Tuesday 19 January 2021

Sabath observance



Today’s reflection is about the Sabbath. It follows on from the reading we’ve just heard (Mark 2:23-28), in which Jesus says, ‘The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath’.

We should think of Sabbath as a gift from God, I believe. The ancient Israelites were, perhaps, the first to see that people can only flourish if they take time off from their busy lives every seven days - time to rest, time to enjoy being with friends and family, as well as time to give thanks to God for all his blessings. So they included this as one of the 10 Commandments in their covenant with God: 

Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you.’.

The Israelites handed this great insight down through the generations to the time of Jesus, and on to all the Abrahamic faiths, though we now observe our sabbaths on different days of the week: Saturday for Jews, Sunday for Christians, and Friday for Muslims.

By the time of Jesus, the religious authorities had surrounded the Sabbath with so many regulations that its purpose was in danger of being lost. Plucking heads of grain to nibble on a walk was seen as prohibited harvest work, which led the Pharisees to criticise his disciples. But Jesus would have no truck with such pettiness, and nor should we.

Down to this day Orthodox Jews still observe their Saturday Sabbath rigorously. Forbidden work for them includes lighting a fire, and many will not turn electricity on or off on the Sabbath, since to do so might cause a spark. I discovered this when I was staying in Italy with my wife Marty, and the next door hotel was hosting a large party of orthodox Jews for the Sabbath. All the lights were left blazing day and night because to turn them off might make a spark, the lift was out of bounds, and there was no hot food. I was very impressed by the happy family groups walking in the grounds, and by their willingness to stop and chat. They were enjoying their Sabbath rest, and made no attempt to criticise me as a gentile for not joining in their discipline.

So how should we as Christians observe our Sunday Sabbath? Until 20 years ago almost all shops were shut on Sundays, except for corner shops selling papers and food, and the occasional chemist. Nowadays all is changed. The car parks at supermarkets and shopping centres are full on Sundays. I feel a bit sad about this, as it means that most shop-workers are obliged to work on Sundays. True, they will have some other day off, but it must be difficult for many families to enjoy Sundays together. However, we must recognise that society has changed, and it would be wrong and counter-productive to force others who do not share our faith to behave as we might wish.

I am sure that it is wise for everyone to enjoy the benefits of a Sabbath day of rest with family and friends. My wife Marty and I choose to go to church on a Sunday to give thanks to God for all his blessings – by zoom for the time being. Then we relax and cook a Sunday roast. But it is really up to each person how to mark their own sabbath, and on what day of the week. We would do well not to criticise the choices of others.

Because the Sabbath is made for us, for you and me - not you and me for the Sabbath!