Today is a day of rest. Exodus 34:21 in the Bible tells us that, “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.” Today on this day of rest, we want to look at Jesus, the ultimate model of doing justice, and the one who commanded us to do justice based on Micah 6:8. We will look at how Jesus spent His sabbath days doing justice through healing the sick, setting the oppressed free and walking out the pure love of God the Father.
Matthew 12:9-14 says about Jesus “He went on from there and entered the synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. The religious leaders asked Him, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?’- so that they might accuse Him. He said to them ‘Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’
Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, how to destroy Him. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed Him, and He healed them all and ordered them not to make Him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah.”
Today, what does it look like for you to ‘do justice’? Our pray for the day is that our eyes would be open to the needs of those around us, both in our own communities and around the world. Take a moment to ask God what that looks like for you as you walk out your day.
Tomorrow we go a day without shoes. This is to stand with the 2.4 million who live in girding poverty. If you can’t go without shoes tomorrow, pick a day this week to do it alone, or with a group of friends or co-workers.
**All this information comes from the 30 Day Prayer and Action guide by Steps of Justice. Hard copies of the book are for sale here for only $5 or free downloads are available here.
