Unfortunately, this problem persists today; there are people who will dress like, talk like, and even act like a Christian in public. They know how to go to church, how to say the right things, and how to leverage their religion to gain power and popularity. - This is not the way of Jesus.

Simon was overly concerned with being right, and it was this desire that distanced him from Jesus (aka God) and from this woman (aka his neighbor). This is the profound lesson and the painful evaluation for those who claim to follow Jesus: Does your desire to be right, or perceived rightness, draw you towards people or distance you from them?

Maybe you are like me: you want to see the divisiveness and volatility decrease in our country, you want to see churches grow again, and you want to see families whole again. Then it starts with me and you, to truly follow the Jesus way by putting on love and trusting that it can heal, restore, and hold everything together in time.

In the days of the early church, people were accused of being “Christian”. It was a derogatory term toward someone who was acting so lovingly that it made no logical sense. It was a term given to people who did not seek power and control, but powerlessness and humility. It was given to people who not only loved those who were easy to love, but who were different and difficult to love. It was their loving actions that made it very clear to others that they followed Christ and not their culture.

We must practice and prioritize this founding spiritual discipline in order to access the divine rest that is so different from the rest we create for ourselves. We tend to work in order to rest, but God’s rest is not something we earn…it is a realm always available to us that we can enter.

Jesus practiced the sabbath and did not teach against it, but he was careful to not miss the point of it. He didn’t get lost in the rigorous restrictions that destroy the enjoyment and freedom the sabbath is meant to provide. He didn’t dismiss his neighbor in need or his companion's hunger but made sure they received the sustenance and healing that they needed…because that is kind of the whole point of the Sabbath.