Holy Days – Being a Pilgrim

“Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.””
John 5:8-10 NKJV

An amazing miracle had just taken place. A man who had been severely disabled or even paralysed for thirty eight years had been healed. Totally and completely. It was as though the condition, the infirmity, had never been there in that man’s body. This miracle took place on the Jewish Sabbath, when a whole shed full of laws and regulations applied, rules which were enforced by the Jewish religious authorities. To them, it was unimportant that the man had been set free from a condition that would have otherwise have been with him to his grave. What mattered were their laws – to the Jewish authorities, they superseded anything else that would, or could, take place on the Sabbath.

Jesus Himself also confronted the Jewish Sabbath laws. We can read of an episode recorded by Luke, where the disciples were walking through some fields containing grain, and, because they were hungry, they broke off a few ears, removed the husks, and ate what was left. The Jewish authorities who were there as well, immediately took issue with this, because, in their opinion, this was doing work on the Sabbath, in harvesting grain. In reply, Jesus reminded the Jews that David, when he and his men were hungry, also broke the law by taking and eating the bread intended for priestly consumption. We can read more about this in 1 Samuel 21. But Jesus was having none of their hypocrisy and we read in Luke 6:5, “And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath“”. In Mark 2:27, we read, “And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath“. Jesus was saying to them that the letter of the law should be overlaid with common sense.

In the Western Isles in Scotland, the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8) is still observed, strictly by some, and particularly on the Isle of Lewis. So shops and cafes are closed, and work forbidden. Even children at play are frowned upon. The definition of what is, and what isn’t, holy is open to interpretation, but the principle of setting aside a day of rest and worship is followed by many there. However, sometimes we forget why God supplied this commandment. It wasn’t just to be an opportunity to engage in religious activities, but it was also there for the benefit of the people, to give them a chance to recover from their busyness and hard work. The Sabbath was supposed to be a day of rest.

But back to the account of the man healed of his infirmity. His was an example of where an instruction from Jesus came up against laws being applied by the authorities. Following God or doing what the civil or religious authorities say can be a fine balancing act. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. …” (Romans 13:1a), and Peter’s declaration in Acts 5:29, “But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority“. Obeying God is the higher authority when there is a conflict but taking such a stand can have consequences, as the early Christian martyrs discovered. In Western societies today however, we are free to observe our faith (for now), but in other countries there is no such freedom.

So what do we pilgrims think about the Sabbath day? Do we use this day as a time for attending church or visiting family? Or do we treat it like any other day? In the UK the Sabbath is traditionally a Sunday, and we find that secular demands made by society have largely eliminated God’s command of keeping the day holy. So the shops are still open. Sports are played. Many businesses have extended their working week to include Sunday shifts. It is very much an individual choice but the principle of having a day of rest, a holy day, is often necessary for our own mental health and for spending quality time with our Heavenly Father. The fourth commandment is there for a reason. We neglect it at our peril.

Dear Father God. You created mankind and as part of Your design You built into us the need to have a day of rest, a holy day, after six days of work. Please help us set aside the time we need to recharge our physical and spiritual batteries. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

“In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.”
Romans 14:5 NLT

In many ways this verse today is very applicable to Western cultures. For example, our retail industry demands a 7-day working week, with shop assistants, delivery drivers and others having to work on a Sunday, which is considered by many people to be a “holy day”. In the Western Isles in Scotland, Sunday is still considered to be a day of rest, a Sabbath, and in recent years there have been protests and much opposition to anything considered to be “work”. It is only in the latter half of the twentieth century that shops, for example, have been allowed to open here in the UK, and Sabbath principles are still clinging on with restrictions on the sales of certain items. Traditional Presbyterianism has demanded that the Biblical principle of a day of rest is followed strictly.

Our society has become a 24/7 merry-go-round of work, more work, little play and even less of a focus on having a “holy day”. Global communications and universal internet availability facilitate remote working for the white-collar professions. Economic demands encroach into what should be leisure time. But right at the beginning of time as we know it, God set an example for mankind to follow. We read in Genesis 2:2-3, “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation”. By convention, God followers, whether Jewish or Christian, have encouraged the implementation of a “holy day”. The Jewish sabbath. The Christian Sunday. God’s blueprint for mankind followed – until recently that is. In the secular West, a “holy day” has been displaced to become a leisure day, for golf, gardening or some other pastime like shopping or visiting friends or relatives. Human beings, like God, need to rest from labour. We know that working 7-day weeks will wear us down quite quickly, leading to burn out and ill health.

But is it necessary to have a “holy day”? Shouldn’t everyday be dedicated to God? That is right, of course, but a day spent in fellowship with other Christians, corporately worshipping our Heavenly Father, is a time when our spirits are recharged and refilled once again with the Holy Spirit. A time when we take time out from the mundane and briefly look upwards into Heavenly places. A time when we look over the parapets of Heaven and get a glimpse of the Glory lands beyond. A time when we receive some dimly-lit ideas, even visions, of what eternal life will be like. A time when we hear a preacher explore the Word and sing spiritual psalms and songs together. A time when the Holy Spirit has room to minister God’s love and grace amongst us. And as the sun sets on a holy day we look into the week, refreshed and re-equipped to make a difference in our jobs, our schools, our families, and our communities.

Father God. We thank You for Your example of taking a day of rest and the opportunity of spending it in worship to You. May we turn our pews into altars of praise and worship to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.