Today’s chapter is Luke 6

Tom writes:

Jesus’ claim to be Lord of the Sabbath is pretty mega. Sabbath observance was a crucial and eternal aspect of being God’s people, so it’s no wonder that the Pharisees took exception to Jesus trampling all over it. From the Pharisees’ perspective, Jesus was taking a chainsaw to the supporting branch of their tree house called Torah. False Prophets like him needed to be killed. But what they missed - what they ultimately refused to even consider - was that Jesus was the planter of the Torah tree and the builder of the original tree-house. Jesus’ redefining of Sabbath (with the Old Testament precedent of King David) was really a restoring of God’s original intent for the structure. A major theme in the Early Church’s understanding of Jesus was that he came to bring a fresh re-interpretation of all God had already revealed. The twelve apostles don’t replace Israel (they were already part of Israel!) but they do symbolise the re-creating of Israel that God had always wanted, and Jesus was now providing. In the same way Jesus doesn’t just ditch sabbath, instead he shows sabbath to be the provision by God for his people to lean into the nurture of God. God wanted Sabbath to be a day of formation - where the “sons of the Most High” would remind themselves of the Mercy of the Most High... and thereby become more merciful themselves. God wants a people defined by Sabbath; who abound in mercy, who even love their enemies, who are a tree bearing beautiful fruit.

Is that what Sabbath is for me? A non-negotiable commitment in my life to lean into God’s provision and to infuse myself with God’s mercy? I worry how much I live the praxis of our culture’s religion; “always on” productivity. I find myself driven by the idol of efficiency. I try to solve my problems with a bit more effort, or a bit more information. Or I just scroll my phone because… well... I can? I fear I have gone to the opposite extreme of the pharisees’ rigid rules on rest, but with the same effect; I miss the nurturing mercy of God and I have little reserves left to show his mercy to others. But - here is the good news - Jesus came to help people like me and you. If we allow him to be our teacher his blessing of rest can rest upon us. If we let Jesus’s kindness and mercy be our portion, if we allow his nurturing sabbath to soak into our soul, we will become a really good tree and we will bear really good fruit.

Question for reflection

How are you intentionally leaning into the mercy and nurture of the Most High?

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Luke 6 - Monday 8th January