A MATTER OF PRIORITIES by Kay Kalousek

“The Sabbath was made for the good of human beings; they were not made for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”  Mark 2:27, 28 (GNT)

The white elephant.

It’s a burden--that seemingly valuable gift that someone gave you that now adds clutter or complexity to your life.  You can’t get rid of it because your aunt, grandmother, mother-in-law (fill in the blank) would be hurt and upset if you did.  So the white elephant just sits there wasting space, time, or energy and yet you are stuck with it.

The term “white elephant” comes from the story that the kings of Siam (now Thailand) would make a present of one of these animals to courtiers who had fallen out of favor.  Since the animals were considered sacred and the gift had been from the king, the gift couldn’t be disposed of and therefore could ruin the recipient by the cost of its maintenance.

In the time of Jesus, one of the God’s great gifts, the Sabbath, had become a white elephant for many people.  The burdens and restrictions that had been placed on the Sabbath by humans made it a weekly obligation ruling everyone’s life.  Instead of being a delight, Sabbath had become a taskmaster enslaving people with endless rules.  For many, the Sabbath had become an end unto itself and the real purpose of the Sabbath—ceasing from labor to thankfully honor God for His creation—had become lost.  Many of the religious leaders had become “Sabbath police” ready to pounce on anyone who deviated from their legalistic observance of Sabbath law and people were slaves to the Sabbath.

So when Jesus did things like healing people on the Sabbath, His detractors were always ready to accuse Him.  But Jesus always had an answer for them that pointed out their evil thoughts and their lack of understanding of the meaning and purpose of the Sabbath.  This time, however, the religious leaders went after Jesus’ disciples who were picking heads of grain to eat as they walked through a field.  This was considered “harvesting” and therefore they were accused of breaking the Sabbath law.  But Jesus turned this mindset upside-down by pointing out the true nature of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people; people were not created so that the Sabbath could be honored.  God created all things first and designated the seventh day as a commemoration of the work that He had done.

Jesus then declared Himself to be the Creator by stating that he was Lord of the Sabbath.  These words of Jesus were revolutionary and counter to the predominant legalistic viewpoint of the Sabbath!

Jesus sets us free in so many ways including the Sabbath.  He created the Sabbath as a benefit and not as a burden. He reminds us that it is a matter of priorities: to serve the Creator and not the creation, to enjoy the freedom of the Sabbath and not be enslaved by it.. God’s gifts are the best and He never gives us a white elephant!

K.K.

Think about it:  Does the gift of Sabbath direct me to the Giver of Sabbath?