Learning from the Pharisees

cre⋅scen⋅do Part 2
-a continuation of Sunday's message from John 5:1-18

The celebration of the Sabbath was at the heart of 1st Century Judaism. There is no way to exaggerate the importance of the Sabbath. If you were a Jew in the 1st Century then you were constantly aware of the Sabbath. The 4th Commandment was at the heart of who they were as a people and for one big reason it was the central point of their faith. They were convinced that all of Israel's problems were due to them breaking the 4th Commandment. There are passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel that give them good reason to feel that way. We should not pound on the religious leaders too much for wanting to protect the Sabbath. There was something justifiable in their conviction. Scripture tells us that when we pay attention to the Sabbath then it signals to others that we are faithful to the Living God. It shows others that we know that we are not God- we keep the command of God.

Exodus 31:13-14. “You shall surely observe my Sabbaths, for this is a sign from me to you throughout your generations that you may know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies you; therefore you are to observe the Sabbath for it is holy to you and anyone who defames it shall surely be put to death for whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from among my people."

When God’s people stop working for one day a week and start worshipping and pursuing the Living God, it is a sign that they know who really rules the world. The opposite is also true. When God’s people no longer rest once a week it is a dramatic sign that they no longer believe that God reigns (Darrell Johnson). The Pharisees were deeply concerned that they would automatically pay the price for their disobedience to the Sabbath. They were protecting their people, their pride, their faith, their country, their theology, their families. And I believe that we pay the price when we do not take seriously the practice of the Sabbath. Darrell Johnson says it this way: "It’s not an imposition on the human species. It’s an exposition of the human species. God did not arbitrarily come up with this rule. It’s built into the fabric of our humanity. God does not impose it on us. It exposes what we are intended to be. It is about the rhythm of life. It is about how we are to function. The Pharisees rightly cautioned us that we ignore the Sabbath at our own peril. Our pace of life today is a violation of creation. The Pharisees are on to something and we should not dismiss it too quickly."

So pause this week. Stop working. Slow down for one day. Love your family. Play together. Acknowledge God for a whole uninterrupted day. It's who God created you to be. Maybe we can learn a lesson from the Pharisees after all...



Based on lecture notes from Dr. Darrell Johnson...