Tuesday 18 jan 2022

January 18: Mark 2:23-28

Key Verse: Mark 2:24
The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’

Devotion:
When I was a young lad all the shops would be closed on a Sunday and people would spend time with families and have time to themselves, and no it was not that long ago when things changed! But even back then there would be one or two shops which would open for a short while in case of emergencies. One of those shops was my Dad’s pharmacy which would open on a shred rota system for a couple of hours so people could get prescriptions done!

No matter how careful we plan things or how much we try to tell ourselves we will always take a day off every week, we do have to do things every day of the week. I’m not talking about cooking or other necessities because the more people get to want to do things over the weekend, the more some have to step forward and open the places where people want to go.

What Jesus was showing the Pharisees was that everyone had to keep on living – this would mean some people may have to do things on the Sabbath so the majority would not have to work. Things still need to get done. Electricity need to be generated. Food needs to be cooked. And so we continue. But Jesus was also saying we should not be the ones laying down the law just because it is the weekend. We should not exclude people from being able to do things just because it is that one day of the week!

God wants us to be observant and to make sure we put time aside to be with Him each day. He wants us to have a rest day at least once a week. He wants us to observe these things because we need them as human beings – not because it is written in law. We need to be sensible with our time and always include God in our lives. This is what He wants!

Points to Ponder:
How much do you work every week?

How much do you worship ever week?