“When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and He stayed by the seashore. And one of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came, and upon seeing Him, fell at His feet and pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but instead had become worse— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she had been saying to herself, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that power from Him had gone out, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman, fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be cured of your disease.”” Mark 5:21-34 NASB

In week 3, I want us to jump from Old Testament law to New Testament teaching. But, before we do that,  let’s take a look back at this past week. How did we do at practicing Sabbath for ourselves? How did we do at practicing Sabbath communally? Remember the Sabbath isn’t just about a brief escape from work but about aligning to God’s vision for the world, allowing everyone to experience the rest He provides. 

One of the biggest roadblocks we always experience when referring to the Sabbath is time. How did time become something we manage and measure rather than a gift for us to enjoy? In our current culture, we often view time as a resource to be spent or controlled. We pride ourselves on being busy and getting things done. But Sabbath invites us to see time differently—as a precious gift from God, meant to be enjoyed and delighted in.

If you didn’t already know, our culture has an obsession with productivity. Think about the last time you met someone, did you ask them “what do you do for a living?” We’ve become enamored by what someone does rather than who they are. With that, we often judge the quality of our days based on how much we accomplish. A day filled with completed tasks is a good day, meanwhile a day where things don’t get done feels like a waste. This mindset can be exhausting and ultimately unsatisfying. We start to believe that our worth comes from our ability to produce, and we feel guilty when we’re not constantly doing something. Our lives are riddled with productivity fatigue and plagued with productivity guilt. We are doing too much, while not doing enough at the same time. How messed up does that sound?

Sabbath offers an alternative relationship to time. Instead of seeing time as something to be maximized, it teaches us to experience time for what it is, a gift. The practice of Sabbath challenges us to stop striving and simply be present. It’s a day set apart for delight and reflection. It’s a time to gaze at the stars instead of the ground, to replace our obsession with productivity with a sense of wonder.

One of the most profound lessons of the Gospel is that Jesus often embraced interruptions. Take a look at our main text in Mark – we find Jesus on his way to raise Jairus’ daughter from death, but He was interrupted by the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus didn’t scoff or push it off because he was on task and had somewhere to be, but He welcomed the interruption. Jesus saw interruptions not as inconveniences, but as opportunities to show God’s love and power. Let’s be honest and self reflecting here – how often do we welcome interruptions in our lives? More often than not, we see them as setbacks that keep us from our goals. Sabbath reminds us to slow down and open our hearts to what God might be doing in those unforeseen moments.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your schedule today? Transparently, I know I am. As a Husband, father of 3, Pastor, employee, friend, brother, son – need I say more? Most days, I can find myself saying “there’s not enough time in a day.” Let’s contemplate what a weekly Sabbath could do for our souls – it doesn’t mean neglecting responsibilities or pretending that work doesn’t matter. It means taking one day to rest and realign with God’s purposes, to trust Him enough to stop striving. Let’s go against the grain and remember that our value doesn’t come from what we do but from who we are in God’s eyes.