“YOUR SAVIOR IS YOUR SABBATH”
Saint Luke 14: 1-11
17th Sunday After Trinity: 18 September Anno Domini 2016
Father Jay Watson SSP
Pharisees were not bad people; damnable sinners to be sure, but usually pretty decent—like you. They were trying to obey the Law of God. Some of them were going through surface “motions” and hypocritical window dressing while all the time mocking the intent of The Lord’s Decalogue. But not all. There were sincere and dedicated Pharisees that took the 10 Commandments seriously—that took all that Moses wrote seriously. There are Christians like that. But, there are also Muslims, Sikhs, and Jews that also try to obey the moral precepts of “love your neighbor as yourself and do no man injustice or hurt.”
That misses the whole point of God’s Law. The Commandments say love God perfectly and love neighbor perfectly. That love is with fear and trust for The Lord and with sacrificial dying (if need be) for the neighbor. The Law is not an end in itself—it is meant to “kill” your old Adam and leave you contrite, repentant, and crying for Jesus: “Lord have mercy.” Kind of like the “certain man…which had the dropsy.” But the Lawyers, scholars of Genesis through Deuteronomy, and the Pharisees did not want him to have mercy, did not appreciate mercy, because it was the Sabbath. The unclean man with the loathsome sickness was not “following the rules.” They were worshipping the day of the week, that is, their seeming iron-clad obedience to the Law, the 3rd Commandment, rather than, showing sacrificial love to their neighbor.
Moses is not the end. There is no salvation in Moses. There is no salvation in The Law—The 10 Commandments. Of course you are to obey the Commandments—do them and you will live. But you don’t. You don’t and you can’t. If you use them as a life-preserver, they, as stone tables, will drag you down to Sheol.
For the lawyers and Pharisees, it was Saturday, the Seventh Day, that was their Sabbath. For New Testament Christians the Sabbath regulations have been fulfilled in Christ dying on the 6th day (Good Friday) and resting, hallowing, fulfilling, the 7th day by His burial in the tomb. Our rest, our Sabbath is Jesus Christ and Him crucified….and risen…on the eternal 8th day—Sunday. To refrain from loving, sacrificially helping your neighbor on Sunday, is as sinful for you as these unbelieving Jews refusing to permit Christ loving, “healing,” on Saturday.
Every day is a day that Christ has made. Every day is sanctified, i.e. made holy, in and through the Word of God—and The Word made Flesh. Doing all things to Christ’s glory, means all seven days may be lived, and worked, and enjoyed by the Christian. “Blue Laws,” the scourge of misguided and non-Evangelical protestant sectarians, have no warrant in the New Testament faith. You can cut your grass, re-roof your house, go dancing, go to the movies, or “straightway” pull you ass or ox out of the pit on Sunday. There is no sin in working or buying or celebrating on Sunday. The sin is in not being here at the Altar to receive He Who comes here to give you forgiveness and peace. The sin is in not realizing that Jesus is your Sabbath.
The Son of God left His house—the heavenly realms of Trinitarian communion. The Word became flesh; the Son of God became the Son of Man and came to your house—Beth-sin, a lowly stable, an animal manger, a cesspool of brokenness and decay, a land dwelling in darkness and despair. “The Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” [Jn. 1.5] Sin watched Him, crouched at His door waiting to take Him…to betray Him, to slay Him. Your own old sinful nature constantly ignores Him, disobeys Him, and likewise acts the traitor. He comes to set you free nonetheless. He has chosen you in His Blood. You belong to Him. He takes your “dropsy” and all your disease and swallow them whole. Jesus is the sin-eater, the ultimate scapegoat. He takes all your dark sins, all your six days of ruining creation, at rests with them in death, after suffering with them on the Cross. Today is your Sabbath for today is your Jesus for you. Pulled from the pit you are asses and oxen no more. You are lambs seated with The Lamb of God, your exalted Shepherd King.
In the Name of The Father and of + The Son and of The Holy Ghost
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