Mark 2:27-28 And he said to them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:… The question has been revived in our own generation: "In what spirit is that day which has superseded the Sabbath to be kept, especially by the working classes?" This, no less than the other, "was made for man." Now man, it must be remembered, is a complex creature. He has a tripartite nature, consisting of body, soul, and spirit; and it is necessary to provide for him as such, not ignoring either his physical, or his social, or his religious needs. All must be kept in view. It is a manifest duty to furnish the masses with the means of bodily recreation, and to draw them from their squalid homes into the pure air which will invigorate the frame. It is no less a duty to elevate their tastes, to offer them, as far as possible, variety of scene, and that relief from the monotony of labour which the rich man finds in his club or library; but all must be subordinated to the paramount duty of worship. That is due from every creature to the Great Creator. It is that, moreover, in which he may find his highest enjoyment. No scheme, therefore, which ignores this claim can possibly carry out the principle here laid down by Christ. (H. M. Luckock, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:WEB: He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. |