ESOCS Devotional 25 July 2025 – The True Sabbath Keeping
MEMORY VERSE: “And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse Him.” Mark 3:2 KJV
TEXT: MARK 3:1-12
And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. 9 So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. 10 For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. 11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
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In our text, Jesus healed a man who had a withered hand, and the Pharisees accused Him of Sabbath breaking (v 5). Also, on a certain Sabbath day, as Jesus walked through a grain field, He ordered His disciples to pluck and eat because they were hungry. To the Pharisees, another Sabbath Day misstep. The Master did not only resist them in their hypocrisy but threw more light on the reason and significance of the Sabbath observance (Mark 2:23-28; 1 Samuel 21:3-6). By this, Jesus was also letting them know the superiority of His knowledge, and supremacy of His person, for He was Lord – even of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).
In Colossians 2:16, 17, Saint Paul cautioned believers not to allow anyone to condemn them based on what to eat or drink, or even for not celebrating certain holy days – including the Sabbath. To Apostle Paul, these rules are mere shadows of the reality to come – and Christ is the reality, he asserted.
In Isaiah 58:13, the prophet gives counsel on how best to observe the Sabbath. He advises that the Sabbath is not a day to do your personal pleasure, such as involvement in sports, lustful enjoyment and drinking sprees, etc. It is not a day to pass time carelessly or idly. It is rather a day to please the Lord, preach and teach the Gospel, and visit and pray for the sick. All these did the Lord Jesus in His day. He condemned the Pharisees’ legalistic Sabbath keeping, which they only instituted to oppress the less privileged. Let’s be properly guided.
CHALLENGES
- The Sabbath, a day not to do your own pleasure. How?
PRAYER POINT
- Lord Jesus, teach me the spirit of true Sabbath keeping.
FURTHER READING: Amos 4:1-13; 5:1-17; Mark 3:13-35
ESOCS Devotional 25 July 2025
