Religious rules are created by humans and obvious to all. Godly rules are created by God and enjoyable to all. Jesus’ thoughts of religious rules are seen in two stories about the Sabbath. Sadly most Sabbath rituals have been developed by people and have no real value to God. Mark’s stories of the disciples in a cornfield and Jesus healing a withered hand on a Sabbath make my point.
A Rabbi told this story: A young Rabbi was about to preach the first time before his new congregation. As he stood and prepared to read Holy Scripture, he opened the text and faced the congregation. Before he uttered a word, people shouted, "Face the altar first! Face the altar first!" He was mystified, but they were very adamant, so he obliged. They were pleased very much and he continued.
Later the young Rabbi conferred with the older Rabbi about what the people wanted. He could not remember learning to face the alter during that part of the holy ritual. The older Rabbi laughed, "I have been here many years. Long ago when I stood up to read, my dentures were always loose. So before I read I would face the altar with my back to the people and discretely push them firmly into place. Then and only then could I confidently turn and read to the people." These actions became a comfortable ritual for the people, just as other things we do in worship.
Jesus taught the Sabbath is for three things: 1) our body and psyche need regular periods of rest to maintain the image of God in us.
2) Sabbath is "God's Day” for humanity. It is God's invitation for us to stop be re-created. 3) Sabbath is not for self indulgence or self denial, but a time for renewal and service to others. It is a day to love your neighbor.
If religion is the opium of the masses, then ritual is the addictive element. Oh, ritual isn't wrong, after all it is so comfortable. But it doesn't truly help us relate to God. It only helps us feel better. Prepared music, prayers, bulletins and formats make us comfortable. And it doesn’t matter if it is in high worship services or alternative worship services, we all have personal expectations for worship. Jesus says none of this is what God intended.
True Sabbath is to enjoy our God and love our neighbor. The sacred things of God are to be used for people. The Fourth Wise Man story illustrates this point. He was Artaban. He was to meet the other three wise men on the desert road. His gifts for the new born king were: a large sapphire, a beautiful ruby and the world's largest black pearl.
On the way he met a traveler stricken with fever. He paused to help, realized the man would need much care and knew he couldn't stay to take him to town, so he gave a man the sapphire to take care of the sick traveler. This all delayed him and he missed the other three. Now he would miss the king.
Two years later he saw Herod’s men taking all males under two years of age to kill them. One mother begged a soldier to leave her child. Artaban bribed him with a magnificent ruby. He was thanked profusely. But again he missed the king.
Thirty one years later on his way to see a man named Jesus, he came across a woman whose father was condemned to death for a huge debt. She begged for his help. He took out his one of a kind pearl and gave it to her to settle her father's debt. Suddenly the skies darkened and the earth quaked. He missed his king again.
When Artaban died he met God, and said he had hoped in life to have seen the King and give him his gifts, but he had always missed him. "No you didn't.” God said. “You gave him the sapphire in the desert, the ruby to the soldier and the special pearl for the life of a father. You did not miss the king. He enjoyed all your gifts."
The only rituals God expects is for each of us to love God in worship and neighbors in loving service. Each is to do it as the spirit of God leads you and not as tradition dictates. Yeah, I think that is what Jesus would say about all this.
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