"Then [Jesus] told them, 'The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.'" (Mark 2:27)
In Genesis we learn that God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh. In Exodus we are reminded of this when God gave the Ten Commandments. He told us to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Then God tells us, "For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day." (Exodus 20:11)
Did God really need to rest? Was creating the universe so taxing that God felt exhausted and decided to take a day off? Absolutely not! God spoke the universe into existence ex nihilo, out of nothing. So why did He declare the Sabbath as a holy day?
Jesus answered that question when he said, "The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath."
Earlier that day Jesus and His disciples were walking along a grain field and His disciples picked some of the grain and ate it. This was a common practice to pick from the edge of the field. The Pharisees, a group of religious leaders that tried to strictly follow the law, challenged Jesus about the actions of His disciples violating the Sabbath. The Pharisees were so concerned about keeping the law they became very legalistic about every nuance of the law.
When Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, he was saying that the Sabbath was God's way of telling mankind that they had to let their bodies rest. Rest is necessary to good health. A good night's sleep and a regular day off are important for physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
Our society has become so busy we no longer have time for God. But our business is of our own making. With the invention of the electric light bulb, people are able to stay up much later than they were 200 years ago. With television and the Internet, we have entertainment at our finger tips to occupy our minds. Some people believe they cannot sleep without the television running and others are on some type of electronic device until the early morning hours. They spend their days sleepy and unproductive. The have to nap during the day which means they have difficulty sleeping at night and the cycle of sleep deprivation due to electronic gadget addiction is repeated. A worn out body and a worn out mind is ineffective at so many things including working for the Lord.
The Sabbath (rest) was not God putting a legal restriction on us. He gave us that command because it's for own own good. It's also for His glory. If we are well rested and we take time to step away from all our work, we should devote that time to strengthening our relationship with Jesus.
Do an honest assessment of how much time you spend watching television, streaming videos, being distracted and "killing time" watching mindless programs or viewing materials that do not build you up. Now take a fraction of that time and add it to your prayer life and your time in God's Word. How much stronger will your spiritual life become?
Or, one final question to ask yourself: If you gave your spouse only the same amount of time you give God each day, how strong would your marriage be? Your relationship with the Lord is just that; a relationship. Relationships are meant to be relational which requires un-distracted time with those you love.
