Digging Deeper: What is Work?
6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Luke 6:6-11 (ESV)
WHAT IS WORK?
In 1920, the number one dream job for a young child was to be a cowboy. Frankly, I don’t really understand how cowboys made money. Most of my knowledge on the subject comes from Looney Tunes cartoons and the movie Tombstone. The remaining top five dream jobs, in order, were:
- Cowboy
- Firefighter
- President
- Police Officer
- Explorer
If I asked you to guess what they are today, you’d be right to assume they’re completely different. Not a single one is the same. In 2026, kids’ dream jobs were:
- YouTuber
- Professional Athlete
- Superhero
- AI Engineer
- Programmer
If I’m being honest, with the exception of a handful of influencers like Mr. Beast, I’m not sure YouTubers have figured out the income thing much better than cowboys did.
But whether the dream job is wrangling cattle or chasing subscribers, the point is the same: work looks completely different today than it did even a generation ago, let alone in the days of Israel.
Which brings up a question:
What is work?
It’s not exactly clear.
You could define work as something tied to economic benefit, but then again, unpaid activities such as volunteering seem like work too. Jesus appears to be asking this very question when He asks, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm?”
Another question we might ask is this: Must an activity be revitalizing or restful in order to not be considered work?
Jesus certainly thought it was acceptable to heal on the Sabbath—or to pull your ox out of a ditch. So perhaps the answer is no. Abstaining from work does not necessarily mean engaging only in activities that are restful or rejuvenating.
I have a family member who serves every single weekend at MUST Ministries. I worked the pickup line back in May and was utterly exhausted after just one shift.
She has a very different personality than I do, though. She is an extremely sociable person—the type of person you want greeting guests at church. What I find exhausting, she finds revitalizing.
In fact, as I think about Jesus’ healings, perhaps He too was revitalized by serving others.
The point is this: don’t get hung up on what counts as work for you personally. There may be all sorts of activities—serving, creating, helping others—that would drain someone else but are perfectly life-giving for you.
Don’t let someone else’s definition of work or rest become your rule.
What depletes others might be exactly what fills you up.
Ask Yourself:
• Think about something you do—serving, creating, or helping others—that most people would call “work” but that actually energizes you. What does that reveal about how God uniquely wired you?
Curt Bowen is a husband, father, and group leader who loves engaging in apologetics, theology, and good BBQ. A thrill-seeker at heart, he enjoys roller coasters and has an appreciation for snakes—just not the conversational type.