“It was Preparation Day (that is the day before Sabbath). (Mark 15:42 NIV)
The Sabbath was still so important that the Jews took an entire day to prepare for it. This feels like it was held over from their desert days, when they picked up twice as much manna on the sixth day of the week and God kept it overnight. I consider this season of youth pastoring again and the long stretch of rest I typically get on Friday and Saturday: I’m so grateful to be able to finally, fully Sabbath. I feel like the Lord is letting me make up for lost time.
We read the gospels and note how even the grave rested on Saturday. God allowed for a full day between Friday’s pain and Sunday’s power. Sabbath allows us the time and space to process the previous week. If Christ’s body had not rested that entire black Saturday, would the world have believed in the resurrection? The grave was sealed, Sabbath was observed, the body of Christ lay absolutely dormant and His people grieved deeply. They sat with the weight of His sacrifice heavy on their hearts.
And then Sunday erupted and eclipsed their sadness entirely.
Sabbath allows for a clean break between weeks. It’s a bookend of sorts, here’s where one week ends and new one begins. Sunday signified the start of a new allotment of resurrection and hope.
“He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of man. They will kill Him and after three days He will rise.” (Mark 9:31 NIV)
If the body of Christ saw fit to rest, so should we. And perhaps this is the difference between death and life. Meaningful, purposeful living is sustained by intentional rest: weekly opportunity to look back saying ‘thank You’ and to look ahead saying ‘I trust You’. If we don’t rest, we can go weeks and months and maybe even years without evaluating our story and giving God the glory when it’s due. We can overlook God’s involvement as our days bleed together, we can believe the lied that we are self-sustaining. We can postpone grief and loss until it seeps into every page of our story rather than dealing with it a week at a time the way the Lord intended.
Regular rest is an essential human rhythm. Even our Jesus rested when He lived and when He died. Who are we to think we don’t also require rest?
“Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall do no work, neither you nor your son or daughter, not your male or female servant, nor your animals nor any foreigner residing in your town. For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth but He rested on the seventh day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11 NIV)
Holy means set apart. Sabbath is an entire day set apart for God: a day to realize how you’ve relied on Him thus far and exert trust for the future. It’s a day to praise and pray, to rest in His promises. It’s a special gift He offers renewed each and every week: an invitation to sit in His presence, sustained by His love, content in His plan.
Lord, help us honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. We note how even You rested from Kingdom tasks to embrace Sabbath. Stilling ourselves at the end of the week is such a God-honoring and crucial habit. May we prioritize this time of rest and reflection, building healthy rhythms for our life with You. Amen.