Can Sabbath Rest Increase Social Justice?
We’re all familiar with the commandment to rest on the Sabbath, but can modern observance of this ancient practice increase social justice in America today? The answer is probably going to surprise you. And hurt a little. (Fair warning!)
As I sit here, in a hotel room in Montgomery, AL, my heart is ravaged with the obvious social and racial injustice that exists in the world. It is hard to go to any major city in the United States (the world?!) and not confront the divide that still exists between classes and races, however, it is extra palpable here in Montgomery, home of so many landmark events in the civil rights movements.
The Lord has been working in my heart for some time on two issues that I’ve never previously linked before, but that have arrested me this week: social inequity and Sabbath rest. Is it possible that one of the most significant impacts Christians could make every week towards social justice can be found in our observance of the 4th commandment? A few weeks ago, I would have said ‘no.’ Today, I think I’m saying ‘yes.’
Social Injustice of Weekend Work
Did you know that a third of single-job workers and over half of multiple-job workers spend their weekends toiling away at their places of employment? It’s true. And the negative impacts of weekend work on them are plentiful and well documented. I’m sure, if asked to guess, that you’d nail the two most popular industries for weekend business: retail and restaurants. It’s also not surprising to learn that food industry workers are some of the lowest paid workers in the U.S.
Sabbath Work
If you’re a church-goer, chances are you’re one of the many who frequent a food business for after-church Sunday brunch, lunch, or dinner. Or maybe you prefer to “sample” your lunch at Sam’s Club or Costco. Maybe you indulge in some “me time” with retail therapy before evensong. Most of the Christians we know abstain from work on Sundays and, if they are business owners, their shops are closed on the Sabbath. But is that enough?
Sabbath or Privilege?
Jen Wilkin, in her book Ten Words to Live By, challenges believers’ notions of work and privilege. “If someone else’s work secures our rest, we are more than likely enjoying the rest of privilege, but not of Sabbath.” Ouch! That statement rings true in my head and wounds my heart, not because I am a faithful observer of the Sabbath. But because I’m convicted by the realization that, according to this premise, I am not! There are restful activities that our family enjoys on Sundays that absolutely result in the additional labor of others. Wilkin goes on to say that “true Sabbath rest extends beyond the one resting to those who might be asked to labor on [his or] her behalf.”
In our busy modern world, implementing a complete day of rest for everyone seems excessive, draconian, and infringatory (we made up a word!). It’s also not an argument we’re making here. What we are asking, however, is if Christians’ more faithful observance of Sabbath rest could result in positive outcomes for some of the most disenfranchised members of the United States’ society.
We know. This is a heavy topic, and we do not have all the answers. But, we want to sort out some possibilities with you. Stay with us a moment …
Sabbath Rest in the Old Testament
The 4th commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” is about observing a day of rest, commonly known as the Sabbath, which is both an individual and a communal command.
God’s Rest
The first place we see the Sabbath at work as a day of rest occurs immediately after Creation. Genesis 2:3 says, “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation.” Our first introduction to the Sabbath is an example: God sets the standard by resting Himself! The One who needs no rest (Ps. 121:1) declares the day set apart and, in His lovingkindness, rests from His work so that we might later rest from ours.
Man’s Rest
The second instance of the Sabbath is the most familiar: the explicit command found in both Exodus and Deuteronomy. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Ex. 20:8-11).
Rest as Reward
Here, we are given a challenge and a reward. This is the only commandment that explicitly includes a reward if it is observed: if we complete our work in 6 days, we will reap the rest we are due on the 7th. And, again, we are told that we rest because God rested. If He was not exempt from rest, then we are not either! (Let that sink. If you honestly take stock of your Sabbath rest – or lack thereof – this realization may sting. I know it pricks at me!)
Sabbath Rest in the New Covenant
I don’t want to glaze over the addendums present in the New Testament. Jesus instructs that it is “lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matt 12:12). And believers are chastened, when a disagreement arises, to not require others to adhere to their convictions regarding the Sabbath, but both parties are instructed to “be fully convinced” in their own minds (Rom. 14:5).
These are personal details to be wrestled over prayerfully. We are not advocating that everyone observe the Sabbath as we do (not everyone can), but we are challenging you with the notion that Sabbath rest might increase social justice in our communities. We want to encourage our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to consider their actions on this one day of the week. And to more intentionally live out the Gospel in radical ways on that day. A challenge we ourselves are wrestling through!
Imitators of Christ
Continuing on in the New Testament, let us also consider the reminder given by the writer of Hebrews. Again, our Sabbath rest is modeled on and found in God’s behavior. “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His” (Heb. 4:9-10). Jesus, rather than abolishing the Law (including the 4th commandment) came to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17).
Can we, as imitators of Christ, use our Sabbath rest to bless and extend rest to others not because it is required, but because it is available? Is that not the definition of grace? As VeggieTales’ “A Snoodle’s Tale” says, “a gift that’s demanded is no gift at all.” The gift of the Sabbath is no longer demanded, but it is a gift we may offer to those who are not yet present at the banquet of the King. Maybe this one weekly gift will eventually be viewed as an invitation. And when they step foot inside the door, we’ll have a chair waiting for them.
Western Individualism vs Biblical Community
This gift is both personal and collective. One of the most tragic losses for Christians living in the West is in our individualist mindset. We are blind to the communal living which was a fundamental element for many of the first audiences displayed in the Bible. Not only have we lost the beauty of living in community, but we also tend to misunderstand many of Scripture’s commands, which were to be implemented by the individual within a communal structure.
We see this at work in our treatment of the Sabbath, as Jen Wilkin astutely explains. “Thus, community is at stake in the fourth command. There is no such thing as a noncommunal obedience. To break a command harms more than the one who breaks it. To obey it helps both the one who obeys and the community as a whole. The command to rest recognizes this relationship. Personal sin always results in collateral damage.”
“But wait,” you might say, “I do rest on the Sabbath! And since I have neither servants nor employees, I am exempt from applying the command to allow others to rest.” Or are we?
Masters vs Servants
“If the person in charge labors without rest, he denies rest to those in his charge, as well,” Wilkin continues. “Everyone loses. Personal obedience always results in collateral benefit. If the person in charge stops working and invites those in his charge to do so as well, everyone wins.” We often recognize this symbiotic relationship between employer and employee, but if we use the filter of privilege to determine who is the “master,” who is the one “in charge,” then the command expands to include all those who are in the position of power at any given time. This means the diners, samplers, and shoppers are the ones in the role of “master.” And the waiters, hostesses, dishwashers, cashiers, and stockers are, quite literally, the ones in the service role, the “servants.”
(Please note that we do not use these terms lightly, as such terms evoke harsh realities from the near-past. We use them because they are the ones in the Scriptural text.)
Christians: Known to Love or Known to Spend?
The practice of Sabbath rest originally helped define the identity of the Israelites and reinforced God’s people’s core values. It is still a distinctive marker of the Christian beliefs and practices in much of the world today. Today, we are known as a people who go to church on Sunday. And who go out to eat after. And who shop and spend during their free time in the afternoon. Rather than being known as people who rest on the Sabbath, and thus keep it holy, we are now often known as the lunch rush on Sunday afternoons, decked out in our finest, waiting for a table that will enable our rest at the expense of others’.
In short, we have a few questions to consider. Are our actions contributing negatively in the lives of those who serve us on Sunday? Or can we increase justice at the social level by resting ourselves and allowing others to rest on the Sabbath?
So, Can Sabbath Rest Increase Social Justice?
In addition to religious observance, the Sabbath command offers elements of social justice and compassion. It emphasizes allowing rest not only for oneself but also for servants, employees, and even animals. The 4th commandment acknowledges the need for communal care and consideration.
Throughout history, Sabbath observance has played a crucial role in shaping the communal identity of Jews and Christians. It has promoted social cohesion. By setting aside a day of rest and worship, individuals in the community come together. Subsequently, they reinforce their shared beliefs, values, and commitment to spiritual and social well-being.
Sabbath rest serves as a social equalizer. It grants all members of the community, regardless of social status or occupation, the right to rest and rejuvenate. It promotes compassion, acknowledging the needs of employees and the marginalized. Observing this sacred time fosters unity and inclusivity. And has the power to even foster a more equitable society.
Rest in His Promises
Not sure you agree? It’s a hard pill to swallow in our consumer-driven society; not just to rest, but to allow others to rest. If we are to take the Lord at His word and trust Him in our obedience, then the promises of Isaiah 58:13-14 just might be our reward.
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Is. 58:13-14)
As Hebrews 4:11 encourages, “let us therefore strive to enter that rest” together, and in the process, we can allow our collective Sabbath rest to increase social justice in our communities.