9:1-16. We can rest from the labor of gain we accomplished for 6 days, to rest in the labor for others.
Tony, It is not harmful or a sim to worship with and participate in worship unbelievers. Your family knows your beliefs and will appreciate your honoring their beliefs. It makes it easier for them to respect your beliefs and even someday they may accept yours. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Keep your relationship with the Lord fresh each day and invite the Holy Spirit to go with you to your worships with your family and peak to each one there.
An excellent point, Jeanette.
Yea, good point, Isaiah reiterates that the 4th statute is open to all, God invites all to partake. In our share of worship with others of other beliefs, our testimony of Gods day to be hallowed, the Seventh-day Sabbath, is our human touch, extending Gods invitation to all.
“Also the foreigners(those of other beliefs) that join themselves to Jehovah, to minister unto Him, and to love the name of Jehovah, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, and holdeth fast my covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. The Lord Jehovah, who gathereth the outcasts of Israel, saith, Yet will I gather others to Him, besides His own that are gathered.”
Isaiah 56:6-8 ASV
Some time ago, God opened my eyes to a ministry opportunity in the small church of which I was a member. I found a young couple who attended infrequently having a discussion in the foyer, and not wanting to intrude, I smiled politely and passed by. God called to my heart to invite them to my home, but I had nothing prepared and again did not want to intrude in their conversation. Later I found out that they were going through a difficult time in their relationship and were looking for a church family in hope of support and encouragement. But they did not return to the church and afterward separated.
This changed my attitude about people who attend church. I now consider anyone who steps across the threshold of the church’s door “fair game” for Holy Spirit directed friendship, and look for people who do not seem to have a connection with anyone in church and take an interest in getting to know them. Many of these people just want to know that someone cares enough about them to listen, but not preach to them or try to solve their problems. (I am not a counselor or psychologist in any case.)
When you get to know someone, there are often little kindnesses that you can do to let them know they are valued and that make a huge positive impact on their lives. And I pray for each of these people. Opportunities for sharing my own stories of how God has supported and lead me through tough times in my life naturally occur as the friendship deepens. By temperament, I am reserved, so I may feel really vulnerable when I share, but God sustains me. After all, this life is not about me. It is all about Jesus who mingled with people as one desiring their good.