Sep 23, 2018

Bible verse for meditation:

Mark 2:23-28.

NRSV
23 One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.

24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?”

25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?

26 He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.”

27 Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath;

28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

KJV
23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.



What does this scripture mean to you?
Has it had a different effect this reading as compared to times past?
How does this scripture make you feel?

Continue breathing deeply as you ponder this meaning.

Meditation on scripture / bible verse meditation:

In the Old Testament, God placed serious focus on establishing the sabbath day. From the creation of the Earth, God established the sabbath. Exodus 20 shows that one of the ten commandments is even to keep the Sabbath day holy. Not only that but this command extended to servants and evern animals. In the law of moses the consequence for not honoring the sabbath was death. In Numbers 15 a man was put to death for collecting sticks on the sabbath. In Isaiah 56 the keeping of the sabbath was a sign of the covenant which was also correlated to the temple. Even the blessing of manna from Heaven, which was from God, conform to the sabbath during the 40 years the Israelites stayed in the desert after the exodus. Suffice it to say that the sabbath was not made light of by God. It is understandable then, that the Jews would want to honor the Sabbath. They attempted to take the scriptures and determine very specifically what it means to honor the sabbath.

When Jesus came healing with the Power of God on the sabbath, this appeared to violate God’s law. This example is yet another example of it when his disciples picked and ate the food on the sabbath. Jesus taught that he was fulfilling the law of Moses. We should not take this to mean that the sabbath is no longer important to him. Some people have suggested that the translation of the above scripture states that the sabbath was created ‘on account of’ us. In other words, God knew what we needed and established his holy day of rest for our benefit not as another punishment. As Christians we can experience deeper knowledge of God and greater connection with Him by honoring His holy day. He longs to be closer to us in our lives, and the sabbath is an amazing opportunity to do just that.

How do you weekly activities align with God’s concept of the sabbath?

Take a few moments to reflect on this message and how it applies to your own life.

Meditation of Prayer:

Pray as directed by the Spirit.
Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him.

Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm:
I invite you to sit in silence feeling being patient for your own faults and trials.

Meditate and Visualize Positive Change in Your Life:

Sue donated on Patreon and selected the scripture. Thanks Sue!

Final Question: What principles do you hold to on the sabbath?

Final thought - As we spend time with God’s spirit we feel his calm and peace. This is even more possible when we spend time to reflect on His word and dedicate time to Him. In this framework we can see the sabbath as the greatest gift of God. If we dedicate this day to worship and peace, it can help us draw nearer to him. Over the next couple days perhaps you can consider how you can better harness the sabbath in your worship to help you draw nearer to God. Consider things like avoiding unnecessary work, or causing others to work unnecessarily. Ultimately though, God loves us. He created the sabbath for us and not the other way around. We can be thoughtful on how best to benefit from this gift, by drawing nearer to Him. I know that as we do this we can be more sensitive to His spirit.

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