Jesus’
teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath was interrupted by something
that distracted him. It was a crippled woman.
Jesus’
heart went out to her, and he acted on his feelings of care by healing
her.
This act was not well received by the leader of the synagogue:
“But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had
cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six
days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured,
and not on the Sabbath day.’” (Luke 13:14) The
leader of the synagogue had strayed from the spirit of the
Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it
holy.” In Isaiah it is recorded: “If you
refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on
my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the
Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your
own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take
delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the
earth….” (Isaiah 58:13-14a)
There is a purpose in keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Just
making
it a law or requirement misses the intent. According to the
book
of Isaiah, to honor the Sabbath you should not serve your own
interests. Jesus’ action in curing the crippled woman added
what is not stated in Isaiah. Keeping the Sabbath may be
serving
the needs and interests of others.
Jesus’ action fits with “You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your strength and with all your minds; and your neighbor as
yourself,” which has become known as the Great Commandment.
Jesus’ action was not against the spirit of the Sabbath, but in
the spirit of the purpose of the Sabbath by lovingly healing.
The
sacredness of the human personality is affirmed in the Great
Commandment.
Keeping the Sabbath is not meant to keep us from enjoying life and
family; rather in this text, there seems to be a close connection
between keeping the Sabbath with health and well being. Last
week
Pastor Alex referred to a scientific study that verifies the connection
between health and attending to one’s spiritual relationship with
God. The congregation I served in Illinois has a nurse on the
staff, a Parish Nurse. I found working with the Parish Nurse
in
my pastoral care was a significant asset.
There is other measurable evidence beyond the study to which Pastor
Alex referred, that shows the impact of spiritual wellness on
one’s physical health. Herbert Benson, A Harvard physician,
studied the impact of meditation and faith on stress. He
found
that spiritual practices and belief have good affects on hypertension,
infertility, allergies, insomnia, depression, headaches and other
physical problems. Dr. Benson doesn’t feel spiritual
practices and faith should replace medical science, but should
supplement what the medical doctors are doing.
Kenneth Pargament of Duke University followed 596 older patients for a
year. Patients who felt alienated from, or unloved by God and
attributed their illness to the devil, had a 19-28% boost in the risk
of dying. Religious struggle could affect heath, perhaps by
affecting the immune system.
There are some other interesting examples which relate one’s
relationship with God to health and wholeness. The Herald
Tribune
reported last Tuesday that there is an average of 9 days of paid
vacation a year in the USA, whereas in Europe it is closer to 30 days
of paid vacation, and the lowest is 20 days. Globalization
may
well reduce the number of days of paid vacation in Europe over time;
however, it is unlikely to become as low as 9 days.
It has been found that the work ethic in the USA has brought negative
effects. The workaholic fools himself or herself into
thinking
he/she is indispensable. Not only the physical health of the
individual is put in jeopardy, but it has been discovered that the
creativity and productivity of the person decreases when there is no
regular pattern of rest.
A number of years ago there was an attempt to increase productivity by
changing the 7 day week to a 10 day week. It was felt more
could
be accomplished, and it was consistent with the metric system with the
base 10. The experiment was a total failure, hardly
surprising
when in Genesis we read that God rested after 6 days of
creating.
Apparently there is a pattern of living that includes a day of
rest. The commandment is like the instructions coming with a
product, telling how that product should best be used to get the
ultimate results.
There is more than just rest that is part of the pattern intended by
the Creator. Life functions best when time is given to focus
on
one’s religious and spiritual nature. It is a time to
remember, to reconnect with our Lord, and to refocus on what should be
the center of our living. Remembering the Sabbath is focusing
in
worship on the One who created us. It is time to remind us
that
God, who loves us more than we can imagine, should be part of our
everyday life. In watching CNN’s documentary,
“God’s Warriors,” which I found to be frightening,
non-Christians felt Christians were spiritual or religious only one day
a week, Sunday. That certainly is not the impression we as
Christians want to give, nor is it true to Remembering the Sabbath Day.
Isaiah said that in keeping the Sabbath, taking delight in the Lord,
God will make you ride upon the heights of the earth. I am so
glad to be here. My wife, Cil, and I are thankful to be here
Sundays join with you in taking delight in our Lord. God says
through Isaiah, “…if you call the Sabbath a delight and
the holy day of the Lord honorable; …then you shall take delight
in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the
earth….” May we ride upon the heights of the earth.
Amen.
