I’m pretty sure that some people think that God just made up rules arbitrarily, maybe to keep us from having any fun at all. And, some Christians have bolstered that misunderstanding, especially when we add more rules of our own to what God said, or when we don’t choose to enjoy life in the world that God created (while living in the joy of being part of God’s family, no less!) Hold that thought for a moment (whether or not you agree with it) while we look at a passage from the Gospel of Mark in the Bible.
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:23-28 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.2.23-28.NIV
If you think about it, the idea that God is trying to make life “less fun” is pretty much the opposite of the truth, though. God’s righteous standards are not only aligned with His perfect, holy nature (as the source of all good – see Romans 12:1-2; James 1:16-18), but they also lead to a better life for us: better health, better state of mind, better relationships, better communities, and a better culture to live in. God didn’t give us directions to harm us, but rather to protect us from harm. In fact, sin (i.e., human beings’ decision to sin) is responsible for hurting the world, not God’s instructions.
This is why following a religious-looking pattern of fasting (see Mark 2:18-22) wasn’t necessary when the disciples were experiencing the very presence of God. After all, Jesus Christ the Messiah was literally walking with them! Fasting wasn’t wrong. After all, Jesus went without food for 40 days in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:1-2; Luke 4:1-2). However, fasting for the sake of “checking a box”, or thinking that it earned us “credits” with God, or fasting just to get recognition from others: these reasons weren’t particularly helpful for building one’s relationship with God.
This is also why extra, human rules about what one could and couldn’t do on the Sabbath missed the point: that God set a precedent for rest, knowing that we would need it, so if you were hungry and could grab some food to eat, you should probably eat, rather than letting that rest be overwhelmed by hunger.
By the way [ref. Black, p.76], if you’ve been following along in this study long enough to remember discussions on the first chapter of Mark, you might remember how Jesus’ authority was recognized. Here, Jesus, being God (and having participated in the first day of rest at Creation), had the authority to determine what was and wasn’t OK on the Sabbath, even when that meant evaluating things on a case-by-case basis, rather than broad rules that imperfect people had generated. When Christians suggest otherwise, though, and imply that God took something away from us in giving us an instruction manual for life (for both life on this earth and eternal life), are we using God’s name in vain again? Something to think about.
So, if someone is telling you that God says you can or can’t do something, please consider it in light of what you know to be true about God. Is the other person well-meaning, trying to help keep you far away from sin, but just piling on new restrictions that God never intended? Or, is what someone says consistent with God’s love for you, and wanting you to thrive and experience joy as He intended, rather than the cheap thrills and costly consequences of sin? Is a new “rule” – even one preached from a pulpit – something that God said, or just another form of entrapment and bondage (which Jesus died to free us from)? Or, are you being taught a principle of righteous living that makes things better – in Jesus Christ – for you and for other people around you? Is the lesson you’re learning truly the easy yoke and the light burden that Jesus offered? (Ref. Matthew 11:28-30)
These are important questions, and sometimes our failure isn’t making the wrong choices, but just not pausing to think about them. So, let’s think about what we’re being told, testing the spirits (see 1 John 4:1-3), and then making good choices based on God’s truth.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for September 14, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Mark, by Allen Black. © 1995 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 