Studies for Men, Not Men for Studies

One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Mark 2:23-27

The disciples had a terrible breakfast. On a Sabbath day, they were so much into following Jesus, they forgot their breakfast. When they realised it, they were desperate for something in the stomach already, so they plucked some grains from the roadside field to ease that hunger a bit.

Now, you can imagine this to be funny. Some Pharisees who were stalking Jesus, hiding in the bush of grain, popped out all of the sudden and goes, "Ah ha! Look what I caught you doing!"

In the Jewish culture, law and tradition is strict on this one: Sabbath. If you are so much as to walk one step more than what you are allowed to, you have desecrated the Sabbath, which is commanded to be kept holy. The Jewish are so religious in keeping this, it has so much so became a oppressive imposition upon the Jews. Even when Jesus was healing and doing good on a Sabbath, the Pharisees were there to judge.

Sabbath is a day meant to be kept holy on this principle: A man needs to rest. God understood the need for rest and the implication behind it, He Himself, who needs no rest, rested on that day. God made Sabbath to be a pleasant, stress-free, restful day. He made Sabbath to be a day when a man can lay down his burden and his daily care. He made Sabbath to be a day where a man may draw close to Him and trust His providence. But the wisdom of man has cast a neck-chain on the Sabbath and made it burdensome. In keeping their religious duty, they lost sight of the true meaning behind a Sabbath.

In the same way many of us have kept our academic studies like a religious duty, so much so that we have lost sight of the true meaning behind learning. We are at this chase after a broken-loose chicken for academic achievements, marks and CGPA, we lost sight of the purpose of gaining knowledge. We are trying to be perfect in every single subject, we forced ourselves to be what we are not meant to be and beat ourselves up when we fail. It strips away the joy of learning. Instead of a privilege, learning became a burden to us, much like Sabbath for the Jews during Jesus' time. Honestly, it's not our fault, is the people around us and our desire to be accepted and recognised that has forced ourselves to be subjected under such neck-chain.

But Jesus says that Sabbath is made for man. In his Bible Study commentary, Matthew Henry wrote:

The sabbath is a sacred and divine institution but we must receive and embrace it as a privilege and a benefit, not as a task and a drudgery. First, God never designed it to be an imposition upon us, and therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. Man was not made for the sabbath, for he was made a day before the sabbath was instituted. Man was made for God, and for his honour and service, and he just rather die than deny him but he was not made for the sabbath, so as to be tied up by the law of it, from that which is necessary to the support of his life. Secondly, God did design it to be an advantage to us, and so we must make it, and improve it. He made if for man. 

(Source: http://www.studylight.org/com/mhm/view.cgi?book=mr&chapter=002)

 Similarly, learning, to me, it's a privilege. It's privilege because it tells stories about Jesus and His creation. In Psalm 19:1-6,

The heavens declare the glory of God,

   and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,

   and night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words,

   whose voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out through all the earth,

   and their words to the end of the world.

In them he has set a tent for the sun,

   which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,

   and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

   and its circuit to the end of them,

   and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

In Colossians 1:15-20,

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Learning, is a way to worship Him, because in learning, I see God and I can know Him. But we have made learning a burden to many and something to die for. We study like it's the only hope to live and we study like there is no hope. Worse still, as Christians, we study like there is no God to provide for us. We became slaves to them, like a Sabbath to the Jews.

But God made these privileges for man. He made knowledge for man, and He gives us dominion over them, but instead we became slave to them. But we must remember, knowledge is made for man, not man for knowledge. We must not become slaves to them but instead find joy in learning.

And above all, we must know that Jesus is Lord of everything, including knowledge and Sabbath. In Ephesian 1:20-23,

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

As He is the Lord over our studies, we must also know that Jesus is wise and compassionate. He will give to us and provide for us as what we needed. Our lives will not be determined by the achievements of our academics and our identity is not by the CGPA printed on our result slip, but our lives are determined by the prosperous plan He has made for us before even we were born. (Jeremiah 29:11)

So don't be a slave to studies, but instead, enjoy them, because it's a privilege that God has blessed us.