Wednesday's SOAP - Mark 2:23-28

²³ One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. ²⁴ But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”
 ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ²⁶ He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”
 ²⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

S(cripture) - “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath."

O(bservation) - "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy" is the fourth of the ten commands given by God at Mount Sinai.  It was given with an explanation - God gives you six days to work hard but keep Saturday (the Jewish sabbath) free and clear.  Of course this one law needed clarification and definition.  What is work?  What is allowable and what is not? So an entire "industry" sprang up around the concept of a zero-work day - 39 categories of work with prohibitions, sub-prohibitions and allowances.  One of those prohibitions was harvesting on the Sabbath - something Jesus' disciples violated be breaking off some heads of grain for a snack.  The Sabbath police caught them in the act.  And Jesus tells them, "You got it backwards - it's not about keeping a bunch of rules to honor God and the Sabbath but about this gift of rest - one day that God has given you to renew and recharge (before weekends were invented).

A(pplication) - One of our exercises this week in the Simple Life was to track a day's worth of activities to see if they matched what we say are our priorities.  I was sharing with Michelle (my wife) last night, that I'm not sure tracking one day would be as beneficial as looking at an entire week - obviously tracking a Saturday is going to to look different than a Tuesday or any other day of the week depending on sports and evening activities.  There is to be a weekly rhythm to life - that includes work, play and rest.  The Sabbath was/is a gift from God to humanity to re-create and recharge.  Since we have so little discretionary time, we've turned it into one more day to squeeze activities into.  I guess what I am reflecting on, is that maybe we don't have much time on weekdays to focus on what is important, but Sunday (the early Christians moved worship from Saturday to Sunday - the Lord's day to honor the resurrection) is that great gift that God has given us to get our minds and bodies back on straight.  Are you living in sacred rhythm? Daily or weekly?  God gives us Sabbaths and holy days (not holidays) for a reason - feast days and rest days - time for friend and neighbors and family.  Will you make it a priority?

P(prayer) - Abba, our weeks can get pretty crazy.  Some more so than others.  We live in a world whose motto is work hard and play hard.  Help me to begin to discern where I am out of rhythm.  Yeshua, I want to align my priorities to Your will because I know there is freedom in You.  You are Lord, even over the Sabbath.  In Christ, Amen