Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

BY Liv Dooley

I sit up a little taller when my favorite hero enters the scene on the movie screen. I smirk knowingly when I see his confident stride. Why? Because I know the secret that the villains will soon discover: he means business. I might as well be the one in distress because I feel like he’s come on the scene with the sole purpose of saving me.

Eventually, I always come back to reality. I realize it’s a movie, my overactive imagination has run away again, and real life is actually better. That’s right. I said it: real life is better. Unlike the fictional stories we see play out on the big screen, we have a real Savior who risked everything for our safety.

Sisters, we are the ones in distress our Lord has arrived to deliver. His strength delivers us from the demands on our schedules, lies of deceit that make us determined to work harder, and the disbelief that He is enough.

And so much more. For some, identifying ourselves as those needing someone to save us on a day-to-day basis is frustrating. However, there is freedom in the fact that we don’t always have to be the strong ones. Our obsession with strength is the result of the fallen world we live in, and the Lord of the Sabbath has come to set us free. 

God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, resting from all His work (Genesis 2:3). He did not do it because He needed the rest. He gave us rest as a rhythm for recognizing our need. He is and always has been Lord of the Sabbath, inviting us to draw near to Him and submit to His strength and provision.

Although we usually focus on the Lord’s humility, today’s Scripture reading encourages us to observe the characteristics we often ignore. These scriptures reveal that our Lord is determined to restore all He once called good. 

Thankfully, He continues to do the same today, all with the intention of showing all with the intention of showing us His true and better way. Today, we invite the Lord of the Sabbath to set our rhythms as we worship Him through surrender. When we do, we remember God made Jesus’s enemies His footstool (Acts 2:34–35). Because of that sacrifice, we are free from cultural demands that deny the extent of His dominion. And when I sense Him on the scene, ready to help me set a new routine, I sit a little taller because my Savior sees my needs. 
Jesus’s authority has made way for true rest, and His boundaries bless us in ways only He could ever envision. Honoring Him as Lord of the Sabbath always leads to surrender. I pray we choose it every time it is offered.