I. Theme – The role of the sabbath
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Psalm – Psalm 81:1-10
Epistle –2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Gospel – Mark 2:23-3:6
II. Summary
Sometimes rules and regulations can get in the way of our mission. The connection this week is in the role of the Sabbath. Jesus’ operating principle is that the Sabbath ( and the law and the rituals of holiness) was created for humanity, and not the other way around. ’ In that sense, God is chiefly known as love and the laws and purity rituals are for humanity’s own good. The alternate theology is that for humans have to achieve a certain level of holiness – through following laws or practicing purity rituals – to be acceptable to God. That’s the focus on the Pharisees whose religion had deteriorated into rules, regulations and rituals..
To make His point still further, Jesus goes into the synagogue and brings a man with a withered arm into the middle of the gathering. Then, He asks the simple question – is it against the law to do good on the Sabbath – or to save a life? Needless to say, His critics have no answer. Jesus has an answer – he heals the man. Mark’s description of healings were important – they were signs that the Kingdom of God was at hand
First Reading – Genesis 3:8-15
The Ten Commandments stand as a preface to the first major legal section of Deuteronomy (5:1- 12:1) and are substantially the same as those in Exodus 20:2-17 with the major difference being the justification for the Sabbath commandment (5:12-15; Exodus 20:8-11. T
The focus is on the sabbath this week from the ten commandments – "Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. "
It is interesting that the commandment to take Sabbath roots itself in the experience of slavery. “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord brought you out of there with a mighty and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” It’s almost as if the Lord is saying to the people, “Now I didn’t go through all that trouble for you to come up in here and make slaves of yourselves. Take a break!”
Psalm – Psalm 130 Page 784, BCP
Psalm 81:1-10 Formally classified a hymn, this psalm comprises part of a liturgy many believe Israelites used during the fall harvest festival of Sukkot (“booths”). Verses 9-10 contain allusions to the first words of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21), and treat the rebellion of Israel in the desert after leaving Egypt as a violation of the first commandment. Verses 13-16 suggest that repentance and submission to God’s Law constitute the principal requirements for Israel to continue to live fruitfully in the Land of Promise.
As the Law harkened back to the days of slavery in Egypt in establishing the Sabbath, so the Psalm also alludes to it in one of only a few references to the Sabbath in the Psalter: As the Law harkened back to the days of slavery in Egypt in establishing the Sabbath, so the Psalm also alludes to it in one of only a few references to the Sabbath in the Psalter: “He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known: ’I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.’ I heard an unfamiliar voice saying "I eased his shoulder from the burden; his hands were set free from bearing the load."
Epistle – 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Both First and Second Corinthians document a long dispute between Paul and the Christians of Corinth over the Corinthians’ belief that they had already experienced the resurrection and, consequently, were no longer subject either to the powers of this world order or to that world’s moral conventions. Second Corinthians contains fragments of at least four letters Paul wrote in the course of this controversy, and the present passage derives from a large letter fragment (2:14- 7:4) some interpreters call the apologia. Paul builds his argument here that faith in Christ is not a matter of attaining some esoteric spiritual knowledge and taking pride in that attainment. Faith, rather, amounts to the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord (kyrios), a confession that contrasted with the patriotic pledge kyrios kaisar, “Caesar is Lord.”
While the other scriptures in today’s lectionary lead the preacher to an examination of the Sabbath, the passage from Corinthians has other themes: namely suffering and how followers of God might see their suffering in relation to their commitment to higher ideals. One might choose to focus in more on Jesus alleviating suffering, even when it seemingly broke rules and provoked for his critics to plot to destroy him, than to pair with this text if one chooses to hear from or focus on the Epistle.
For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. (7-8)
Gospel – Mark 3:20-35
The law governing the Sabbath had its origins in the ten commandments given to Moses (see First Reading) – but by the time of Jesus had become more and more complex. Rules governing the lighting of fires – precisely what counted as work and what did not – even the distance someone could walk on the Sabbath – all were laid down and carefully observed.
To the Pharisees, picking ears of corn was classed as work and so forbidden on the Sabbath – even if the disciples were hungry and this was all they had to eat. Jesus reminds them of an incident in which David bent the Law in order that he and his men could eat.
He highlights the fact that a law given for the good of God’s people was actually a burden to them. Instead of enjoying their day of rest and spending precious time in worshipping God – they were concerned not to transgress any of the additional rules imposed on the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was given for human creatures – not the other way around.
To make His point still further, Jesus goes into the synagogue and brings a man with a withered arm into the middle of the gathering. Then, He asks the simple question – is it against the law to do good on the Sabbath – or to save a life? Needless to say, His critics have no answer.
Jesus is angry that they are not prepared to reflect on the question – and so offers an answer that they must have suspected was coming: He heals the man.
The answer to the question is, of course, self-evident – and the healing of the man cannot be seen as doing evil on the Sabbath. But the reaction of the critics is not to think again – to reflect on the meaning of the Sabbath. Rather it is to see Jesus as a threat to good order – and to their position.
Even at this early stage of his Gospel, Mark makes clear that such confrontations led to Jesus’ opponents to being the plots which were to lead eventually to His death.