By the Rev. Leslie Scoopmire
Readings
Isn't today a beautiful day? How many of us awoke this morning to the exciting fulfillment of the meteorologists' promise that we here in Missouri are beginning a week of cooler, moderate temperatures after weeks of high heat and humidity?
And, I hope for many of you, it's a beautiful day because it's a Sabbath day. I am sure many of us remember a time when hardly anything went on on Sunday mornings—and by law. In my own childhood, nothing was open before noon on Sundays except for a lone gas station here or there—and that only so that people would have enough gas to get to worship. The assumption, back then, was that everyone was Christian, and everyone needed to be in church on Sunday mornings.
The Spirit of the Sabbath
But are those kinds of expectations and requirements actually in keeping with the spirit and intention of the Sabbath? We are called to examine this question in our readings for this weekend, especially those from Isaiah and the gospel of Luke.
In a scene that Luke likely hoped would highlight the increasing tensions between Jesus and his opponents, we actually have a much more important question brought before us. It starts with asking how to keep the Sabbath day as a holy day. The deeper implications are about how to live a holy life in the secular world so that our faith as Christians shines through. This ties directly into the reading from Isaiah and the commentary linked there.
The commandment to keep the Sabbath was the first commandment given, as it is tied to the first creation story in Genesis 1. On six days, God labored to create the universe, and on the seventh day, God rested from all God's labors. What is blessed by God is holy for human beings, so humanity is enjoined to set aside one day out of the week for rest. The Talmud makes clear that there's a radical economic aspect to this commandment, for on the seventh day, both poor and rich alike would be equal.
Historical Context of Sabbath Observance
Over the years, as Jewish communities spread throughout the world, rabbis instituted various rules and limitations. They addressed questions such as how far one was allowed to walk on the Sabbath without violating the spirit of rest, and the use of modern conveniences like elevators, bicycles, or streetcars. This is what the Talmud addresses.
In Berakhot 57b:10, one of the Talmudic documents, the rabbis comment that Shabbat can be an escape from the mundane challenges of daily life. It is a day of freedom—freedom from worry and freedom to worship and praise God. In Birkat Hamazon, another Talmudic text, it is pointed out that the liturgy used on the Sabbath contains many prayers unique to the day. However, when the Messiah comes, the essence of the Sabbath will no longer be confined to one day, but will extend to every day of the week. Every day will be a Sabbath, a day of rest and praise to God, a day of freedom and equality for all.
The Commandment's Significance
The commandment to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy is listed in the Ten Commandments. The first four commandments focus on worshiping God, while the last six address how we live with each other as neighbors. The command to keep the Sabbath holy appears in the list from Exodus at number four. This command serves as a hinge between how we approach God and how we live in love and care with each other. It is important to remember that the Sabbath is meant to be a loving gift to each other as well as to God.
This reminder is timely, given the current push by certain evangelical Christians to require by law the posting of the Ten Commandments in public places, especially schools. As of 2025, such a law has indeed been passed but is currently on hold by judicial injunction in Texas. Proponents make the untrue assertion that the Ten Commandments are part of our legal heritage as Americans. The lawmakers who attempt to pass these laws limit themselves to this argument—unsaid is the underlying claim that posting these laws in public, especially in schools, will presumably make children responsible for following them. They do so because posting the Commandments as religious content has already been ruled unconstitutional in 1981.
The Irony of Enforcement
During the debate over the proposed law in Texas, the House sponsor of the bill was asked a series of questions about whether the hope was that these commandments would then be followed. Ironically, the debate was held on the Jewish Sabbath itself, meaning that all legislators were required to work on the Sabbath to conclude the debate, violating the very text they sought to impose into classrooms. Furthermore, had the debate concluded that Saturday, the actual vote was scheduled for a Sunday, the day observed by most Christians as the Sabbath. Questions were also raised about whether members of the Texas Legislature had ever been known to lie—much to the amusement of those present, but it was certainly a legitimate question.
Which is more important—posting what we claim to be God's laws or living by the law and the spirit of the law ourselves? I am convinced that what Jesus highlights here is keeping the spirit of the Sabbath, not just on a single day but every day, just as the Talmud envisions. The Sabbath is NOT meant to be another way of beating people down or holding them in contempt if they can't reach our perceived levels of piety. Even in Jesus's time, the Sabbath was not imposed on non-Jews. Those who call themselves Christians today appear to oppose the spirit of the Sabbath by attempting to enforce a practice of freedom and rest, turning it into a means of looking down upon others.
The Reality of Sabbath Observance
In its original radicalness, the Sabbath was meant to create unity, not division, among the people—rich or poor, privileged or not. Jesus specifically ties the keeping of the Sabbath with liberation—the liberation of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. It was during the Exodus from slavery that the Ten Commandments were first handed down. The Mishnah allowed people to untie their beasts of burden and lead them to water without it being considered a violation, as long as those beasts were not carrying burdens.
It is here that the rich symbolism of this story becomes clear. The woman that Jesus encounters symbolizes the instructions reiterated in the Isaiah passage. Just like oxen or donkeys, she does not speak. She bears a burden placed upon her. In freeing her from her burden and allowing her to stand upright, liberated from her ailment, a larger point is made about the purpose of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is for freedom, healing, rest, and rejuvenation. It is not for placing yet another stricture on people who are just trying to survive.
Living the Sabbath
How can we, as people of faith, keep the Sabbath and make it holy by our observance? Our reading from Isaiah and Jesus's actions in our story are truly radical, going beyond a focus on enforcement of worship. In the mouth of Isaiah, God states the true practices that would mark God's people as holy. They start with a deeply political but absolutely non-partisan list for the faithful, regardless of party affiliation.
Jesus asks us, "Do you believe in keeping that Sabbath day as a holy testimony to the abundance and generosity of God?" For those who answer affirmatively, the next step is clear:
Feed the hungry.
Clothe the naked.
House the homeless—the scripture actually says to bring the unhoused into our own homes.
Offer healing to those who are sick, in pain, or in need of medical care.
See those who are bent double by their burdens—truly see them, and do all you can to free them so they can stand upright and free once more.
This is how we are called to celebrate the Sabbath as a testimony to the goodness of God.
Amen.
