Matthew 24:20 – “Pray that your flight may not be in winter
or on the sabbath.”
Okay, winter seems self-explanatory. It usually means bad
weather. Whether one is fleeing from bad weather or to bad weather. Winter
makes an already arduous, dangerous journey more so. Fleeing in good weather is
highly preferable, if one has to flee.
But the sabbath? Jesus is the man who said that it’s okay to
do good on the sabbath, even if it means breaking God’s law. To save a life, to
take care of an emergency, to make someone’s life a little better. These are
not prohibited on the sabbath. So, presumably, neither would fleeing.
So, why pray that the journey is not on the sabbath? What
does the sabbath offer that would be taken away in this instance?
Here’s my list: worship, sacrifice on behalf of the people
(in Jesus’ day), community, ritual that grounds our lives, REST, communion with
God, security, safety, spiritual food. Thinking through this list, I wonder
whether those we are currently torturing in concentration camps are also being
deprived of spiritual resources? Do they receive chaplain visits? Are any of
them priests or pastors? Are they allowed to worship? Do they worship?
Their bodies, minds, and souls are not at rest. Their lives
have been upended, families torn apart, their humanity trounced upon. Everything
they care about or depend on has been taken from them. Truly, an egregious
violation of God’s commandments by people who claim to follow Christ. Our government may
have abandoned them, but God has not left them. Do they know that? Do they
realize there are people working to shut these camps down? Do they have any
hope?
Celebrating the sabbath gives us these things: hope, God, rest, community, worship, a sense
of security, and dignity. Let's work to give them back their sabbath.
Lament. Take time to feel the sadness, the sorrow, the
horror. Then, work to end the illegal and immoral detention of so many innocent
people. It’s what Jesus would do.
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