Lord of the Sabbath

Today's readings:
Genesis 3-5; Mark 2

Mark 2:27 (KJV)
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

This account appears in all the synoptic gospel accounts, but this statement is only found in Mark. Perhaps to de-emphasize the observance of Old Laws to the gentiles, since that was Mark’s target reader.

But what does it mean? The day of rest was designed with man in mind. It signified the glorious work of creation (Gen 2:3), it allowed man to rest (Ex 23:12; Deu 5:14); it was a sign that God is the one who sanctifies (Ezk 20:12). Observing the sabbath is part of the godly Jew’s life. But his life does not entirely revolve around solely observing the sabbath!

Some would use this passage to justify missing services! There is of course an appropriate application - For example, a Christian witnessing an accident right in front of him while on the way to church. The “Phariseetical” way would be to ignore and rush on to the service. The Lord’s way is to render immediate assistance even if it meant missing services. A godly Christian will attend every single service, but that does not mean what a godly Christian will ONLY do!
The key is to understand this is really in v. 28, which is echoed in all 3 accounts (Mat 12:8; Luk 6:5). In other words, often times, we focus too much on the visible and neglect the “weightier” matters. If one would take pains to observe the Sabbath, believing it to be of the Lord, would he not ensure he obeys the Lord in other aspects like doing the Lord’s work, rendering due benevolence to strangers and brethren?

Similarly today, Christ is Lord on the day of worship. And yes he is also Lord in every other aspect of the Christian’s life! Far be it for us to pick and choose what is more convenient to us and establish our own pattern of righteousness.