A Day of Rest

 [Jesus said], “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:27-30 ESV).

 

There are over 200 cities in the United States, including Dallas, Washington D.C., and New York, that present a puzzle to most observers. As you travel through these cities you may notice white PVC pipes attached to the utility poles in some neighborhoods. They do not serve any purpose in housing utility line. They are a part of an “eruv.” An eruv is a symbolic boundary created with a string of fishing wire typically hung from a series of utility poles or other structures. The eruv creates a safe space for Orthodox Jews to carry certain items they otherwise would be forbidden to carry while outside the home on the Sabbath. They mark a religious boundary. It harkens back to a law found in the Torak still observed by many Jews today. It is a part of “keeping Sabbath holy.” It is a means of observing rest in community for many.

 

Our reading quotes Jesus as he explains the necessity of rest. It seems that God’s people had become weary and burdened by the heavy weight of observing the Sabbath, and Jesus hoped to redefine the meaning of Sabbath for them. The people were in need of rest, both in ceasing from hard work (shabbat) and being present together with God (nuakh). Jesus ushered in the promise and reality of both. It is an important concept that most Christians fail to observe at all. Our world has come to be a constant frenetic race to get more done. We are victims of our own creation of “bigger, better, more.” We should learn from the intent of eruv.

 

Jesus reminded the people of God’s actual intent for the Sabbath was unity with Him, creation, and each other as it was in the Garden of Eden (cf. Genesis 1-2). Jesus taught that the Sabbath was about mercy and was purposeful. It was supposed to point to him, the one promised through all of Israel’s prophets, the one who would restore the rhythm of creation. When followers of Jesus observe the Sabbath, we live as if this restoration has already taken place. We take a break from the broken rhythms of hustle and hardship to set aside a time of submission to his rule and enjoyment of his presence and to extend these things to the world around us. When we observe the Sabbath well, we become little resting places of God’s presence and thus a place for others to find rest as well.