05/24/2026 Weekly Bible Lesson: Christian View of Recreation

Jeremiah 31:12-13. The children of Israel and Judah experienced many highs and lows in their walk with the Lord. At times, they had plenty, and other times they were captives in foreign lands. Jeremiah writes about a time when God would rescue His people. When that happened, the people of Judah would sing in the height of Zion and rejoice in dance. Our Lord is a God who turns mourning and sadness into joy. Having been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, the Christian life should be characterized by joy and rejoicing.

Zechariah 8:5. Zechariah looks to a future time when Jerusalem will be inhabited and secure. The presence of children playing in its streets suggests the city’s prosperity and divine blessing. As Christians, we now inhabit the Kingdom of God and have assurance of our salvation. This security should allow the Christian a time to play. Watching your child or grandchild play is a wonderful event.

Discussion Questions: Do we make time for recreation? Do our lives exhibit an attitude of joy in our salvation?

Matthew 11:16-19. Jesus taught that John the Baptist was the messenger sent to prepare the way. In verse 16, Jesus asks the question, “To what shall I liken this generation?” Jesus then compares the people to a group of children who refuse to play together. Jesus says that John did not come eating and drinking, and he was called a demon, but Jesus came eating and drinking, and the same people call Him a glutton, winebibber, and a friend of the sinners. Why is it that some people just refuse to play or associate with others? Why is it that some people cannot be pleased? The answer to these questions is simply due to the hardness of one’s heart. The hardness of the heart kept the people from accepting the ministries of John and Jesus. Thus, the hard-hearted Christian has difficulty associating with others.

Mark 2:18-28; 6:30-32. Here, Jesus is being questioned about fasting and the keeping of the Sabbath. In our text, we see the disciples of John and the Pharisees are fasting. Perhaps John’s disciples are fasting because he is in prison. The Pharisees fasted often simply for show. Jesus is asked why His disciples do not fast. Jesus answers, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus’s rhetorical question gives the answer that they have no reason to fast. The bridegroom (Jesus) is with them. It’s like a wedding; a good time. No one fasts without reason, and no one fasts in a joyful experience.

Later, as they travel on a Sabbath day, Jesus and His disciples pick grain to eat as they walk through the grain fields. The Pharisees accuse Him of doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath. Jesus cites the example of King David eating and says, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Jesus reminds His critics that the Sabbath was for man to rest and that He also has Lordship over it.

The verses from chapter six tell of the apostles gathering to inform Jesus of the things they have completed and what they had been teaching. In verse 31, Jesus tells the apostles to come aside to a deserted place and rest for a while. The Christian must remember that God made a day for His people to rest. Scripture records many times when Jesus rested. Christians today also need a time of rest. Rest is not a sign of laziness or idleness; it is instruction from the Lord.

John 2:1-11. These verses are the account of Jesus turning water into wine. John only records seven miracles of Jesus, and this is the first. As this lesson deals with the Christian view of recreation, I am reminded of the comedic words from Mark Lowry,  Christian singer and comedian. Lowry says that Jesus’s first miracle was just to keep the party going! Although Lowry makes a joke, there might be a ring of truth in it. In Jesus’s day, wedding parties lasted for one week, and to run out of food or drink was embarrassing and humiliating to the bride and groom.

Jesus was in the early stages of the most impactful ministry in the history of mankind—His journey to the cross. Yet he paused to attend a wedding. We, too, should be willing to pause and refresh ourselves.