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Author
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Topic: What Yahshua taught concerning the Sabbath!
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becauseHElives
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Member # 87
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posted
AMEN !!!!!
Icon 1 posted October 15, 2009 06:59 AM Profile for barrykind Send New Private Message Edit/Delete Post Reply With Quote Many good things written here and i see a true blend in many things stated above.
We being in the Messiah are working within the law/ [Smile]
It is written on our hearts not with pen and ink..
One states "Im not under the LAW"...do you steal?
The law is "Old Testement"...can i covet my neighbors wife?........NO ......WHY
The law is "written" on our hearts!
Why then would one "out of a pure HEART" not wont to Remeber the Sabbath???
Can i pick up sticks.............Our heart should say...Im showing a physical rest this day; showing the world that spiritually i have ENTERED into HIS rest.
Yahshua killed....at the cross the penalty of the "LAW" for those that are in HIM.
Is the law gone?...NO
Still teaching, still showing the work of the Messiah.. [Smile]
WOW should we sin then since the penalty of those whose hearts are pure to the MESSIAH??
God forbid..Paul states.
By the penalty being paid for those in HIM, and are of a pure heart..>WE ESTABLISH the LAW.
Hand writing of ordinances, which were contrary to us, have been done away with. Not HIS roayl LAW.
i can truly see where one can get this truth crossed up.
Open our hearts dear LORD and not our minds, and with ears to hear, let us hear; and with opened eys to see let us see..
Every time we are tempted, and every time that we fail, let us use this as a way to glorify our LORD, and to establish our FAITH in HIS will, and HIS GRACE e\dear ones. For "let this be our plea" it is no longer I, but the MESSIAH>
So much above to answer, no time now...but will asap
Love
barry
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The HEART of the issue is truly the issue of the HEART!
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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Carol Swenson
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The Weekly Sabbath — Jesus' Example
Of all Old Testament laws, the weekly Sabbath is probably the most controversial today. Many Christians believe they ought to obey the Ten Commandments — and one of the Ten is a command to rest on the seventh day (Saturday). Millions of Christians therefore observe the seventh-day Sabbath. Many other Christians observe Sunday as a day of rest, believing that the Sabbath commandment is in force for Christians, but changed from the seventh day to the day of Jesus' resurrection. But most Christians, although they worship on one day out of seven, do not observe any day as a required day of rest.
So, does this Old Testament law about the Sabbath day apply to Christians today? Let's see what the New Testament says about this particular law. First, we will examine the example of Jesus Christ.
1. When Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath, what were his disciples doing? Matt. 12:1. What did the Pharisees think of this? Verse 2. What examples did Jesus mention to show that biblical laws can sometimes be set aside? Verses 3-6. Did Jesus say that temple work is more important than the Sabbath command? Verse 5. Did Jesus say that his own work is more important than the temple? Verse 6. Did he proclaim himself more important than the Sabbath? Verse 8.
Comment: Temple rituals were more important than avoiding work on the Sabbath day. Temple rituals are now obsolete. This suggests that the Sabbath work restrictions, which are less important, may also be obsolete.
In defending his Sabbath activities, Jesus put the Sabbath in the same legal category as temple bread, sacrifices, and the physical temple, all of which are now obsolete. He treated the Sabbath as a ceremonial law. (For more on this, click here.) Jesus is more important than any of these worship customs. He is more important than the temple itself and more important than the Sabbath day (Matt. 12:6, 8).
2. In Mark's version of this story, how did Jesus summarize the purpose of the Sabbath? Mark 2:27. Did he again say he was more authoritative than the Sabbath? Verse 28.
Comment: Verse 27 teaches that the Sabbath was given for human good. Some people therefore claim that Sabbath rules must come before human needs, because those rules tell us what is best for us, and those rules are wiser than we are.
The context shows that Jesus actually meant the opposite: Human needs are more important than Sabbath restrictions. The Sabbath should serve human needs, rather than human needs being delayed to serve Sabbath rules. Jesus is definitely not saying that all human needs have to fit into the Sabbath rules! (For more on this, click here.)
Jesus pointed out that David could break an old covenant law without being guilty of sin (verse 26). This comparison would not be helpful if the Sabbath were considered a more important law than the one Jesus cited. The temple bread was holy; it could be eaten only by priests (Lev. 24:5-9). Nevertheless, that law could be set aside when hungry people had no other food. Similarly, Jesus considered the law prohibiting work on the Sabbath to be a ritual law that could be set aside when there was a human need.
Jesus said that he is Lord of the Sabbath. Some people have concluded from this that the Sabbath is the Lord's day, which all the Lord's followers ought to keep. Yet this is not the point Jesus was making. Jesus was not emphasizing obedience to Sabbath rules — he was saying he could break the Pharisees' rules about the Sabbath. He was saying he had authority over the Sabbath.
3. Did Jesus remind the Pharisees that worship customs were not as important as the way we treat other human beings? Matt. 12:7. What did Jesus then do on the Sabbath day? Verses 9-13. How did the Pharisees respond? Verse 14. According to Jesus, what sort of activities are permitted on the Sabbath? Verse 12, last part.
Comment: Since Jesus did not sin, and the Sabbath was a law at the time he lived, we know that Jesus kept the Sabbath in the way God intended it be kept under the old covenant. However, the Gospel writers did not consider it important to tell us that he "kept" the Sabbath. The Gospels do not tell us about resting on the Sabbath. Rather, they focus on activity, on action, on doing good work. These stories about what Jesus did on the Sabbath are not recorded for the purpose of telling us to keep the Sabbath by resting. The focus is on the healing work of Jesus and his authority over the Sabbath, not on what we must avoid on the Sabbath.
4. What did Jesus do on the Sabbath? Mark 1:21; Luke 4:16. What is the significance of this example?
Comment: If we follow Jesus' example in all its details, we must, among other things, go to synagogues on the Sabbath to teach the Jews. But this is not the purpose of these verses. They are informing us about the nature of Jesus' work, teaching and authority. They are not commanding us to do exactly the same thing he did in the same way he did or at the same time he did.
Jesus taught and healed on every day of the week. Jesus' activity on the Sabbath was not much different from his activity on other days of the week, except that since the Jews were gathered in the synagogues on the Sabbath, that is where he taught them.
5. On another occasion, what did Jesus do on the Sabbath? Luke 13:10-13. How did the Jewish religious leaders respond? Verse 14. Did Jesus explain that the Sabbath is a day of freedom? Verses 15-16. Are the needs of people more important than rules about how the Sabbath should be kept? Luke 14:1-6.
Comment: The Pharisees may have had good motives. They wanted to obey God's commandments, and they wanted to describe in detail the way obedience would work out in daily life. But their rules became more important to them than the needs of people, and the rules became burdens. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for requiring things God did not require (Luke 11:46; Mark 7:7-9).
Similarly, some modern religious leaders also have rules about how Christians should live. These rules are sometimes helpful and practical, but whenever the rules become more important than the real needs of people, the rules become more harmful than helpful. For example, many Christians have taught it is wrong to play cards, dance or wear jewelry. These rules may have been helpful at one time, and somewhat neutral at other times, but if they are taught today, the rules may be obstacles that distract people away from the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It would be equally wrong to require something that God used to require but that he no longer requires. For example, if anyone said that Christians are required to wear blue threads in tassels on their garments (Num. 15:38-39), they would be making a mistake in understanding the temporary nature of the old covenant, and their mistake would likely distract people away from the gospel.
Likewise, it would be erroneous to think that Christian men had to gather at one specific place three times a year (Deut. 16:16). Although these rules are biblical, it would be wrong to require them today. They were given to ancient Israel, not to modern Christians. If imposed today, these rules would tend to drive people away from their Savior.
When we are considering an old covenant law, we need to be careful to require only what the new covenant requires. We cannot say Christ requires his people to consider certain foods unclean when Paul clearly says all foods are clean. Similarly, we cannot require people to build booths for the Feast of Tabernacles or to fast on the Day of Atonement when the only reasons the Bible gives for such customs do not apply to Christians. And we must not make requirements about the weekly Sabbath unless we can demonstrate them from the new covenant.
6. What other healing did Jesus do on the Sabbath? John 5:1-9. What did the Jewish leaders complain about this time? Verses 10, 16. How did Jesus respond? Verses 17-18.
Comment: Jesus could have easily told the man that he would be healed as soon as the Sabbath was over. He could have easily told the man to wait until the Sabbath was over before he carried his sleeping mat. But Jesus did not. Instead, he boldly used the word work to describe what he was doing on the Sabbath day.
The Bible never shows Jesus as teaching people to rest on the Sabbath. Rather, it always shows him liberalizing what could be done. He stressed the importance of doing good work on the Sabbath — not only to take care of others' needs (healing) but also to take care of one's own needs (picking grain to eat and carrying a mat). The New Testament emphasis is on liberty and activity, not rest.
7. On a later occasion, Jesus referred to this Sabbath healing. Which law did he say was more important than the Sabbath? John 7:21-23. Did he later perform another healing on the Sabbath? John 9:14. What had Jesus done? Verses 1-11. Did he say the work of God must be done, even on the Sabbath? Verse 4.
Comment: The law of circumcision was more important than the law forbidding work on the Sabbath. Again, Jesus compared the Sabbath to a ritual law and said that the ritual was more important than the Sabbath. The Sabbath was one of the Ten Commandments, but that did not make it more important. It was less important than rituals such as circumcision, temple sacrifices and holy bread.
Jesus never discussed what should not be done on the Sabbath, nor did he ever specifically uphold the Sabbath commandment as binding. He did good work on the Sabbath just as he did on every other day of the week.
The example Jesus set for us regarding the Sabbath was one of freedom to do good. He did not teach or exemplify any restrictions.
http://www.wcg.org/lit/law/otl/otl11.htm
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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barrykind
Advanced Member
Member # 35
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Many good things written here and i see a true blend in many things stated above.
We being in the Messiah are working within the law/ ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
It is written on our hearts not with pen and ink..
One states "Im not under the LAW"...do you steal?
The law is "Old Testement"...can i covet my neighbors wife?........NO ......WHY
The law is "written" on our hearts!
Why then would one "out of a pure HEART" not wont to Remeber the Sabbath???
Can i pick up sticks.............Our heart should say...Im showing a physical rest this day; showing the world that spiritually i have ENTERED into HIS rest.
Yahshua killed....at the cross the penalty of the "LAW" for those that are in HIM.
Is the law gone?...NO
Still teaching, still showing the work of the Messiah..
WOW should we sin then since the penalty of those whose hearts are pure to the MESSIAH??
God forbid..Paul states.
By the penalty being paid for those in HIM, and are of a pure heart..>WE ESTABLISH the LAW.
Hand writing of ordinances, which were contrary to us, have been done away with. Not HIS roayl LAW.
i can truly see where one can get this truth crossed up.
Open our hearts dear LORD and not our minds, and with ears to hear, let us hear; and with opened eys to see let us see..
Every time we are tempted, and every time that we fail, let us use this as a way to glorify our LORD, and to establish our FAITH in HIS will, and HIS GRACE e\dear ones. For "let this be our plea" it is no longer I, but the MESSIAH>
So much above to answer, no time now...but will asap
Love
barry
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The HEART of the issue is truly the issue of the HEART!
John 3:3;Mark 8:34-38;James 1:27
Posts: 3529 | From: Orange, Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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Eden
unregistered
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becauseHElives, in one of your posts in this thread you mentioned that the sabbath was to be observed for a perpetual covenant:
Exodus 31:16
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
Strong's Concordance
Exd 31:16 Wherefore the children 1121 of Israel 3478 shall keep 8104 the sabbath 7676, to observe 6213 the sabbath 7676 throughout their generations 1755, [for] a perpetual 5769 covenant 1285.
5769=olam.
In the Greek Septuagint, this word olam was always translated as aionoos, and in the Greek New Testament the word everlasting or forever are also aionios.
The word "olam" and "aionios" is a tricky word which actually means "it lasts as long as the thing that it modifies".
When "olam" or "aionos" modify something divine, like God, than "olam" and "aionos" means "it lasts forever".
But take when, for example, "aionios" modifies "fire":
Jude 1:7
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Strong's Concordance
Jude 1:7 Even as 5613 Sodom 4670 and 2532 Gomorrha 1116, and 2532 the cities 4172 about 4012 them 846 in like 3664 5125 manner 5158, giving themselves over to fornication 1608 , and 2532 going 565 after 3694 strange 2087 flesh 4561, are set forth for 4295 an example 1164, suffering 5254 the vengeance 1349 of eternal 166 fire 4442.
166=aionios
Now, we know that in Israel today the fire on Sodom and Gomorrah is no longer burning. In fact, we don't even know where exactly Sodom and Gomorrah were located.
That is, the "aionios fire" that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah "lasted as long as the fire was needed to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah".
Another way of translation the Hebrew "olam" and its Greek equivalent "aionios" is age-lasting; that is, "it lasts as long as the life of the thing that it modifies".
So, in the case of the Sabbath, it was a "perpetual" covenant:
Exodus 31:16
Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual olam covenant.
That is, as long as the children of Israel lasted to whom it was given to keep the Sabbath, it was THAT "age-lasting" or "olam".
The sabbath olam covenant lasted as long as old Israel lasted, that is, until the Lord Jesus took over from Israel as the Head of the church AND created a new creature:
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, ALL things are become new.
love, Eden
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Eden
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Hi, becauseHElies, the thing that concerns me most about "keeping the sabbath" after I have believed in Jesus for salvation is that pride in us is a very subtle thing.
We can easily start out by saying, "Okay, I know that I'm 100% saved by Jesus" and then I start "keeping the sabbath" because I think Christians should still keep the holidays, and pretty soon "keeping the sabbath" becomes something that "needs to be added on to the work that Jesus did".
I think pride can be that subtle and sneaky, so that probably the safest haven is to say, "LORD, I'm hopelessly filthy, if You want me to change, then YOU are going to have to be the One making the change in me".
Because, "LORD, if YOU don't do something, nothing is going to happen because flesh cannot fix flesh".
And indeed there's a great Psalm in the book of Psalms which goes something like, "LORD, if You will anoint me, then I will praise you", and other variants of that same theme.
And in the New Testament also, the publican said, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner".
So in any case, I think that human beings are so sinful and so subtily prideful, that the moment we try to add on ANYTHING to the work that Jesus completed, as in saying, "I know that I'm already saved, but I think Jesus wants me to keep the sabbath too", and pretty soon our pride manages to grab onto it and make us superior because "we are also keeping the sabbath".
Rather, God alone can change us; if God doesn't do anything, no change will take place.
love, Eden
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Carol Swenson
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A day is as a thousand years.
The six days of creation represent the 6000 years given to mankind. The day of rest represents the 1000 year Kingdom of Christ.
Also, those of us who are in Christ are already in the Kingdom, (the Kingdom of Heaven is within us), if we live for Christ and His Kingdom values. Christ is our Sabbath rest. The Sabbath is not a day, but a "completion".
That does not always mean we do nothing, for He said the Sabbath is to do good (Matthew 12:12). We do those good works He has prepared for us to do, but the Holy Spirit is the One who really does the work.
Romans 7
4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ . And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.
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Eden
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To me, EVERY DAY now feels like a Sabbath of rest.
Hebrews 3:18
And to whom swore He that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
Hebrews 4:1
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
Hebrews 4:10
For he that is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His.
As for the first day of the week, or Sunday, it is not that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday, but that for Christians, the most important part was the resurrection of Jesus, and we now celebrate the resurrection:
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who, according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Romans 1:4
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
So now we celebrate the resurrection from the dead on the first day of the week:
Mark 16:9
Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils.
love, Eden
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Betty Louise
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We are free as Christians to worship Jesus every day.
betty
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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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MentorsRiddle
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As I said above, I can see both sides of the argument.
But, just because you beleive something and I don't does not mean taht I don't follow Jesus.
You may be wrong and you may be right -- only time will tell.
But the way you are phrasing certain of your thoughts makes it appear as though you are saying that if we don't beleive we HAVE to remember the Sabbath means we are not born again beleivers, etc.
I am not saying that IS what you are saying, it just seems that way.
I don't think that there is anyting wrong with observing the sabboth, but I also don't think it is required any longer.
It was law to offer things to God for sacrafice -- do you still do this?
The answer is no: because it is no longer needed, for Jesus fulfilled that requirement.
SO thus, because Jesus was perfect in the Law for us, we are perfect under him.
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With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
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becauseHElives
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I in no way advocating putting anyone under the Law...
but I have no reason to agree with those that refuse to see the Truth...
Yahweh never changed the day of rest ....neither did Yahweh say the Ten Commandments were done away with....
As a Born Again believer I am commanded to Love Yahweh with all my heart and to love my neighbor as i love myself, by doing so I obey all ten Commandments.....
Yahshua fulfilled the requirements of the Law for all men and women but He did not do away with the Law....
If you are a New Creation, you have the seed of Yahshua, you love what He loves....and He loves the Law.....
Yahweh would be double minded to say the Sabbath was perpetual for all generations ....
Jesus Christ and the Sabbath
"And He [Jesus Christ] said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath'" (Mark 2:27, 28).
How did Jesus Christ view the Sabbath? Many people see only what they want to see regarding Christ's approach to the seventh day. Some believe, based on misunderstandings, that Jesus Christ ignored or deliberately broke the Sabbath commandment.
Actually, the Sabbath is mentioned almost 50 times in the four Gospels (more than in the entire first five books of the Bible!), so there is ample historical record of His attitude toward the Sabbath.
To understand the Gospel accounts, however, we must consider how Sabbath observance had changed—or, more properly, had been changed—since it had been created and later included in the Ten Commandments.
The Sabbath in history
Sabbath observance underwent a massive transformation in the centuries leading up to the time of Christ. Earlier in this booklet we reviewed how God warned Israel not to forget His mighty works and laws.
The ancient Israelites' sad record shows they didn't listen. Eventually Israel did forget God and disintegrated as a nation, dividing into the separate kingdoms of Israel and Judah before being taken away into captivity by Assyrian and Babylonian invaders, respectively, in the eighth and sixth centuries B.C.
One of the Israelites' most flagrant sins leading up to their national captivity was the violation of God's Sabbath. Even as the kingdom of Judah was self-destructing from its citizens' sinful behavior, God continued to warn it through the prophet Jeremiah to "bear no burden on the Sabbath day...nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers...But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day...then I will kindle a fire...and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched" (Jeremiah 17:21, 22, 27).
The prophet Ezekiel, speaking for God from Babylon after he and much of the kingdom of Judah had been taken into captivity, wrote:
"I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. Yet...they greatly defiled My Sabbaths...They despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths" (Ezekiel 20:12, 13, 16).
God also told the nation of Judah, "Her [the nation's] priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them" (Ezekiel 22:26).
Later, many of the Jewish captives returned from Babylon and were restored to their former lands several centuries before Christ's time. They knew from the messages of Jeremiah and Ezekiel that their nation had been destroyed for breaking God's law, and violating the Sabbath was one of their chief sins.
Once restored as a nation, they determined never to make the same mistake again. Consequently, over several centuries Jewish religious authorities crafted meticulous regulations that detailed exactly what they considered was and wasn't permissible on the Sabbath. They veered from one ditch to the other ditch—from ignoring and abusing the Sabbath to demanding an oppressive, legalistic observance of it.
Added Sabbath regulations
The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, in its article on the Sabbath, describes how extreme these measures had become by Christ's day. The religious code regarding the Sabbath listed "39 principal classes of prohibited actions: sowing, plowing, reaping, gathering into sheaves, threshing, winnowing, cleansing, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking...Each of these chief enactments was further discussed and elaborated, so that actually there were several hundred things a conscientious, law-abiding Jew could not do on the sabbath. For example, the prohibition about tying a knot was too general, so it became necessary to state what kind[s] of knots were prohibited and what kind not. It was accordingly laid down that allowable knots were those that could be untied with one hand...
"The prohibition regarding writing on the sabbath was further defined as follows: 'He who writes two letters with his right or his left hand, whether of one kind [of letter] or of two kinds,...is guilty. He even who should from forgetfulness write two letters is guilty...Also, he who writes on two walls which form an angle, or on the two tablets of his account-book, so that they can be read together, is guilty..."
Definition of work
The religious authorities' definition of "work" that could violate the Sabbath command was vastly different from any ordinary definition of work. For example, plowing was a prohibited-work category, and few would dispute that plowing is difficult work. However, according to first-century rabbinic opinion, the prohibition against plowing could be violated by simply spitting onto the ground. The spit could disturb the soil, which in the rabbis' view was a type of plowing! Women were forbidden to look into a mirror on the Sabbath, because they might see a gray hair and pull it out, and that would constitute work.
Wearing nailed shoes on the Sabbath was prohibited, because in the authorities' view the addition of the nails meant they were carrying an unnecessary burden. Even walking through grass was not allowed, because some of the grass might be bent and broken, which constituted threshing, one of the forbidden categories of work.
The religious leaders taught that, if a house caught on fire on the Sabbath, its inhabitants couldn't carry their clothes out of the house to spare them from the flames, because that would be bearing a burden. However, they were allowed to put on all the layers of clothing they could wear and thus remove the clothes by wearing them, which was acceptable.
It was into this charged, hypercritical religious atmosphere that Jesus Christ came teaching and preaching. Today, without this historical background, many people draw wrong conclusions about how Jesus viewed the Sabbath.
The writers of the Gospel accounts record numerous confrontations between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day concerning the Sabbath. His healings on the Sabbath and teachings about Sabbath observance stirred frequent controversy. A brief view of the biblical record of His actions and teachings will help us understand how Christ viewed the Sabbath.
As we review these accounts of Christ's life, keep in mind their chronology. Scholars generally agree that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke were written in the first century, from the 50s through the 70s, some 20 to 40 years after the events recorded in them occurred. If Jesus Christ intended to change, abolish or annul the Sabbath, that intent should be apparent in the Gospel writers' historical records of His life. As we will see, there is simply no evidence to support that view.
Jesus preaches on the Sabbath: Luke 4:16-30
The first mention of the Sabbath in the life of Jesus Christ is Luke 4:16: "So He [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read."
In this, the Gospels' first mention of the Sabbath, at the very beginning of Christ's ministry, we find that Jesus' custom—His normal activity—was to go "into the synagogue on the Sabbath day." This was not an isolated incident; He would later continue to teach in the synagogue on the Sabbath as well (Mark 6:2; Luke 13:10).
Continuing in Luke's account: "He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.' Then He closed the book...And He began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'" (Luke 4:17-21).
Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1 and 2, which those in the synagogue recognized as a prophecy of the Messianic age. By saying, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing," Jesus claimed to be fulfilling this prophecy; He proclaimed Himself the expected Messiah! Jesus went on to compare His ministry to that of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. His listeners, clearly understanding His meaning, promptly tried to kill Jesus for this claim, but He escaped from them (verses 23-30).
This is the first mention of the Sabbath during His ministry. On that day Jesus Christ first proclaimed that He was the prophesied Messiah—introducing His mission as Savior of all humanity. This was a significant event. Nazareth was where He grew up. The people of Nazareth were the first to hear, on that Sabbath, that He was the Messiah. He pointed them to the hope of His future reign—the gospel, or good news, in both its present and future fulfillment.
Jesus heals and casts out demons on the Sabbath: Luke 4:31-39
Immediately, Jesus began to use the Sabbath to proclaim the coming Kingdom of God and to manifest His miraculous power as the Messiah. "Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority" (Luke 4:31, 32).
Next, Jesus ordered a demon out of a man, and those in the synagogue "were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, 'What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out'" (verses 33-36).
Jesus then went to Peter's house, where He healed Peter's mother-in-law of a fever. Finally, as the Sabbath day drew to a close, "all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, 'You are the Christ, the Son of God!' And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ" (verses 38-41).
As the Savior, Jesus understood the purpose of the Sabbath, that it was a perfectly appropriate time to bring His message of healing, hope and redemption to humanity and to live that message through His actions. Even the demons recognized that He was the prophesied Messiah (which is the meaning of "Christ," John 1:41). Jesus used the Sabbath to point people to Him as the Healer and Savior of mankind.
Jesus confronts Pharisees over disciples' actions on the Sabbath: Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5
Passages in Matthew 12, Mark 2 and Luke 6 are misconstrued to imply that Jesus broke the Sabbath commandment. But let's see what really happened. From Mark's account, "He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, 'Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?'" (Mark 2:23, 24).
The Pharisees were an excessively strict branch of Judaism holding considerable religious authority during Christ's time, and they were extreme in their interpretation of what was allowed on the Sabbath. Their question would make it appear the disciples were hard at work gathering grain on the Sabbath and were confronted by the Pharisees for violating it. Luke's account clarifies the disciples' actions: As they "went through the grainfields" they "plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands" (Luke 6:1). They did this because they were hungry (Matthew 12:1), not because they were harvesting the field.
No violation of Sabbath commandment
Their acts were perfectly acceptable according to the laws God had given the nation of Israel. As a matter of fact, God made specific allowance for picking handfuls of grain from another person's field (Deuteronomy 23:25). God even told His people to leave portions of their fields unharvested so the poor and travelers would be able to eat what was left (Leviticus 19:9, 10; 23:22).
The disciples were walking through the field, and as they walked they picked heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands to remove the chaff, then ate the kernels. The Pharisees, who were among the most strict in their rules concerning the Sabbath, viewed the disciples' actions as "reaping" and "threshing," which were among the 39 categories of work forbidden on that day. Although these actions did not violate God's Sabbath commandment, they did violate the Pharisees' man-made regulations. The Pharisees viewed the disciples' conduct as "not lawful on the Sabbath" and criticized them for it.
Law allowed for mercy
Jesus pointed out that King David and his hungry followers, when they were fleeing King Saul's armies, were given bread that was normally to be eaten only by priests, yet they were guiltless in God's sight (Mark 2:25, 26). He also pointed out that even the priests serving in the temple of God labored on the Sabbath by conducting worship services and performing sacrifices, but God held them blameless (Matthew 12:5).
In both examples, the spirit and intent of the law were not broken, and both instances were specifically allowed by God for the greater good, Christ said. He emphasized that God's law allowed for mercy, and the Pharisees were completely wrong in elevating their harsh, humanly devised regulations above everything else, including mercy.
He said that, because of the Pharisees' distorted view, they had actually turned matters upside down. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath," He asserted. Because of their narrow, legalistic view of the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week had become a hardship, weighted down with hundreds of rules and regulations about what was and wasn't permissible on that day.
Jesus, however, pointed out the true purpose of the day intended from its inception: God created the day to be a blessing, a time for genuine rest from normal labors rather than an unmanageable burden. It was a time to be enjoyed, not endured. Further, He said the Sabbath was created for all mankind, not just for the nation of Israel.
Jesus' teaching in these verses is summarized in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 5, "Sabbath," edited by David Noel Freedman, pages 855 and 856: "At times Jesus is interpreted to have abrogated or suspended the Sabbath commandment on the basis of controversies brought about by Sabbath healings and other acts. Careful analysis of the respective passages does not seem to give credence to this interpretation. The action of plucking ears of grain on the Sabbath by the disciples is particularly important in this matter. Jesus makes a foundational pronouncement...'The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath' (Mark 2:27). The disciples' act of plucking grain infringed against the rabbinic halakhah of minute casuistry in which it was forbidden to reap, thresh, winnow, and grind on the Sabbath.
"...Jesus reforms the Sabbath and restores it to its rightful place as designed in creation, where the Sabbath is made for all mankind and not specifically for Israel, as claimed by normative Judaism...
It was God's will at creation that the Sabbath have the purpose of serving mankind for rest and [to] bring blessing."
In this example, we see that Jesus Christ understood and explained the Sabbath's true intent: that it was created to be a day of rest from normal labors, a blessing and benefit to all humanity.
Another Sabbath healing: Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11
Immediately after the dispute with the Pharisees over the disciples' plucking grain on the Sabbath, the Gospel accounts record that Jesus found Himself in another confrontation over what could and could not be lawfully done on the Sabbath. The Pharisees' regulations went so far as to forbid giving aid to someone who was ill on the Sabbath unless the person's life were threatened!
In the synagogue on the Sabbath, Jesus met a man with a withered, shriveled hand: a severe handicap, but not life-threatening. "Stand up in front of everyone," Jesus told the man (Mark 3:3, New International Version). Angered and grieved that their callous, hardened minds were incapable of grasping the most fundamental intent of God's law, Jesus asked those watching: "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"
Unable or unwilling to answer, they remained silent. In front of the entire synagogue, Jesus healed the man's hand, making it "completely restored." Far from rejoicing at the blessing given the man, the Pharisees "went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus" (verses 4-6, NIV).
Rather than learning a vital spiritual lesson about the intent and purpose of both the Sabbath and Jesus Christ's ministry, the Pharisees were infuriated that Jesus ignored their strict directives. Rather than understanding a message of mercy and compassion, they conspired to kill the Messenger.
Far from annulling the Sabbath, Jesus demonstrated that the Sabbath is an appropriate time to give aid and comfort to those in need. The Sabbath command didn't instruct people on what they were to do on that day, just what they were not to do. Jesus clarified what was acceptable to God: "It is lawful [within God's law] to do good on the Sabbath," He declared (Matthew 12:12).
Pharisaic legalism had gone far beyond God's stated commandment not to work and created a myriad of rules restricting even the very basics of human activity—something God never intended. Yet, even the Pharisees' regulations gave way to emergencies like getting a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath (verse 11). Jesus declared that the Sabbath was a day on which good could and should be done.
Some who oppose Sabbath observance view Christ's statement that "it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" as ending any distinction of days for rest or other religious purposes. However, to conclude that Jesus annulled the Sabbath's unique nature by teaching that it is lawful to do good on that day, one must assume that it was originally unlawful to do good on that day. That is clearly not the case. As He frequently chided those who criticized Him, doing good was specifically allowed on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:12; Mark 3:4; Luke 6:9). The Sabbath is a day given by God for rest and religious observance, but this does not preclude doing good.
Jesus' healing acts on the Sabbath also foreshadowed something much larger: the miraculous healings still to come in the Messianic age. Isaiah prophesied of this time: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing" (Isaiah 35:5, 6).
The Savior's actions on the Sabbath are a reminder of that coming time of peace, restoration and healing for all mankind.
Jesus heals a crippled woman on the Sabbath: Luke 13:10-17
Luke records another incident of Jesus' healing of a chronically ill person on the Sabbath in the synagogue, in this case "a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up" (Luke 13:11). Calling her to Him, He laid His hands on her, "and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God" (verses 12, 13).
The crowd, knowing that Jesus had just violated the narrow, restrictive prohibition against giving aid to an ill person unless the situation were life-threatening, waited to see what would happen next. The people didn't have to wait long. "The ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, 'There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day'" (verse 14).
Jesus Christ would have none of this attitude. "Hypocrite!" He responded. "Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" His answer sank in on the crowd. "And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him" (verses 15-17).
Jesus stressed here that the Sabbath represents a time of liberation, of loosing from bondage, and so helps us further understand God's intent for Sabbath observance. Even the Pharisees' strict regulations allowed for the feeding and watering of animals on the Sabbath. If caring for the basic life's needs of animals doesn't break the Fourth Commandment, then how much more is "loosing" by healing appropriate on the Sabbath.
Jesus' example reminds us that the Sabbath is an appropriate time to visit the sick and elderly, helping them celebrate the day as a time of freedom. As He proclaimed earlier, He came to "proclaim liberty to the captives [and] to set at liberty those who are oppressed" (Luke 4:18), referring to the glorious freedom and liberty from spiritual bondage that will be a hallmark of His coming rule as Messiah.
Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath: Luke 14:1-6
The next mention of the Sabbath during Christ's ministry follows in Luke 14. Rather than in the synagogue, this incident took place in the home of a prominent Pharisee where Jesus had gone to share a meal on the Sabbath.
A man with a chronic health problem came before Him. "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Jesus pointedly asked the lawyers and Pharisees. None answered. Jesus healed the man, who promptly left the uneasy atmosphere of the gathering (verses 2-4).
"Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" Jesus asked.
They couldn't answer Him (verses 5, 6). Questions such as these had been debated among the Jewish religious teachers for years, and even they recognized that the command to rest didn't include ignoring emergency situations in which life and limb were at stake.
Jesus' approach was that, whenever an opportunity to relieve suffering presents itself, that opportunity should be taken. God's Sabbath command was never intended to prohibit doing good on that day. Jesus well knew the heart and core of God's law: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). Both James and Paul understood that love was the intent and fulfillment of God's law (James 2:8; Galatians 5:14).
Jesus' example showed that every day is to be lived in the spirit and purpose of God's law, which is love.
Jesus heals an invalid on the Sabbath: John 5:1-18
John 5 records a Sabbath healing not mentioned in the other Gospels, thereby adding another dimension to Christ's activities on the Sabbath. In this instance, Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk," Jesus told the man (verse 8, NIV).
The man was instantly healed, took up the mat on which he had lain and walked away, only to be confronted by other Jews for carrying his mat. "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat," they warned him (verse 10, NIV). "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk,'" he replied.
After determining that it was Jesus who had performed the healing and told the man to carry his mat, they "persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath" (verse 16). Their view of the Sabbath was so distorted that they focused more on their own petty rules about what could not be carried on the Sabbath than on the wonderful healing of a man's 38-year affliction!
Jesus' response to their accusation of breaking the Sabbath angered His accusers even more. "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working," He said. "Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God" (verses 17, 18).
What He broke was not God's Sabbath command, but the Pharisees' restrictive regulations regarding what they thought was allowable on the Sabbath. Jesus Christ could not have broken the Sabbath, because He had earlier pronounced a curse on anyone who "breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so" (Matthew 5:19).
But what did Christ mean when He said, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working"? The Life Application Bible, commenting on this verse, says: "If God stopped every kind of work on the Sabbath, nature would fall into chaos, and sin would overrun the world. Genesis 2:2 says that God rested on the seventh day, but this can't mean that he stopped doing good. Jesus wanted to teach that when the opportunity to do good presents itself, it should not be ignored, even on the Sabbath."
God made the Sabbath as a day of rest for mankind, not for Himself. He rested from His work of forming the world on the seventh day to show us that we should also rest from our normal work. But God continues some work without ceasing. Night and day, seven days a week, He works to bring mankind into His Kingdom. He works to help people grow spiritually on the Sabbath. He works constantly to build a close, personal relationship with His people. According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus healed more people on the Sabbath than on any other day. He taught and preached on the Sabbath.
Was He sinning? No. His activities were part of God's work of helping people understand and ultimately enter the Kingdom of God and were therefore perfectly acceptable to God.
Circumcision and the Sabbath: John 7:21-24
In John 7:24 Jesus summed up what should have been obvious to those who criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." The Pharisees' narrow, intolerant view focused more on outward appearance than anything else. Jesus upbraided them for their emphasis on physical things while neglecting more important matters such as justice, mercy and faith (Matthew 23:23).
To illustrate the extremes to which the Pharisees took their views, Jesus used the example of circumcision. He pointed out that circumcision, a sign of the covenant between God and the nation of Israel, could be performed on the Sabbath without breaking it. And if this alteration of one of the 248 parts (by Jewish calculation) of the body could be done on the Sabbath, He argued, "why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?" (John 7:22, 23, NIV).
The inconsistency of allowing the ritual of circumcision while outlawing mercy to those who needed healing was to callously disregard the intent of God's law. "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment," He warned His detractors (verse 24, NIV).
Rather than upholding God's law by their added rules and regulations, the Jews' distorted view of God's commands led them to actually break the law, according to Jesus (Matthew 23:3, 28; Mark 7:6-9). "Not one of you keeps the law," He told them (John 7:19, NIV), reproving them for their twisted interpretation of God's law. They were not keeping the law correctly, and Jesus restored its proper understanding and practice.
Jesus heals a blind man on the Sabbath: John 9:1-34
Jesus used the incident of healing a blind man on the Sabbath to twice proclaim His Messiahship. Speaking to His disciples, He said, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day ... As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:4, 5). He then healed the man of his blindness.
The Pharisees caught up with the recently healed man, then interrogated and intimidated him. "This Man [Jesus] is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath," they argued (verse 16). The man countered, "This is a marvelous thing...He has opened My eyes!...If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing" (verses 30, 33).
Angered at having their authority questioned and their opinions challenged, "they cast him out," excommunicating the man from the synagogue (verse 34). He was condemned as a heretic, cut off from family and friends.
Jesus sought out the man. "Do you believe in the Son of God?" Jesus asked.
"Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" the man replied.
"You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you," Christ answered. The man then accepted Christ as the Son of God.
At this, Christ said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind" (verses 35-39).
Jesus Christ again made it clear that He was the Messiah, the very Son of God. In this incident He continued to teach, as He did so many times on the Sabbath, of His redemptive work for mankind.
Did Jesus change the law?
These accounts summarize the specific activities of Christ on the Sabbath recorded in the four Gospels. As stated earlier, some see only what they want to see in these verses—supposed proof that Jesus Christ broke the Fourth Commandment. However, as the
Scriptures actually show, Jesus did no such thing. He did ignore the religious leaders' misguided, restrictive regulations of the Sabbath, but He never broke God's commandments. Had He done so, He would have sinned (1 John 3:4), yet Jesus never sinned. He lived a sinless life so He could be our perfect sacrifice, the Savior of all mankind (1 Peter 2:22; Ephesians 5:2; 1 John 4:14).
It would have been unthinkable for Jesus to disobey God's commandments. He said of Himself, "The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He [God the Father] does, the Son also does in like manner" (John 5:19).
What did Jesus do? In His own words, He did exactly what the Father did. Yet some mistakenly think He came to overturn God's holy law and remove it as a standard of guidance and behavior for mankind.
"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me," He said (John 5:30). Jesus Christ's motivation was to please the Father. What God wanted was most important to Him.
"My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work," He told the disciples (John 4:34). That was His motivation, His reason for living—to do the will of God the Father. Through Christ's teaching on the Sabbaths during His earthly ministry, He revealed God's will and determined to complete God's work, in spite of the opposition and persecution that ultimately brought about His cruel torture and death.
Jesus Christ's clear statement
Jesus Himself clearly denied that He intended to change or abolish the Sabbath or any part of God's law. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets," He said. "I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17).
The Greek word pleroo, translated "fulfill," means "to make full," "to fill to the full," "to make complete in every particular," "to render perfect" or "to carry through to the end" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon, "Fulfill"). In other words, Jesus said He came to complete the law and make it perfect. How? By showing the spiritual intent and application of God's law. His meaning is clear from the remainder of the chapter, where He showed the spiritual intent of specific commandments.
Some distort the meaning of "fulfill" to have Jesus saying, "I did not come to destroy the law, but to end it by fulfilling it." This is entirely inconsistent with His own words. Through the remainder of the chapter, He showed that the spiritual application of the law made it even more difficult to keep, not that it was annulled or no longer necessary.
Jesus made it clear that He wasn't abolishing any of God's law: "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (verse 18). Here a different Greek word is used for "fulfilled": ginomai, meaning "to come to pass" (Thayer's). Only after everything necessary would come to pass would any of God's law pass from existence, said Christ.
To prevent any possible misunderstanding, He warned those who would try to abolish God's law: "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (verse 19).
Jesus, by explaining, expanding and exemplifying God's law, fulfilled a prophecy of the Messiah found in Isaiah 42:21 (King James Version): "The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable." The Hebrew word higdil, translated "magnify," literally means "make great" (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon, "Magnify"). Jesus Christ did exactly that, showing the true purpose and scope of God's Sabbath rest.
Following Jesus' example
When asked, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus Christ answered: "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear,O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment" (Mark 12:28-30).
Here Christ restated the greatest commandment of the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:4, 5). Those who observe the biblical Sabbath strive to obey that commandment, putting God first in their lives and keeping His command to observe the Sabbath. They will also follow Jesus' instruction: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me" (John 14:21).
Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master (Philippians 2:9-11). He also proclaimed that He is "Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28), so we should follow His example in observing the Sabbath—and all God's commandments—in the way that He taught and lived.
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
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MentorsRiddle
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I unerstand
Debates are great ways for new ideas and thoughts to grow ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
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Carol Swenson
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You're right. If we could be saved by the law then there was no need for Christ to die.
becauseHElives and I get into debates every now and then. Debates give us an opportunity to post a lot of information about our respective beliefs. For my part, there are no hard feelings.
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MentorsRiddle
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Carol, I agree with you 100% -- I do not believe we live under the law any longer.
For if one were to live by the law, then Christ’s suffering would have no point.
We live under the Blood of Christ now and not the law.
I didn’t want to come across as argumentative with becauseHElives, because I can see where he is coming from – although I don’t believe what he believes.
I do agree and believe the doctrine which you are speaking of.
We exist in daily devotion to the lord, as you said.
But the Sabbath is the day of rest – and Lord knows I want some more rest!!!!
God Bless
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With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
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Carol Swenson
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Hi MentorsRiddle ![[wave3]](graemlins/18.gif)
We obey the commandments of the New Testament, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We obey the law of Christ.
1 Corinthians 9:21 (NLT)
When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ .
Galatians 6:2 (NLT)
Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ .
We are made in such a way that we do need sleep every night, and we do need a day of rest every week. But everyday is devoted to the Lord; everything we do, we do for Him because He lives within us.
If someone is going to keep the Old Testament Law, he cannot divide it. He must obey the entire law, which includes stoning to death anyone who works on the Sabbath, and "work" includes driving a car so he must be within walking distance of his church.
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MentorsRiddle
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I have often thought that the rules God has made for us were put into place to protect us: humanity.
Every commandment serves to make us better, protect us, or keep us from corruption and sadness.
All commandments.
If humanity as a whole were to stop looking at God’s commandments as burdens that we must follow, instead look at them in the mindset of: how does this commandment protect me, keep me safe, purify me, or make me happy then we would see that God put them into place for our wellbeing.
Not just to show that he is the authority and we HAVE to do what he says or else.
God is love.
Love is faithful and giving.
Hate is controlling.
God is pure love, and we must follow his commandments to be happy.
Great post and God bless.
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With you I rise,
In you I sleep,
kneeling down I kiss your feet,
Grace abounds upon me now,
I once was lost
but now I'm found.
The gift of God dwells within,
To this love I now give in.
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Carol Swenson
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Ephesians 2
14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
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becauseHElives
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Sabbath made for humankind
Remarkably, some will still argue that this doesn't prove the Sabbath existed from creation week and wasn't instituted until given to Israel at Mount Sinai and that it was then given only to the physical nation of Israel for a limited time.
However, Jesus Christ Himself dispelled this notion. "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath," He explained to some who completely misunderstood its intent and purpose (Mark 2:27). He clarified the great underlying principle of the Sabbath day that so many have missed through the centuries: The Sabbath, far from enforcing a tiresome bondage or sanctioning a list of forbidden activities, is something God made for man! It was sanctified (made holy) when mankind was made, with God creating Adam and Eve on the sixth day of creation week and creating the Sabbath on the following day (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:1-3).
To Jesus Christ the Sabbath was positive and beneficial, not the oppressive burden some religious leaders had made of it in His day. Notice Jesus' choice of words. The Sabbath wasn't something just for the nation of Israel; He said it was made for man—for all humanity—and observing it wasn't a meaningless practice forced on people to bring only hardship and difficulty.
The seventh day was made for man, created expressly for mankind's benefit and well-being! Several other translations bear this out: "The Sabbath was made for the good of man," says Today's English Version. "The Sabbath was made for the sake of man," reads the New English Bible. The Williams New Testament says, "The sabbath was made to serve man."
Jesus understood the purpose of God's law, including the Sabbath—that God intended it to be a blessing and benefit to mankind. God, speaking through Moses, had earlier told Israel to "love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments."
Why? "That you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess" (Deuteronomy 30:16).
Moses, after leading Israel for 40 years through the wilderness, summed up the Israelites' experiences just before they entered the promised land. He understood how wonderful the law was that they had received from God, that it was unique. "Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me ...Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people'...What great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?" (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).
God clearly intended the Sabbath to be a blessing to those who would use it as He intended. The actual instructions God gave regarding the day were brief but give valuable insight into its intent. Let's look at some of these instructions.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8-11).
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
Posts: 4578 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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