The Sabbath: When tools become our masters.

Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

Mark 2:27-28

God has given us incredible tools to help us navigate life - the Sabbath being a foundational one. A rhythm of rest. A weekly reminder that we are not machines. A holy invitation to stop, breathe, and remember who we are and whose we are.

But somewhere along the way, we forget. We take the tools meant to serve us and we let them rule us. We do it with Sabbath, turning it into a checklist of do’s and don’ts instead of a window into God’s mercy. We do it with money, obsessing over security instead of trusting the Provider. We do it with our bodies, our image, our knowledge, even our theology. We idolize success. We weaponize Scripture. We cling to politics as if the Kingdom depends on our side winning.

It’s not always blatant. Sometimes it’s subtle... just a quiet drift away from intimacy with God toward self-sufficiency, certainty, or control. We take the gifts He has given us and make them idols, building thrones for them. We take truth and twist it into power.

Why do we do this?

Because the enemy isn’t always loud. Often, he just whispers:

• “Did God really say…?”
• “You’ll be safer if…”
• “You can handle this on your own.”

He doesn’t have to make us evil. Just distracted. Just divided. Just self-reliant.

And Jesus? He gently calls us back. Back to rest. Back to surrender. Back to a better way.

Sabbath isn't just about stopping work... it's about stopping our striving. It’s about laying down our idols and false identities. It’s about realigning with the One who made us and is still remaking us.

Lord, help us see where we’ve let good things master us. Help us think of communion before control. Help us rest in You. Not just on the Sabbath, but in every waking moment. Amen.