I think one of the real true disservices most Christians
have done to the faith is not taken the Sabbath day seriously. We use these verses like this, 'well, people
used to not have to do anything on the Sabbath, but then Jesus showed up and
did some healing on the Sabbath and now I can take my kids to soccer and do
laundry and get the shopping done.' It's a really big stretch there, isn't it?
From Jesus healing on the Sabbath to us just being like, 'who
needs a day off from anything?' But Jesus is doing something powerful here, he's
healing someone. This is a big deal, especially to her, how many of us have
experienced chronic conditions and pain and things we wish would just go away? And
then Jesus just shows up and takes care of it. If you're that person, who cares
what day it is? If anything, it makes the Sabbath thing more Holy to you? And
this is what Jesus is getting on about. Jesus is recognizing that the call of
keeping the Sabbath Holy is not just about worshiping, right? It's about how we
participate with God, how we share in the healing that God brings into this
world.
But he does this in a way that is very upsetting. He does it
in a way that interrupts and changes and upends and subverts the way people
experience their worship. I'm one of those people who find myself wishing Jesus
was a little gentler. That he wasn't putting them to shame but was a consensus
builder and trying to get everybody on the same page. It's not how he rolls though;
I haven't read that story yet.
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