We have talked a lot about the need for rest…the main way we see that spoken of in the Bible is Sabbath rest – one day in seven, one year in seven.
In Judaism, this was very structured and supported by cultural and societal norms. Jesus’ approach seemed to be to peel away the layers of societal and cultural norms, all the rules that had been developed over the years, and simply return to the God-given command to rest on the seventh day.
This was his usual routine – where humans focus on actions, in hopes that it will change hearts, Jesus wants to focus in on the heart. Jesus wants to mold hearts to want to know and follow him, and where that then transforms their actions.
This makes taking Sabbath rest both easier and harder.
It’s harder, because just blindly following rules isn’t all that hard, especially when everyone else in society follows them as well.
It’s easier because of the freedom we explored last week…freedom from slavery to rules, replaced by a new kind of obedience, to a person rather than a code. Jesus gives rest from enforced rest – he gives true rest.
We can see it in how Jesus handled the crushing demands of his own work: Mark 6:30-32 ESV
The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.”
He took rest when he needed it, we have several examples of unstructured rest that he took “regularly”. When I found I’d been sitting too long at an office job, I used to go for a walk around the block from my office. I called it my sanity walk. Or at other times, I would just get up and do something different. Working from home, I might empty the dishwasher, then get back to my computer refreshed from the change of pace.
We also see Jesus taking weekly rest. “He went to synagogue to worship on the seventh day. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.”
It was Jesus’ “custom” to take weekly Sabbath rest according to the rules of his father in heaven, and not according to the rules of the Pharisees.
We also see Jesus living with an annual rhythm. He celebrated the annual feasts – we see him attending Passover in Jerusalem, for example. As he travelled to and from various religious festivals, there are ebbs and flows in his energy and work – the big moments in his ministry regularly coincide with major festivals. Sometimes he is in small towns, sometimes in the city. There were intense times and places and low times and places in his culture…and his ministry needed both.
The Bible also commands a year of rest after six years of work – not to lay around, but let the land lie fallow and improve, and let slaves and debts go free. There was also a command that every 50 years, a complete reset and leveling of the playing field should occur. Unfortunately there is no evidence they ever listened to and observed these.
Let’s not let the same thing happen to us!
Question: What rest can you plan for today? This week? This year? Now dream a little bit – what could a “reset” year look like this decade? What about for the whole of your life?
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Last week, I told you story of my old neighbour who helped build a deck. He nicely represented the transition from strangers to neighbours to acquaintances to partners. Today we’ll go one step further. We’ll talk about becoming friends with those we work with, those we help, and those we live around.
When I was a volunteer paramedic, I remember one partner in particular. We did several shifts together, and on calls he was always nervous, and second-guessing himself, which could be challenging to work with. One day, he invited me to supper. I met his family, saw his home and farm, and in the process learned about him and his values. The next shift we had together was different. I found we could communicate better, and I could anticipate his moves. Debriefing the call afterwards was easier. I knew this quirks, where they came from, and could work from a place of partnership and friendship rather than tolerance.
This has wider application than the workplace, but some good examples of how important this is follow from a few studies:
50 percent of employees with a best friend at work reported that they feel a strong connection with their company, compared to just 10 percent of employees without a best friend at work. (A 2012 Gallup report which found that)
People planning to stick with their current job cited “good relationship with co-workers” as the major reason (67%) – above “job satisfaction” (63%), “flexible working arrangements” (57%) and even salary (which ranked seventh at 46%). A 2013 survey of 2,223 business people across Australia
In the same way, being a follower of Jesus isn’t just about doing transactions, like dealing with other followers of Jesus because you have to, or caring for others in need simply because it looks good.
We’re actually meant to become friends with those we care for, and those we care with. Not every single one to the same degree maybe, but we are actually meant to have a relationship with those we encounter in this life, and not simply use people or tolerate others.
We’ll focus this week on those we care for, those we’ve been talking about all along, and becoming friends.
Question: When have you unexpectedly “hit it off” with someone at work?
