
December 26, 2024
" Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
- Matthew 12:12b (NIV)
When God established the Sabbath, that is, to rest after work; His prescription was that no work be done during this time – Exodus 31:15-16. Jesus Christ expounded on this by affirming that He is Lord over the Sabbath – Matthew 12:8, and that under the dispensation of grace, it is indeed lawful to do good on the Sabbath – Matthew 12:12.
One of the benefits we can expect from the good work that God does during the Sabbath is the restoration of provision. In Matthew 12:10-13, there was a man whose hand was withered and despite the opposition that Jesus faced from the Pharisees about the legality of healing on the Sabbath, mercy prevailed, and Jesus healed the man.
There are profound characteristics to this miracle that Jesus performed. The man's withered hand left him severely incapacitated. In an agrarian society where farming was the main source of livelihood, a withered hand meant that this man could not adequately provide for himself. Yet, given his situation, mercy triumphed over the law of the Sabbath.
Another blessing we can expect from the Lord of the Sabbath is the restoration of vision. In John 9:13-14, Jesus healed a man born blind from clay he made from spitting His saliva into the ground. Blindness is the absence of light in the eyes, and without light, there is no vision and without vision, there is perishing – Proverbs 29:18 (KJV). This man was perishing.
The Lord of the Sabbath brings restoration, progress, and new beginnings.
The absence of light is not only limited to the physical realm; it can manifest in other areas of life as well – marriage, career, academics, finances, and more. The absence of light in these cases reflects a life without Jesus. According to John 1:4, if there is no light, it means there is no life and if there is no life, it means there is no Jesus.
Another miracle we can expect when the Lord of the Sabbath moves while we rest is progress! Which is the termination of stagnation. In John 5:5-9, there was a man who had an infirmity for thirty-eight years. His condition prevented him from getting healed even when healing was in the neighbourhood (v7). Every attempt to make progress was met with frustration. He was stuck, until the Lord of the Sabbath intervened! (v8-9)
Even through no fault of our own, there are instances of stagnation in life. We can make several attempts to resolve them on our own, only to be met with hardships and challenges. But just as God spoke to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 1:6, saying they had dwelt too long on the mountain, there comes a time, when we involve God in the process that He tells us to ‘get up, pick up our mat and walk!’
The proceeds from the movement of the Lord of the Sabbath are available to us. They bring about restoration, transformation and progress in our lives, breaking the chains of long-standing issues and ushering in new beginnings. We need only to enter our God ordained rest.
Prayer - Dear Lord, restore provision in any area of my life I am lacking, restore sight wherever I am blind and cause progress to occur in my life wherever I am held back in Jesus’ name, Amen.