But First, Sabbath

I’ve always admired the women at the tomb as they stopped to observe Sabbath before preparing Jesus’ body for burial. Jesus died Friday afternoon before sundown. As was the Jewish law, Shabbat, or Sabbath began at sundown Friday and concluded at sundown Saturday. During this 24-hour period, the Jews adhered to very strict rules including no cooking, cleaning, or any type of work. There was even a limit to the number of steps they could walk. Mark 16:1 tells us, “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.”

I imagine how difficult it would have been for the women to leave Jesus’ body while they went home and rested in observance of Sabbath. What could be more important than caring for Jesus immediately after His brutal death? Even though Sabbath was an ingrained custom, I’m sure the women considered this quite an urgent situation that perhaps might warrant an exception to the rule this one time.

What has intrigued me even further has been the recent “aha” moment of realizing that not only the women stopped to rest, but Jesus Himself observed that same Sabbath. Jesus died on Friday. His body rested on Saturday. And He rose again on Sunday. Scripture doesn’t tell us that Jesus waited until the third day to be raised from the dead in order to observe Sabbath; however, we know Sabbath was such an important rhythm God still longs to teach us. I wonder if this was part of God’s plan to remind us of our need to rest. When the world desperately needed good news, Jesus remained in the tomb, confident of God’s timing.

Mark 2:27 reminds us, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Sabbath isn’t a list of do’s and don’ts; it is an invitation from God to stop striving and ceasing, to take a break, create a rhythm of resting and relaxing in Him, and to focus on delighting in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. There will always be important tasks that seem urgent, but God bids us to stop. Not when our to-do list is complete, but perhaps in the middle of our list so we can experience His provision and presence. When time seems of the essence, He longs to remind us to cease striving and to be still. Throughout Scripture, we see examples of God and His people including a rhythm of rest in their daily routine. As we reflect throughout this Holy Week, may we ponder our observance of Sabbath to discover more fully how He calls us to delight and rest in Him.