Sabbath: Ceasing from Work

We often miss the point that Sabbath-keeping is a great gift! Jesus communicates that the Sabbath is not simply one more rule to remember and follow, but rather it is a blessing that God designed and gave to us. It is out of God’s abundance that he rested. The Creator of the universe did not need to rest and recharge because he was tired. No, he rested out of a desire to experience the goodness of creation.

If we feel some obligation to rest out of sheer desire to keep the law, then we need to go back to the source of the Sabbath, the Gift-giver himself and remember that the Sabbath was not given to prevent us from doing our work, but as a gift for us as his children.

Resting on the Sabbath reinforces the idea that we have the opportunity (and freedom) to choose to stop working; we are not slaves to our work. Paradoxically, when we choose to walk away from demands of work for one day a week—when we give up our control over our circumstances and job demands to God—it is at this moment of releasing control that we find real agency. When we take time to rest, we realize we have control over our time, rather than always letting time control us. In observing the Sabbath, we do not run away from our work, but we cease letting it dictate our lives. The habit of stopping work on a regular basis is the antidote for a hurried soul.

Taking time away from work also reminds us of where our true worth lies. We are not valuable because of what we do or because of what we manage to achieve. We are valuable because God loves us and created us in his divine image. When we cease work, we remind ourselves that the world can get along without us. This can be something of a surprise for those who have high levels of work responsibility. Sabbath rest nudges us toward the truth that God values us for who we are, rather than for what we do. We cannot earn God’s favor, but we can rest in knowing that our identity is in Christ.