The word “Sabbath” is not a household word in the modern world. Even among those for whom the Ten Commandments forms part of their faith tradition, probably not a frequently-considered concept in this day and age. The closest we have in the modern world is “sabbatical,” a break from regular duties for a member of certain professions, but that term is rare to hear outside those special settings.

Consider the Sabbath as described in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:8-11, states:

Remember the Sabbath day, to 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 not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (ESV).

The Holy Gift of Rest

Without getting into too many exegetical details or particulars of creation theology, we see that God commands the Sabbath to apply (1) every seventh day, (2) to the entire community, and (3) to follow after the pattern established and modeled by God at creation. And lastly, the Sabbath is holy.

Now consider the New Testament mentions of Sabbath. Three of the Gospels describe Jesus having an encounter with the Pharisees over the practice of the Sabbath. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus states a key point: “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27 NRSV)

To be clear: Jesus is not in any way voiding Exodus 20:8-11. I see him clarifying it. The Sabbath is blessed, holy, and for humankind – for us.

So what are we to make of it? How do we interpret the concept of Sabbath knowing it is for us – and how to we practice this holy gift of Sabbath?

An Ancient Commandment, a Present Gift

There is no one right answer. My own understanding of Sabbath has developed over the years. I began seriously pondering the concept of Sabbath in college. In my freshman year at Wheaton College, my RA offered our floor the challenge of observing a somewhat literal Sabbath on Sundays, in that he suggested we refrain from homework on that day. I decided to try it, and in fact I did so more or less every week for my entire undergrad.

Starting about a year after graduating, and until just this past winter, I was on staff at my church in suburban Chicago. I had various roles over those years, but more or less throughout I was on duty on Sundays, unless I was on vacation. So I had to re-think what Sabbath would mean for me in that stage of my career. I confess it often meant nothing, just a word that did not have any actual application in my life. And I think maybe that is why I found myself close to – but by the grace of God never actually all the way at – burnout.

At its core, I think Sabbath is about rest, returning to God resting after finishing the creation. But it is not about rest in terms of doing nothing. Because resting itself is more than doing nothing. Biological sleep (a form of physical rest) is not doing nothing, it is when we mortals recharge and refresh our bodies and brains. And the same principal applies to mental and emotional rest.

In those years when Sunday was of necessity a work day, Sabbath for me began to look like taking meaningful breaks for mental and emotional rest elsewhere in the week. Exercising first thing in the day or first thing after the end of the work day. Not having my phone in one hand while eating lunch. Not responding to the never-ending flow of work email in the evenings. I was very bad at being consistent with these practices; in fact it took until I was married and had strong encouragement to do better that I finally did (thank you, Naomi!).

Back to Mark: the Sabbath is for us. It is for you and for me. So I think there is space for each of us to carefully consider our own lives, our own current context, and determine what specific practices and means of resting – physically, mentally, emotionally – are the most restful and restorative for us. What gives you the most relief and respite from whatever your primary calling is, so that you can then pursue it with fresh vigor? What brings peace to your heart, your mind, and your soul, so that you can joyfully invest your heart, mind, and soul into whatever it is God calls you to do?

The Sabbath is a space for us to determine what specific practices and means of resting – physically, mentally, emotionally – are the most restorative for us. Click To Tweet