Today in the gospel we encounter one of Jesus' famous sayings, not that all of what Jesus has to say isn't famous, but this particular phrase is catchy, "the Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath."
Interesting to note that even in the time of Jesus things weren't settled when it came to understanding what the Sabbath was and how to keep it holy.
The Pharisees had an understanding that the Sabbath was for God and thus made no provision for man and his needs what so ever. Thus, the disciples picking grain for food and nourishment was considered breaking the Sabbath.
Today, in our current society we discover just the opposite extreme. Today, the Sabbath is looked upon for the sake of man and his leisure or rest but there is no provision for God.
Strange how our society, as much as it seeks to find balance or complains there is not enough balance, always seems to find itself on the extreme end of things, still having not found the balance for which they are looking.
We do this in everything. We want freedom without constrictions and yet we discover we are not free and we want to constrict others. We want to say what ever we want and yet we do not want others to slander us. We want to do what ever we want yet we don't want others to do the same if it interferes with our coming and going.
Extreme make over is exactly for what we are in need.
We need balance. Jesus offers that to us. He is Lord of the Sabbath. God who is man comes to show man how to honor God in our life even on the Sabbath. We should take care of our essential needs but yet we must be mindful of setting aside time to honor God. Honoring God is at the same time taking care of what we need and what other's need as well.
One thing we forget is that we need time to pray, to be silent, to stop the noise and rush of life. We need time to rest in God's presence so that we can refuel and be strength for the duty that lies ahead.
Only together can we truly keep the Sabbath and let the Sabbath keep us.
The reading today provides an opportunity for us to rediscover the Sabbath, rediscover what it means to rest, to have holy leisure and be refilled with God's life and strength.
In the book of exodus God tells Moses to tell the people that the Sabbath is a sign for the children of Israel and God. May we rediscover the sign and let it speak clearly in our lives. May learn to rest in time so we may rest in peace eternally.
Just a thought!
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