Torch, Spring/Summer 2011

2 TORCH | Spring–Summer 2011 DIANE DIEDERICH | ISTOCKPHOTO Sabbath Rest by William E. Brown, Ph.D. Jesus reversed the Sabbath law back to a Sabbath blessing, and He still offers rest to all who simply come. A mong the prohibitions in the first and most famous top-10 list, God said, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8). God’s rest after Creation is the model He gave for the command. If God rests — and we know how busy He is — then certainly we must. Keeping the Sabbath holy meant setting aside a day with no work and enjoying the rest as a blessing. Enter the theologians who spent centuries defining and refining what constituted “work.” They developed a series of rules to regulate the day including how many steps a man could walk or how much he could carry on the Sabbath. By the time of Jesus, Jewish leaders were spying on and confronting anyone they found not following acceptable Sabbath behavior. Leave it to religious people to transform a blessing into onerous law! When Christ came, everything changed. He fulfilled the law, rendering the commandments non-binding. Keeping the Sabbath was no longer a command for the Church — as far as the day and the legal requirements were concerned. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). The heart of the Sabbath was central to His teaching. Come to Me Jesus transformed the Sabbath from an impersonal series of legal regulations into a person — Himself. True rest was granted by coming to the only One who could give it. For more than 40 years, Pat Summerall was one of the most recognized broadcasters in professional football. He broadcasted 16 Super Bowls and made a legendary name for himself. But he was also an alcoholic. As his life unraveled, he sought treatment at the Betty Ford Center. The rest and therapy he received