"For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men..." Titus 2:11
Everyone is looking for peace.
“I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Matthew 10:34
Now walk with me on this one. Be ever so patient and see with the eyes of your soul and please don’t rush ahead. I want to walk around this scripture and see the Sabbath. In the violence of forceful intrusion, I want to turn and discover the rest of God.
Jesus was more than an irritant to the Pharisees. His whole mission was to destroy and conquer the world of legalism and empty religiosity with Rest. His methods made their white-washed souls crawl in their rich robes like worms through rotted fruit. They would have much preferred if He had assembled an army of renegade Jews and attacked the Temple. There was nothing more violent to their little world of decayed legalism than the life of Sabbath that He offered to “whosoever would come.”
- His methods were backwards from every other conquering king.
- He attacked the citadels of pride with humility.
- His weapons were those of holy guerilla warfare.. subversive and innocent looking.
- Violence through acts of peace.
- Destruction through an extended hand of non-violence.
And we are invited to do the same. When we take God’s rest, we conquer the chaotic world that is desperately running to keep up with itself. Like Jesus, we enter into the world yet refuse to submit to the worlds rules.
Where there is turmoil, Sabbath demand peace. Where there is chaos, Sabbath explodes on the scene with restful order. Where there is stressful heartache, Sabbath takes control with comfort. The kingdom of the world never sees what is coming. It is accustomed to dealing in terms of strength and Sabbath simply does not look very strong.
Sabbath, you see, is God’s sucker punch.
