We Begin with Rest

Jesus’ words, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” say to the Christian, “Find your weekly refreshment in ME!”

In a seventh–day Sabbath, the emphasis is on six days of work first, and then the Sabbath day for rest. The work comes first, and then the rest.

Jesus redefined the cycle of the work week: we rest first, then we work!

The Christian’s “Lord’s Day” is typically Sunday:

He rose on the first day of the week. His notable appearances to the disciples were on the first days of the week. Pentecost was on the first day of the week. The early church gathered on this new “Lord’s Day”—Sunday. Now, we aren’t to wrangle about days of worship (Romans 14). In fact, the early church would gather on every day to worship Jesus together. But the fact remains: Sunday is the special day of worship for nearly all Christians.

There is meaning for us in this new weekly cycle: we are to begin with rest—refreshing ourselves in Him before we start our work.

This is true in terms of salvation: that we rest in Jesus’ work on the Cross and not in our work and effort to be made right with God.

But it is also true in terms of our walk with Him: we are to walk in His Spirit, not in our fleshly efforts. We start our week in refreshment—renewing our connection with Jesus, so that we can be sustained by His Spirit for our labors.

What does a Sabbath day mean to you? Is it just a “day off” from work? Is it just a day to play and take your mind off of things?

Or, are you engaging in a spiritually “refreshing” day of rest? Are you “delighting in,” “honoring,” and “remembering” Jesus on your weekly day of rest?