The first part of Luke chapter 4 addresses Jesus’ visit to his hometown of Nazareth. He ends up frustrated by their reception and responds with that famous quote: “But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown” (Luke 4:24). The reception was so bad that it nearly ended with Jesus being killed.

As we continue to read, we see that, starting in verse 31, it is a week later and Jesus has traveled about 16 miles, as the crow flies, to Capernaum. This little seaside village will be a “base of operations” for Jesus.

We are told that he is in Capernaum on the Sabbath. We are so used to the idea of a weekend in our culture that we read right over the Sabbath. We do not understand how unique this was in the ancient world. No society before them had anything like it. No god had ever asked his people to stop and rest one day in seven.

The word “Sabbath” is often translated “to rest,” but a better translation would be “to cease.” God wanted his people to stop striving, pushing, gaining, and struggling for a day. The creation account in Genesis revolves around the idea that God created for six days, then he ceased for a day, modeling what he wants from his people.

The Jews of Jesus’ day took this “ceasing” seriously. How many times does Jesus get accused of violating the Sabbath rest? At least six. And when he is accused, he does not just blow it off; he defends himself, because the Sabbath is serious for him too.

In her book Holy Days, Lis Harris recounts spending Shabbat (Sabbath) with a Hasidic family and asks why God cares that they rest. Her host, Moishe, responds, “What happens when we stop working and controlling nature? When we don’t operate machines or pick flowers or pluck fish from the sea? When we cease interfering in the world, we are acknowledging that it is God’s world.”

When was the last time you stopped? We are not under the covenant that commands us to keep the Sabbath, but maybe we all need to take some time to cease and to acknowledge the One who created all that we enjoy. Take a moment now, look at your calendar, and make some time for Sabbath.