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Vacation
June 22, 2013

One of the perks of working in public education is longer vacations and in the United States, summer vacation is pretty much in full swing by this time. When it comes to vacation time, teachers have it pretty good. What most overlook is that the weekly Sabbath is meant to be a weekly vacation from one's normal routine. Work and daily routines are to be vacated from one's schedule, and it is to be a day of rest.

Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

There are some who with good intentions, have a harsh interpretation of what can be done or not done on the Sabbath. For instance, some believe it is wrong to do any type of work for whatever reason, and would extend this to food. They might even cite the example of gathering the manna to prove their point, and yet there is an example from the New Testament showing Jesus and his disciples walking through a field, and eating the food they had just picked.

Mark 2:23-28
And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the Sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.

Jesus showed that man can develop interpretations of scripture that wouldn't have spiritual support, and from this example it is clear to see that Jesus is showing it is well within the intent of the Sabbath to even gather food to eat, because the Sabbath is to be a weekly vacation from one's weekly routine, and not a prison sentence. Jesus also had to show that it was acceptable to do good on the Sabbath day, as doing good was perceived by some and even today still is as work.

Matthew 12:10-12
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.

God intended the Sabbath to be a time of rest, and it still is. The Sabbath is not a burden and it is not a prison sentence; it is a vacation from one's weekly routine, a time to be spiritually recharged, and it is a time to do good, and a time to enjoy. As we observe the Sabbath and understand it is a vacation from our weekly routine, an opportunity to be spiritually recharged, and an opportunity to do good, we celebrate what is good, embrace what is good, and do what is good.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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