Lent Day 30 [4.8.2025] / The Power of Rest

Matthew 12:1-14 / 마태복음 12:1-14

Matthew 11:28 - Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Overview:

In our scripture today, Jesus teaches us the true meaning of the Sabbath. In the Old Testament law that God had communicated to the people of Israel through Moses, God decreed all people to remember and keep the Sabbath day holy as the fourth commandment. So would the Israelites be required to bring offerings, hold service, and sing praises on this day? The commandment goes on to say no such thing; instead, full observance of the Sabbath and honor of this law required rest as the commandment prohibits labor of any kind. For when God created the entire universe, He blessed and sanctified the seventh day by resting from all His work.

Did God need to rest? By no means did God rest because He was tired, worn out, or overworked in any way. Instead, by choosing to rest, He created one of the most powerful weapons against the schemes of the enemy. When darkness has a hold on our lives, we become gripped with fear, paralyzed with uncertainty, and thrown into a constant state of negative emotions and overthinking. Moreover, through modern technology, our phones, computers, we are overstimulated and helplessly intoxicated with the fear of missing out. When the sufferings, terrors, and traumas of life threaten us, we often fall into a perpetual state of unrest; meaning not only does it become more and more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep, but despite enough sleep, we still wake up helplessly tired and overworked. This means that many of us may be sleeping but only a few may actually be resting.

The State of Rest:

Rest (not sleep) is God’s greatest gift and weapon against the schemes of the enemy and ultimately the practice that overpowers darkness in our lives. God commands us to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy; which we often associate with Sunday and going to Church. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day also thought in a similar way. On the Sabbath, if an individual was caught doing work in any sort of manner, he or she would be condemned by the religious leaders. The incident through which Jesus speaks today occurs when the Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of breaking the Sabbath law by picking some heads of grain and eating them. Even something as small as this action would have warranted a great uproar amongst the religious leaders. Furthermore, the religious leaders were so derelict in understanding the true meaning behind scripture and God’s heart, that they would accuse Jesus of breaking the law of the Sabbath when He healed a crippled man in the pool of Bethesda. Under their blind leadership even doing something miraculous and good would have been considered sin by these religious leaders.

Are we keeping the Sabbath day holy by going to church on Sunday? According to Jesus, no. When we understand the creation story and its progression, we know that God built the foundations of our universe first and then filled it with all kinds of creatures, ending with the creation of Adam and Eve on the sixth day. Yet, we are also taught correctly that creation took place over the course of seven days. This means that on the seventh day, God passively created the necessity, cycle, and practice of rest over all His creation. Secondly, we know that the things God created on the first day remain with us to this day. For example, the sun did not just rise and fall on day four but continues to do so today consistently and faithfully. In this way, that which God created has continued its cycle and presence from the very beginning; rest would be no different. This tells us exactly what Jesus is teaching us today; rest does not just happen on the seventh day just like the sun doesn’t just rise on the fourth day of the week. Rest needs to be a constant, perpetual, and everlasting state of our hearts.

How to find rest:

When Jesus declares Himself the Lord of the Sabbath, He communicates the true intent of God’s command and reveals the corruption of the religious leaders regarding the Sabbath. God had created it to give rest, unburden, and restore His people: to remind them that they are no longer bound to the slavery of self-provision, but able to surrender and trust in the one who will provide. The religious leaders used the law of the Sabbath to point out people’s sins and disobedience, but God intended it to be a time for restoration and recovery. In declaring Himself the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus declares Himself the provider of true rest. In Matthew 8:23-37, the disciples and Jesus were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat when a furious storm came upon them. All the while the disciples were desperately trying to empty the boat of water with the buckets, fighting the winds and waves to keep from capsizing, Jesus was sleeping at the stern of the boat (most dangerous and vulnerable part of the boat). The disciples went to Jesus and exclaimed, Jesus, don’t you care if we die? Jesus would rise and rebuke the wind and waves and everything became completely calm.

For many of us, our minds and lives feel like the disciples fighting the storm. We are desperately trying to stay afloat and keep from capsizing over. We use buckets of temporary solutions and worldly remedies to shovel out problems and worries only to be met with another wave of unexpected circumstances that push us back. Yet, remember what power Jesus shows us as the Lord of the Sabbath. Firstly, Jesus can sleep completely sound in the middle of the worst nightmare coming to reality. Despite the crashing waves and the howling wind, He was completely comfortable and calm enough to sleep. Secondly, when the disciples woke Him up, He looked at them and asked why they were so afraid before rebuking the winds and waves. The reason why the disciples were swept away in fear was because they saw the wind and waves, but forgot to look at Jesus. They have heard horror stories about such storms, but they didn’t yet know the identity of who was with them in the boat. Finding everlasting rest does not mean having everything together and being in control; instead, it means deeply realizing that your ship will never go down with Jesus in it. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, meaning that even the wind and the waves obey Him. So, just like if God rested, so should we, if you are in the middle of the storm and yet look over and see Jesus sleeping, so should you. What great faith it takes but what great freedom it brings to know that no matter the storms of life, if Jesus is in your heart, you will never drown. Remember to look to Him and find the rest you are desperately in need of by trusting in His power and love for you.

Reflection:

1. What storms are you going through in your homes, relationships, schools, or in your own mind, heart, and habits?

2. How can you surrender your life to Jesus and trust in Him through this process?

   
   

Prayer:

1. God, thank you for teaching me the meaning behind the Sabbath day of rest.

2. Jesus, thank you that you are the Lord of the Sabbath and you are declaring peace and rest over my heart, my mind, and my circumstances today.

3. Holy Spirit, help me to trust in you and find rest even in the most terrifying of storms.

   
   

개요:

오늘의 성경 말씀에서 예수님은 우리에게 안식일의 참된 의미를 가르쳐 주십니다. 구약 율법에서 하나님은 모세를 통해 이스라엘 백성에게 안식일을 기억하여 거룩하게 지키라고 명령하셨습니다. 그렇다면 이스라엘 백성들은 이날 제물을 드리고 예배를 드리며 찬양을 해야 했을까요? 이 계명은 그런 것을 요구하지 않습니다. 오히려 안식일을 온전히 지키고 이 계명을 존중하는 방법은 어떤 형태의 노동도 하지 않고 쉬는 것이었습니다. 하나님께서 온 세상을 창조하신 후, 일곱째 날에 모든 일을 마치시고 쉬셨으며 그날을 복되게 하시고 거룩하게 하셨습니다.

그렇다면 하나님께서 쉬실 필요가 있었을까요? 결코 아닙니다. 하나님은 피곤하거나 지치셔서 쉬신 것이 아닙니다. 오히려 하나님께서 스스로 쉬심으로써 원수의 계략을 이기는 가장 강력한 무기를 창조하신 것입니다. 어둠이 우리 삶을 사로잡을 때, 우리는 두려움에 얽매이고 불확실성에 마비되며, 부정적인 감정과 과도한 생각 속에 빠지게 됩니다. 더불어, 현대의 기술(휴대폰, 컴퓨터 등)로 인해 우리는 과도한 자극에 노출되고 ‘놓치고 싶지 않음(FOMO)’이라는 두려움에 중독되어 있습니다. 고통과 공포, 트라우마가 우리를 위협할 때 우리는 끊임없는 불안 속에 빠지게 되며, 이는 단지 잠들기 어렵다는 문제를 넘어서, 충분한 수면을 취해도 여전히 피곤하고 지친 상태로 깨어나는 것으로 나타납니다. 이는 많은 사람들이 잠을 자고는 있지만, 실제로는 ‘쉼’을 누리지 못하고 있다는 뜻입니다.

쉼의 상태:

참된 쉼(잠이 아닌)은 하나님의 가장 위대한 선물이자, 원수의 계략을 이길 수 있는 무기이며, 어둠을 이기는 실천입니다. 하나님은 우리가 안식일을 기억하여 거룩하게 지키라고 명령하십니다. 우리는 이 말씀을 흔히 일요일에 교회에 가는 것으로 생각합니다. 예수님의 시대에 바리새인들 또한 비슷한 방식으로 생각했습니다. 안식일에 어떤 형태의 일이든 하는 것이 발각되면, 종교 지도자들로부터 정죄를 받았습니다. 오늘 본문은 예수님의 제자들이 안식일에 이삭을 잘라 먹었다는 이유로 바리새인들에게 비난받는 장면입니다. 이처럼 아주 사소한 행동 하나조차 종교 지도자들에게 큰 문제로 여겨졌습니다.

그들은 심지어 예수님께서 베데스다 못가에서 병자를 고치신 일조차 안식일을 어긴 죄라고 비난했습니다. 이처럼 종교 지도자들은 하나님의 말씀과 뜻을 제대로 이해하지 못한 채, 기적을 행하는 선한 행위조차 죄로 몰아갔습니다.

그렇다면 우리는 일요일에 교회에 나오는 것으로 안식일을 거룩하게 지키고 있는 걸까요? 예수님의 말씀에 따르면, 그렇지 않습니다. 창조 이야기를 다시 생각해 보면, 하나님은 먼저 세상의 기초를 만드신 후 다양한 생명체로 채우셨고, 마지막으로 여섯째 날에 아담과 하와를 창조하셨습니다. 하지만 우리는 창조가 7일간 이루어졌다고 배웁니다. 즉, 일곱째 날에도 하나님의 창조 사역은 계속된 것입니다. 그날 하나님은 ‘쉼’이라는 존재의 필요성과 순환, 실천을 창조 위에 두신 것입니다.

또한, 첫째 날에 창조하신 것들은 지금까지도 계속되고 있습니다. 예를 들어, 태양은 단지 넷째 날에만 떠오른 것이 아니라 지금까지도 계속해서 뜨고 있습다. 하나님께서 창조하신 모든 것은 그때부터 지금까지 이어져 왔습니다. 쉼도 예외가 아닙니다. 바로 이것이 예수님께서 오늘 우리에게 가르치시는 내용입니다. 쉼은 단지 일곱째 날에만 존재하는 것이 아니라, 태양이 특정 요일만 뜨는 것이 아닌 것처럼, 우리의 마음속에 지속적으로 존재해야 할 상태입니다.

쉼을 찾는 방법:

예수님께서 자신이 안식일의 주인이라고 선포하실 때, 하나님의 계명에 담긴 진정한 의도와 종교 지도자들의 부패함을 드러내셨습니다. 하나님께서는 안식일을 통해 자신의 백성에게 쉼을 주시고, 짐을 덜어 주시며, 회복시키시기 위해 만드셨습니다. 이는 자기 힘으로 살아가는 노예 상태에서 벗어나, 하나님께 모든 것을 맡기고 의지할 수 있음을 상기시키기 위한 날입니다. 그러나 종교 지도자들은 이 안식일을 사람들의 죄와 불순종을 들춰내는 도구로 사용했습니다.

예수님은 참된 쉼의 제공자로 자신을 드러내셨습니다. 마태복음 8장 23~27절에서 예수님과 제자들은 갈릴리 바다를 건너고 있었습니다. 갑작스러운 폭풍이 배를 덮쳤고, 제자들은 물을 퍼내고, 배가 뒤집히지 않도록 고군분투하고 있었습니다. 그때 예수님은 배의 가장 위험한 부분인 고물에서 잠을 자고 계셨습니다. 제자들은 다급히 예수님을 깨우며 말했습니다. “주님, 우리가 죽게 된 것을 모르십니까?” 예수님은 일어나시며 바람과 파도를 꾸짖으셨고, 곧바로 모든 것이 고요해졌습니다.

우리 삶 역시 제자들의 상황처럼 느껴질 때가 많습니다. 우리는 끊임없이 인생의 폭풍을 막아내려 애쓰고, 세상의 해결책으로 문제를 해결하려 하지만, 또 다른 고난이 몰려옵니다. 그러나 안식일의 주인이신 예수님께서 보여주신 능력을 기억해야 합니다. 첫째, 예수님은 폭풍 한가운데에서도 평온하게 주무셨습니다. 둘째, 제자들이 예수님을 깨웠을 때, 예수님은 그들을 바라보시며 “왜 이렇게 무서워하느냐”고 물으셨습니다.

제자들이 두려움에 빠진 이유는 바람과 파도를 보았기 때문이며, 예수님이 그들과 함께 계시다는 사실을 잊었기 때문입니다. 우리가 안식을 찾는다는 것은 모든 것이 완벽하게 통제되는 상태가 아니라, 비록 폭풍 가운데 있을지라도 예수님이 우리와 함께하신다는 사실을 깊이 깨닫는 것입니다. 예수님이 내 마음에 계신다면, 우리의 배는 절대 침몰하지 않습니다. 바람과 파도조차 그분께 복종합니다. 그러므로 하나님께서 쉬셨던 것처럼 우리도 쉬어야 하며, 예수님께서 고요히 잠드신 것을 본다면 우리도 그렇게 평안히 쉴 수 있습니다. 이것이야말로 큰 믿음을 요구하지만, 그 믿음이 가져다주는 자유는 너무나도 큽니다.

묵상 질문:

1. 지금 여러분의 가정, 관계, 학교, 혹은 마음과 습관 속에서 겪고 있는 폭풍은 무엇인가요?

2. 이 과정을 통해 여러분은 어떻게 삶을 예수님께 맡기고 신뢰할 수 있을까요?

   
   

기도:

1. 하나님, 안식일의 의미를 깨닫게 해주셔서 감사합니다.

2. 예수님, 당신이 안식일의 주인이시며, 오늘 제 마음과 생각, 삶의 모든 영역 위에 평안과 쉼을 선포해주셔서 감사합니다.

3. 성령님, 가장 두려운 폭풍 속에서도 당신을 신뢰하며 참된 쉼을 누릴 수 있도록 도와주세요.