The demands of "rest"

Mark 3: 1 - 6

Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm.....

I have never lived in the outskirts of the city. I grew up more or less in PJ (from the age of eight) and I cannot remember my younger days in a small town and what a quieter place might be like. The only opportunities to visit the rural areas were actually when I went overseas for holidays....the wide expanse of land, the small numbers of people and vehicles, the sounds and smells of nature.....all bring back memories of what 'rest' is like. In such settings, the external environment provides a model for the inner. The heart and mind would find it easier to settle down when the outside noise lessens. In city life, we have to work harder at stilling the inner environment, even and especially when the outside noise never ceases. Today is a public holiday, but there will be as many cars on the roads because people take the opportunity to go out shopping. We live in homes with small or no gardens and need to commute to find recreation space.

The Pharisees had no problem with such busyness on the Sabbath. They had made sure that their rules and regulations covered every minute 'work' that had to cease during the Sabbath.

The joyful 'rest' that God provided for his people had instead become a heavy yoke for them. They could easily fall foul of the law and be reprimanded. Though the Pharisees did not speak out against him, Jesus knew and was grieved by their negative reaction to his act of mercy on the Sabbath.

Today, we no longer have rules and regulations for the practice of the Sabbath or indeed for most of our religious life. But this freedom should not deteriorate into neglect of spiritual disciplines either. We work hard during the week and keep ourselves busy on the Sabbath in order to serve others. And that is what Jesus modeled for us. But in the midst of all the bustle, how do we keep the spirit of the Sabbath commandment alive in our hearts?