There was a famous da Vinci painting, Salvador Mundi. It was a depiction of Jesus.

There was a time when it needed to be restored. So a professional was contacted. She was very careful and knew what she was doing. The restoration was a success. There’s a longer, fascinating story about all of this, but I’m giving you the short version. It sold at an auction for $450,000,000!

Now consider a contrast. Ecce Homo (Latin: “Behold the Man”) was also a painting of Jesus. The artist was Elías García Martínez. It too needed restoration. But the person who did the work made some key mistakes. As a result, the face of Jesus became smeared. His eyes now looked in a different direction than in the original. The job was botched.

I tell you this story because many people today feel as if they need their own personal restoration. It’s as if they need their souls restored because of the chaos in their lives personally, or in the world generally. But if they try to restore themselves in the wrong way they may end up botching the job. 

This can happen when we simply try to do more work, over indulge ourselves with unhealthy habits, or engage in chronic distraction or false ideas. 

But what if we already had the solution? What if it was one day a week for rest?

In Exodus 31:17 God says that on the seventh day “he rested and was refreshed.” Robert Alter translates that same Hebrew phrase like this: “He ceased and caught His breath.” Does God need to do that? No, he’s the Almighty! But we are being taught something about why rest is essential for our well-being. We need to restore equilibrium. We need to let our minds and bodies catch up to our breath!

Are there times when you lose your sense of balance? When you’re mentally or emotionally out of breath? 

Let’s not botch the job. Let’s be proactive about one of the weekly tools God has given his people to help them catch their breath.

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Notes:

-“The counter-cultural restoration of Sabbath rest one day a week.” Sermon. Click here.
-Bible quotes are from the NIV.