In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus healing a man with dropsy. Being in the presence of Pharisees, Christ asks them if they think it is lawful to heal on the sabbath, but they don’t answer; Christ then asks, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” He rendered them speechless.
As Christians, we know that Christ did not come to abolish the Law of Moses, but rather, he came to fulfill it. This is why we hear Christ say things like “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). Christ wanted us to know that even thoughts of lust, though they did not have a physical action to accompany them, are equally as bad as adultery. He makes this commandment even more significant than it was before.
Similarly, in today’s Gospel, Christ makes the reverence attached to the Sabbath day even more significant. He is fulfilling the meaning of what it truly means to rest on this holy day. He gives the sabbath its true meaning by restoring rest to those who are sick. This can be a beautiful lesson for us today. Sundays are for more than just checking church off of the to-do list and then relaxing; these days are meant to be opportunities for us to truly show God’s love to the world around us.
AMEN
All of us start out as sick, in need of Christ’s rest. When His Spirit is within us, He can share the rest that He has from His faith in the Father with us. We receive this rest when we cast all of our care on the Godhead (cf. 1Peter 5:5-7; Philippians 4:6-7; James 4:5-10).