The Sabbath was Made for Man – Sunday, March 29, 1981
When compared with the complicated and sometimes wordy writings of many of the world’s philosophers, the straight-forward sayings of Jesus are a refreshing reminder that simplicity is one earmark of truth.
One example of this sublime teacher’s ability to express the profound in simple and understandable terms is in His declaration concerning the Sabbath, referring to the alleged breaking of one of the many policies instituted for Sabbath conduct, Jesus responded simply: “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath”.1
The statement is simple in language and length, but profound and far-reaching in principle.
It is to say that man is the measure of all things; that not only are religious devotions instituted for the benefit of man, but that religion itself must have as its primary objective the progress and development of the individual.
And on a larger scale, it is an assertion that the success of all institutions, agencies, and governments can only be evaluated in terms of human success.
Perhaps Jesus’ warning against this unrighteous impulse to restrict the divine rights of individuals is even more appropriate to our own age than it was to His.
For, because of the complicated nature of our modern society, there is a tendency to overlook the human element, a natural inclination to manage human activity with an almost endless array of policies and regulations.
Certainly, social order and economic efficiency are desirable aims and should be sought after. Nor did Christ mean to imply that no directives or guidelines are required for social living.
But as with fire, law makes a good servant but a poor master. If in our enthusiasm to maintain order and efficiency we disregard the principle involved in the Savior’s injunction, that laws are made for man and not man for laws, then man will surely become the servant and law the master.
It is true that the maintenance of individual liberty involves certain risks. To provide for human freedom in a complex world is not always the easy, the efficient, the expedient way.
But, it is always the best way.
1 The New Testament, Mark 2:27
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March 29, 1981
Broadcast Number 2,693