What Jesus said about ... (series)

 

What Jesus said about ... working on Sundays.

One Sabbath Jesus went to eat a meal at the home of one of the leading Pharisees ... a man whose legs and arms were swollen came to Jesus, and Jesus asked the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, “Does our Law allow healing on the Sabbath or not?” But they would not say anything. Jesus took the man, healed him, and sent him away. Then He said to them, “If any one of you had a son or an ox that happened to fall in a well on a Sabbath, would you not pull him out at once on the Sabbath itself?” But they were not able to answer Him about this. Luke 14: 1-6

Let's try to understand what Jesus, and God, said about working on the Sabbath (Sunday).

It is understandable that there are some jobs in our modern world that have to be done 24/7 and as a result people have to work on Sundays to ensure that such essential work is done. This was the same at the time of Jesus and He makes the point several times to the Pharisees and the Jewish elders who were more interested in "upholding the law" rather than being sympathetic and merciful to those who needed help and healing. They had a principle to uphold and they saw Jesus as a threat to their authority and position. So they opposed Him at every turn.

But how about this principle today? Having accepted that some people need to work 24/7; what about the rest of us?

Do we spend any time on Sundays in prayer? Going to church? Or even thinking about God? Or has our Sunday truly become a day of rest and totally ignoring its true meaning and principle?

And if we do go to church; has it become just a routine undertaking just to fulfil an obligation and we spend the time there looking at our watch and thinking about the golf game to follow?

I guess that for the most part these observation are hypothetical; because generally church attendance is down to single figures (in the UK) and Christianity seems to be in retreat. 

But for those of us who do go to church; why do we do so? Let us honestly look at the mirror. What distinguishes us as a Christian compared to anyone else? Is going to church enough? Is keeping Sundays "holy" enough? Or are we missing the point entirely?

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God." (Exodus 20:8-11).