Sunday's Message (The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus: Keep the Sabbath Holy)

Jesus reframes the ten commandments from a list of external rules into matters of the heart. He taught that true righteousness is not merely about avoiding bad actions, but about harboring pure thoughts and actively demonstrating love for God and humanity. During the months of July, August and September, we're considering the Ten Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus, focusing on the following topics: 

• July 5 - The Ultimate Summary
• July 12 - No Other Gods
• July 19- No Idols
• July 26 - Do Not Take God's Name in Vain
• August 9 - Keep the Sabbath Holy
• August 16 - Honor Your Father and Mother
• August 23 - Do Not Murder 
• August 30 - Do Not Commit Adultery
• September 6 - Do Not Steal
• September 13 - Do Not Bear False Witness
• September 20 - Do Not Covet

On Sunday, we discussed the fourth commandment: Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That’s why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me. [Exodus 20:8-11, CEV]  Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Well, here we are. After taking a break last week for our annual church picnic, this morning we’re back to our sermon series entitled The Ten Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus. And for y’all who’ve been following along over the first four Sundays, you know we’ve already looked at Jesus’s relationship with the Old Testament Law, you know, how he fulfilled it and radicalized it and summarized it. And then we started putting a Jesus spin on the  commandments themselves, and talked about how we should avoid distractions and focus our attention on our loving Father. And then we considered how our best defense against those false gods that tempt us is to recognize our vulnerability and to prioritize our values and to actualize, you know, to make our faith active. And then two weeks ago, we looked at how we can use God’s name in the best possible way by being honest and by being focused and by being open. Now that’s what we’ve already covered. 

And this morning, we’re going to move on to the Fourth Commandment:

Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That's why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me. [Exodus 20:8-11, CEV]

In other words, we’re going to talk about how we can simply keep the Sabbath holy.

And I’ll tell you, as I was thinking about it, man, it brought back all kinds of memories of growing up in Virginia during the sixties. You see, back when I was a kid, we had the Blue Laws, something that I think a lot of y’all can remember having around here. Of course, when you get right down to it, these Blue Laws were really intended to keep the Sabbath holy by closing certain businesses and restricting certain sales on Sunday. For example, in Virginia, we weren’t allowed to buy electronics or clothing or toys. Man, we couldn’t even buy fresh produce or general groceries. Of course, there were exceptions. I mean, you could buy necessities like newspapers and prescription drugs and gasoline and, of course, prepared food. You can’t close The Sizzler on Sunday. Where would church people go? And since we’re talking about Virginia, we were also allowed to buy both fresh hams and cigarettes, at that time a quarter a pack. Now, this was a legal attempt to protect the Sabbath. And culturally, well, the only sports available on Sunday were played in the back yard or watched on television. Man, there were absolutely no Sunday youth leagues, and the only acceptable social outlet was either visiting relatives or attending carry-in dinners. You see, back in the sixties, keeping the Sabbath holy really meant not doing certain things that would make it like any other day. And I’ll tell you, looking at what it says in Exodus, that’s not a bad take.

But remember, we’re not just looking at the commandments through the eyes of Moses nor the Commonwealths of Virginia or Pennsylvania. Instead, we’re looking at them through the eyes of Jesus. And that applies to the Fourth Commandment just like it does to the rest. And so, this morning, we’re going to look at what Jesus had to say and based on what he taught, we’re going to talk about three ways that we can keep the Sabbath holy. 

But I’ll tell you, before we can do that, I think it’s important to spend just a couple of minutes thinking about what this Sabbath business is all about. And of course, like it is with so many other issues, this is another one that can really trigger certain Christians. As a matter of fact, over the last forty years, some of the most intense discussions I’ve had are over whether the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday, with absolutely no wiggle room between the two sides. But you know, I’ve got this gut feeling that all the arguing must be causing the Apostle Paul to spin in his grave, especially given what he wrote about special, holy  days. I mean, to the Colossians, he said:

Don’t let anyone tell you what you must eat or drink. Don’t let them say you must celebrate the New Moon festival, the Sabbath, or any other festival. These things are only a shadow of what was to come. But Christ is real! [Colossians 2:16–17, CEV]

And then, to the Romans, he wrote:

Some of the Lord’s followers think one day is more important than another. Others think all days are the same. But each of you should make up your own mind. Any followers who count one day more important than another day do it to honor their Lord. [Romans 14:5–6a, CEV]

You see, for Paul, the specific Sabbath day wasn’t all that important. In other words, which day you consider set apart wasn’t really a big deal. As a matter of fact, the “how” was far more important than the “when.” Now that’s according to the Apostle Paul. And like I said, based on what Jesus taught, there are three ways we can keep this day, whichever one it is, holy.

For example, first, I think we can keep the Sabbath holy by experiencing it. You see, we can set this day apart by simply viewing it as this wonderful gift that we can enjoy. And personally, I think that was the point of this little story right near the beginning of Mark’s Gospel.

One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields. His disciples were picking grains of wheat as they went along. Some Pharisees asked Jesus, “Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!”

Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his followers were hungry and in need? It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into the house of God and ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his followers.”

Jesus finished by saying, “People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people. So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.” [Mark 2:23-28, CEV]

Now that was what Jesus said: People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people. [Mark 2:27, CEV] 

You see, for him, this day wasn’t set aside to put a burden on us, you know, to make our lives harder and unhappy. Instead, it’s more like this gift that God gave us to enjoy. I mean, we’ve got six days to do all that stuff we call work, and we do it because we have to. That’s just the way it is. But on the Sabbath, God’s given us one day to put the “have tos” on the back burner for twenty-four hours. Of course, I recognize that we all relax in different ways. I mean, some of us relax by slowing down and vegetating in front of a Hallmark movie. And some of us relax by tubing and playing pickleball. And I’ll tell you, some of us relax by cutting the grass (or is that mowing the lawn) and dinking around on the computer. Relaxing isn’t one size fits all. So long as we’re viewing the day as a gift to enjoy, we’ll experience it in the right way. And according to what Jesus taught, I think that’s the first way we can keep the Sabbath holy.

And second, I believe we can also celebrate it. I mean, we can set this day aside by making the conscious decision to claim the Sabbath as an opportunity to move closer to God and to one another. In other words, we can decide to use this special day to express our praise and to grow in our understanding. And I’ll tell you, based on what Jesus said about the importance of obeying the Law of Moses on the Sabbath, I think he’d agree.

Jesus answered:

I worked one miracle, and it amazed you. Moses commanded you to circumcise your sons. But it wasn’t really Moses who gave you this command. It was your ancestors, and even on the Sabbath you circumcise your sons in order to obey the Law of Moses. Why are you angry with me for making someone completely well on the Sabbath? Don’t judge by appearances. Judge by what is right. [John 7:21-24, CEV]

You see, since the Jews believed circumcision brought them closer to the Lord, it was appropriate for the Sabbath. 

Of course, for us, we have other opportunities to connect with God, and I’m talking about connecting with the Father and with the Son and with the Holy Spirit. You see, on the Sabbath, we can do it through worship. I mean, we can unite as the Body of Christ through the songs we sing and through the prayers we pray and through the Word read and proclaimed we hear. And as we sing and pray and listen, an amazing thing happens: not only are we expressing what we feel and believe, we’re actually drawing closer to God and to one another. You see, on the Sabbath, we have the opportunity to worship, but that’s not all. We also have the opportunity to grow, to grow in our awareness of God and this community we have right here and right now. I mean, we can grow in our appreciation of the Father’s absolute freedom and perfect love. And we can grow in our understanding of how that freedom and love entered our time and space in the person of Jesus Christ, the very incarnation of God. And we can grow in our sensitivity to God’s Holy Spirit, you know, the divine presence that’s constantly flowing around us and through us. I’m telling you, whether we’re gathered around a table exploring God’s word and our own faith or sitting in a quiet place with a Bible open on our lap, on this day, we can grow in our awareness of the one who loved us before he laid the foundation of the universe and will love us long after time has lost its meaning and through that growth, brothers and sisters, we become stronger. You see, God has given us the opportunity to connect, something that we can celebrate on this day. And according to what Jesus taught, that's the second way we can keep the Sabbath holy.

And third, I think we can make the Sabbath holy by using it. In other words, we make it special by recognizing that this day gives us a time to live as the Body of Christ and to become the men and women God created us to be and to look past ourselves so that we might appreciate the needs of others. And I’ll tell you, I think that was exactly what the Evangelist Matthew was getting at when he wrote this:

Jesus left and went into one of their synagogues, where there was a man whose hand was paralyzed. Some Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, so they asked him, “Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?”

Jesus answered, “If one of your sheep fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you lift it out? People are worth much more than sheep, and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” Then Jesus told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one. [Matthew 12:9-13, CEV]

“...and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath,” [Matthew 12:12b, CEV] Now that’s what Jesus said.

And even though I’m tempted to say “Dah,” I’m not going to do it, because if we’re not careful, using this time, this day to do good, well, often I don’t think it’s our highest priority, not on the Sabbath. And to be completely honest, I don’t think it’s all our fault. I mean, we can become so focused on using the Sabbath to enjoy this wonderful gift by focusing on ourselves that we never even think about all the ways we can help and serve others. And I’ve got to tell you, we can also become so focused on celebrating this incredible opportunity that folks who are facing genuine fears and frustrations and who are enduring real problems and pain and who are right this minute feeling absolutely abandoned and alone, that their voices are drowned out by our songs and our prayers and our words and are viewed as distractions to our group studies and personal devotions. You see, I think this kind of thing can happen. And although seeing the Sabbath as a gift to enjoy and an opportunity to connect are really important, so is accepting that on this special day, we have the time to do good. My gosh, just think about it. Today, we have the time to make a difference in the lives of others. And today, we have the time to share some good news in the middle of a world that seems overwhelmed with the bad. And today, we have the time to remind folks that they are not alone and that they’re loved by the creator of the universe and that they might find an open and accepting family right here in this community. You see, God has given us the perfect time to do good, something that we can use on this special day. And based on what Jesus taught, I think that's the third way we can keep the Sabbath holy.

Now, in Virginia, the Blue Laws officially ended on September 23, 1988, when the Supreme Court of Virginia struck them down as unconstitutional. You see, in a case brought by Kmart and Circuit City, the court ruled that all the restrictions and all the exemptions made the Sunday closing laws unfair and discriminatory. But you know, although for the most part they’re gone, Virginia car dealers are still legally required to remain closed on either Saturday or Sunday. The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority still regulates the specific hours and locations where hard spirits can be sold on Sundays. And even though Virginia historically banned all Sunday hunting, this was only repealed in 2022. In other words, for the Commonwealth, the Sabbath was no longer going to be kept holy, at least not in a legal sense. And for many Virginians that’s a good thing, while others are not so sure.

But for us, we can be sure of one thing: for Jesus Christ, the Sabbath wasn’t about closed stores and inconsistent exemptions. And it wasn’t about fresh ham or youth football. Instead this day was something to be experienced, a gift that we can experience. And it was something to be celebrated, an opportunity to connect. And it was something to be used, a time to do good. And in my opinion, when we do those three things, that’s how we can obey the Fourth Commandment and keep the Sabbath holy.

And next week, we’re moving on to Commandment number five:

Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you. [Exodus 20:12, CEV]