The book of Isaiah was crafted during 3 different distinct times. Today our reading comes from 3rd Isaiah – the last of the books. God’s people have returned from Babylon. But the temple of God is still destroyed, years pass, and infighting erupts between the rich exiles who have returned and the poor farmers who were left to work the land. The prophetic writer brings the word of God instructing rebuilding the community and the most vulnerable among us will lead to rebuilding our nation and temple. Isaiah 58:9b-14
Before today’s reading, Jesus has told the parable of the fig tree. For three years, the owner has come looking for fruit but has been disappointed. The farmer tells the owner ‘let’s give the tree some fertilizer, improve it’s conditions, and THEN see if it produces fruit.’ Today Jesus finds someone who is weight down with a bad spirit. He releases her, improves her condition, and she begins to produce the good fruit of praising God. Luke 13:10-17
The Ten Commandments are pretty clear on the Sabbath: (Exodus 20:8-11) “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Not only are we told to sabbath – which means to stop – but we’re told why. God took 6 measures of work, then 1 measure of rest. That 7th measure is blessed and holy. Stop business as usual on that day.
And we are to follow the pattern God has set.
So what in the world is Jesus doing today?
The rabbis want to know the same thing. They tell the crowd, “Six days this man could have healed, but he chose today. Won’t he stop? Won’t he honor the Sabbath?” What would it have hurt to have the woman return TOMORROW? Tomorrow early even?!
Jesus argues back, “Don’t each of you release your work animals on the Sabbath? Shouldn’t we release this child of Abraham, who is worth so much more than an animal?” No one makes their animals labor on the day of rest, but they’re okay with making this woman labor under the bad spirit that cripples her.
Jesus’ argument is that he IS honoring the Sabbath.
So who is right?
What IS labor and what isn’t labor? What can you do on a day of rest and what can’t you do?
Who does the Sabbath belong to? Us, God, the church, another?
This argument – what can or cannot be done on the 7th day – is an old debate and still not over.
I asked some people this week what “honoring the Sabbath” meant to them. I heard:
-That means it’s the Lord’s day. And you’re only supposed to worship God and do church things.
-The Sabbath is weird. It’s like honoring the sin of sloth.
-You’re not supposed to do anything on that day.
-It’s a family day.
-It’s a work day. Someone has to run the restaurants all the church people go to eat.
In other words, I heard that Christians are just as befuddled over the nuts and bolts of how to honor the Sabbath as the Jews of Jesus’ time.
Our church fathers Irenaeus and Tertullian in the 2nd and 3rd centuries argues Jesus liberates us from meaningless work. Since it’s not possible for a Christian to do something meaningless, we are therefore always working towards purpose. Therefore, we don’t need an idle day. We are always *spiritually* resting, anyways. To these two men, there was no need of a Sabbath day. EVERYDAY is a Sabbath day.
Now, Ignatius, another Church father, thought it was awful that some Christians acted like Jews on the Sabbath and spent the day relaxing, eating, drinking, dancing, walking in nature, and admiring the work of God. He argued we need to spend the day in meditation on God.
Several hundred years later the Reformation picked up Ignatius’ words and nodded their sage German heads. Yes. Stoic. Quiet. Meditation. St. Michael’s comes from the German Reformed tradition. We were known for our… particularly harsh interpretations of what could be done on Sabbaths.
The Westminster Confession of Faith, part of our heritage, tell us to not even “think” about our “worldly employments and recreations” and instead, to spend the entire day in worship, mercy, and necessity. The Heidelberg Catechism, which I know some of you studied in your Confirmation, expands this – nothing slothful or idle at all on the Sabbath.
Did you grow up knowing those kids that weren’t allowed to go to a party on a Sunday? Did you hear stories of grandparents not allowed to play with toys on Sundays? Or allowed to read nothing but the Bible?
Those church communities still exist.
Echos of this time are etched in our nation’s “Sunday Laws” or Blue Laws. Reformation Sabbath observance is why alcohol sales are restricted on Sundays here in Ohio, but not other days. In other states, in this county or that, it is illegal to open your business to sell things on Sunday – or specific things like cars (considered a luxury and not a necessity like food.)
And we’re not alone. Many countries have laws like this stemming from legally enforcing the theology of Sabbath is for God, and God alone.
… And in enters Jesus.
Generation after generation… in enters Jesus arguing against our laws in favor of the spirit of the laws. No matter what generation or era we’re in, Jesus is our Living Word and always asking us to reflect on ourselves and see if we’ve given up the love of God and neighbor for any other purpose.
So Jesus heals on the Sabbath. Twice. First a man and his hand; and today a woman who is hunched over. And twice, this makes the clergy angry. And twice, the crowds are pleased. And this healing is used to help justify arresting and killing Jesus.
He breaks the letter of the law to remind us WHY we have these laws… and the message isn’t just for the people of Jesus’ time. It is for ever generation.
Jesus says in scripture, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
But we humans like to take this spirit of freedom and turn it into an evil spirit that oppresses and bends us over, weight us down, instead of setting us free.
God didn’t set up 6 days of creation, and then order that creation to worship God. God worked 6 days, and then rested. Enjoyed the creation. Enjoyed the fruit of God’s labor. And let the world rest then, too. 6 days of labor, work, toil… then a stop. A stop that is ordered for everyone – not just those who can easily take a day off, but those they employ or enslave.
A day for the vulnerable to have for themselves. A day for the hourly wage worker to be able to sit and enjoy time with their family. A day for the workaholic to turn off their phone and sit with their community and reconnect. A day for us to gather- here at church, and ball games, and houses — and be the body of Christ.
In the author of 3rd Isaiah’s time, the rich were able to take this break, but the poor had to work through the Sabbath to feed themselves. The rich didn’t give them Sunday or Saturday off. The culture didn’t care that there were those so poor they had to labor every day to get by.
The prophet says this abuse of the Sabbath is why the city of Jerusalem wasn’t restored: the community is ill. There are people with more than enough who are not doing justice and mercy and enable the whole community to rest, connect, and rebuild themselves.
He is angry that the “yoke” of the economy is more important than the rest God mandates for all people. He’s angry that accusations and lies fuel the community. We should be fueled by satisfying the needs of the afflicted and feeding the hungry.
We are as strong as our weakest link. Our weakest link is our most vulnerable people. When they are well fed, cared for, rested, and treated well… the entire community grows strong. We have strong bones, flourishing like watered gardens, and are a light to the world.
When our most vulnerable are tramped and hurt. When our poor must work 2 or 3 jobs and cannot afford a day off. When our elderly are lonely and isolated. When our children are fearful of guns in their schools. When we have societal issues like this, we can see our community is ill. Our community gets these awful yokes and burdens when we are fragmented, and hurting, and have stopped seeing one another as full expressions of the image of God.
So lift up your vulnerable, and the entire community benefits, says scripture.
And Jesus, on the Sabbath, lifts up one of the most vulnerable. The entire community then benefits.
The Sabbath is honored when we know Sunday as a joy, a delight. A day we are community focused. A day for connecting, and resting, for enjoying the creation of God, and making sure all are able to have this day.
So many of us find we do not just burn our candles at both ends, but also in the middle. Working ourselves to the bone. This is a symptom of our sickness. Burning away our lives and joys – often because we MUST to survive.
That is not shalom. That is not wholeness and completeness. That is the Body of Christ hurting.
There is more than enough for all people’s basic needs. There is more time to do all that is required of us. But unequal wealth, in unequal responsibilities, and unequal needs start more and more fires on our candle ends and middles.
Sabbath is a time to snuff those extra fires out. Sabbath is a time to set your burdens down for others to pick up. Sabbath is a time for those of us who are able to pick up those additional burdens. When we share our joys, our concerns, our needs, our extras, we make the whole body healthy.
We bring Sabbath to the Body of Christ. To our community. And therefore, to ourselves.
Sabbath is about shalom. Peace. Wholeness. Completeness. Joy. Inside and out. For all people, all creation, and our peacefulness with God and one another.
Amen
Pastor Whitney Bruno Sermons 