The Sabbath in Christian preaching represents a divinely appointed day of rest and worship, emphasizing physical renewal and spiritual devotion (Exodus 20:8-11). Illustrations often depict contrasts between labor and rest, health benefits, and the honoring of God’s command through practical examples of Sabbath observance and its positive effects on individuals and communities.
Coal miners' limestone shows black dust on workdays and white on Sundays, marking sabbath rest visibly.
On the sides of an English coal-mine, limestone is in constant process of formation. When the miners are at work, the dust of the coal colors the formation black; when they rest, it is white. For each sabbath, the sabbath has a white line; hence it is called "The Sunday Stone." There is also a record of the Sundays of all people.
Resting on the Sabbath improves health and work quality according to medical experts.
At a regular meeting of the New Haven Medical Association, composed of twenty-five physicians, among whom were the professors of the Medical College, the following questions were considered:
1. Is the position taken by Dr. Farre in his testimony before the committee of the British House of Commons, in your view, correct?
2. Will men who labor but six days in a week be more healthy and live longer, other things being equal, than those who labor seven?
3. Will they do more work, and do it in a better manner?
The vote on the above was unanimously in the affirmative; signed by Eli Ives, chairman, and Pliny A. Jewett, clerk.
Government enforces Sabbath rest to promote worker health and religious observance.
The minister of marine in France has addressed a letter to all the maritime prefects, directing that no workman, except in case of absolute necessity, be employed in the government dock-yards on the Sabbath. One reason which he gives is, that men who do not rest on the Sabbath do not perform as much labor during the week, and, of course, that it is not profitable to the state to have labor performed on that day. Another reason is, that it is useful to the state to promote among the laboring classes the religious observance of the Sabbath.
Workers resting on Sabbath are healthier, more productive, and morally better than those working seven days.
Nor is it true that men who labor six days in a week, and rest on one, are more healthy merely, and live longer than those who labor seven; but they do more work, and in a better manner. The experiment was tried in England upon two thousand men. They were employed for years, seven days in a week. To render them contented in giving up their right to the Sabbath, as a day of rest, that birthright of the human family, they paid them double wages on that day, eight days' wages for seven days' work. But they could not keep them healthy, nor make them moral. Nor can men ever be made moral, or kept most healthy in that way. Things went badly, and they changed their course—employed the workmen only six days in a week, and allowed them to rest on the Sabbath. The consequence was, that they did more work than ever before. This, the superintendent said, was owing to two causes, viz.: demoralization of the people under the first system, and exhaustion of bodily strength, which was visible to the most casual observer. Such a course will always demoralize men, and diminish their strength.
# 380. Intellectual Benefits.
Washington respected Sabbath laws, showing humility and honoring religious customs.
In one of the towns of Connecticut, when the roads were extremely bad, Washington, the President of the United States, was overtaken one Saturday night, not being able to reach the village where he designed to rest on the Sabbath. Next morning, about sun-rise, his coach was harnessed, and he was proceeding forwards to an inn, near the place of worship which he proposed to attend. A plain man, who was an informing officer, came from a cottage, and inquired of the coachman, whether there was any urgent reason for his traveling on the Lord's day. The general, instead of resenting this as impertinent rudeness, ordered the driver to stop, and with great civility explained the circumstances to the officer, commending him for his fidelity, and assuring him that nothing was farther from his intention than to treat with disrespect the laws and usages of Connecticut, relative to the Sabbath, which met his most cordial approbation. How many admirers of Washington might receive instruction and reproof from his example!
John Adams avoided Sabbath travel to prevent setting a bad example despite justifiable reasons.
The elder John Adams, while President of the United States, as he was returning from the country to his family in Boston, was interrupted by a New England snow storm, which effectually blocked up his way. He was then at Andover, twenty miles from Boston, where his family, as he had learned, were waiting his arrival. Sabbath morning, the roads became for the first time passable. On the question of going to Boston that day, it was the opinion of the clergyman of the place, that the circumstances of his detention, and the sickness of his family would justify his traveling on the Sabbath. His reply was, that the justifiable occasion in this case would not prevent the bad influence of his example on those who might see him traveling on the Sabbath, without knowing the cause. He therefore decided to wait till Monday.
Refusing non-essential Sabbath business led to greater peace and prosperity for a druggist.
A chemist and druggist once remarked to an American author, "There was a time when I used to court business on the Lord's day; and, sheltering myself under the alleged necessity of being at hand to supply medicine in case of illness, I employed myself in preparing a quantity of tinctures, weighing packets of soda-water powders, and many such like things, not because they were needed, but really for the sake of saving time on other days. At that time I did take more money on the Sabbath than on any other day, not a penny in a shilling of which was for matters of real necessity. When I began to see it my duty to act differently, and refused to sell, on the Sabbath, perfumery, cigars, and other matters, of mere luxury and fancy, I offended a few of my customers, and expected to find that I had seriously injured my business; but in a little time people fell into my arrangements, and left off coming for such things. I now enjoy my Sabbaths undisturbed, except in cases of real need, to which, of course, I readily attend. Every customer whom I would wish to return has come back to me; and, taking into account the saving of Sunday expenses, which almost invariably countervail Sunday gains, I can say, with humble thankfulness, that my prosperity is now greater than ever."
Charging more for Sabbath calls helped a physician keep the day for worship and rest.
A distinguished practitioner was harassed with calls on the Sabbath—his Sabbaths were broken—he was detained from public worship; it was a trial to him to be obliged to serve his patrons so often and so constantly on the Sabbath. At length he adopted this expedient: he let it be known that he viewed the Sabbath as the Lord's day—sacred to his worship, and that he must regard his calls upon the sick on that day as works of necessity and mercy, and that he should make no charge for his services on that day. He supposed that people would not call on him in these circumstances, that they would have too much goodness to ask his services gratuitously, and that he should have few calls and be free to attend public worship. But to his surprise it increased the evil;—if his services were to be given on the Sabbath, every body wanted him on the Sabbath; and he was sent for here and there and all about. There was no keeping the Sabbath so. He accordingly changed the tables, and gave out that he should make a double charge for travels and visits on the Sabbath, and of course it would cost as much again to be sick on the Sabbath as any other day of the week. This expedient had the desired effect; he could do up his business Saturday night, and with the exception of a few extreme cases, he could have hi Sabbaths for religious uses, and regularly attend public worship.
A minister paid a neighbor to rest on Sabbath, enabling him to attend worship regularly.
An eminent minister in Wales, hearing of a neighbor who followed his calling on the Lord's day, went and asked him why he broke the Sabbath. The man replied, that he was driven to it, by finding it hard work to maintain his family. "Will you attend public worship," said Mr. P., "if I pay you a week day's wages?" "Yes, most gladly," said the poor man. He attended constantly, and received
### 386. SABBATH-BRE
Proper Sabbath keeping requires diligent labor during six days to rest rightly on the seventh.
Mr. Cruden, during the last year of his life, lived in terms of the strictest intimacy with the Rev. David Wilson, minister of the Presbyterian congregation, Bow Lane, London. The two friends were in the habit of paying frequent visits to Mr. Gordon, a pious nurseryman in the neighborhood of the metropolis. One evening Mr. Gordon informed Mr. Wilson, that a young Scottish gardener in his employment, who usually attended divine service at Bow Lane, sometimes absented himself from public worship without a sufficient cause, and was besides rather indolent, desiring the minis-
# SABBATH
VARIOUS SALUTARY INFLUENCES, ETC.
387. In Promoting Religious Knowledge and Intellectual Culture.
A young man’s interest in Sabbath school illustrates the importance of Sabbath observance and learning.
In the year 1831, a young man from Tennessee, apparently about twenty-two years of age, wandered into a Sabbath school in the State of Illinois, and after having gazed awhile upon the objects that surrounded him, seated himself near one of the classes that was then engaged in recitation. He was noticed by the superintendent as apparently much interested in what he heard, and at the close, was asked whether he would like to join the school. He replied promptly in the affirmative. Next Sabbath a place was assigned him in one of the classes; and after he had been there a few weeks, the superintendent offered him a library book, but he refused to take it, assigning as a reater to admonish him. The young man was accordingly called into the parlor, and Mr. Wilson concluded a solemn address with these words: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." "Have you done, sir?" said Mr. Cruden. "Yes," replied Mr. Wilson. "Then," rejoined Mr. Cruden, "you have forgotten one-half of the commandment: Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work, &c.; for if a man does not labor six days of the week, he is not likely to rest properly on the seventh."
The Sabbath calls for spiritual awakening and active holy service, not sleepiness.
At Harzburg, in the Hartz Mountains, we were awakened early in the morning, according to an ancient custom, by the sound of a trumpet, which made us pray that when the last trumpet sounds it may awaken us to an endless Sabbath. It were well if all hearts and minds heard at the dawn of the Lord's-day, "The sound as of a trumpet," so that every faculty might be aroused to the highest activity of holy service. Sleepy hearing, praying, and singing are terrible; sleepy preaching and teaching are worse, yet how common they are, and how needful is the trumpet at the ear of many!
The Sabbath offers a glimpse of heavenly peace free from earthly turmoil.
When a gentleman was inspecting a house in Newcastle, with a view to hiring it as a residence, the landlord took him to the upper window, expatiated on the extensive prospect, and added, "You can see Durham Cathedral from this window on a Sunday." "Why on a Sunday above any other day?" enquired our friend, with some degree of surprise. The reply was conclusive enough. "Because on that day there is no smoke from those tall chimneys." Blessed is the Sabbath to us when the earth-smoke of care and turmoil no longer beclouds our view; then can our souls full often behold the goodly land, and the city of the New Jerusalem.
Disobedience to Sabbath rest led to loss and eventual obedience by a railway company.
S
SABBATH-BREAKING REBUKED
I remember on one occasion, when an immense quantity of freight was to be brought from New York to Boston, they undertook to run on the Sabbath day. They came up with a large load of cotton, and on coming near to M---- a bale got afire, and there were not hands enough to roll it off. They then drove to M---- and rang the bells, and the people came down to the number of three hundred. “Help us,” said the railway people, “to put out the fire.” “No; you have no business to run that train on the Sabbath.” They then sent up to one of the directors and said: “If you speak a word, these men will bring us water; there is property being destroyed.” “I voted in the board of directors,” he replied, “against this running on the Sabbath, and if you burn the whole freight, I will not raise a finger.” And the two carloads of cotton were destroyed. The company had to pay for them--but they ran no more trains on the Sabbath. (Text.)
— JOHN B. GOUGH
Gradual compromise leads to the desecration of the Sabbath, unnoticed until sacredness is lost.
The desecration of the temple in Jerusalem did not spring up full-statured in a day. The court of the Gentiles was a spacious place, having an area of fourteen acres. Round its four sides there ran a colonnade with four rows of marble pillars and a roof of costly cedar. Many things were needed in the sacrifices of the temple, and what place more convenient for the buying of them than this great, spacious court? One day, I imagine, a man stept inside with a cage of pigeons. A bird so small and sweet-voiced as a dove could not hurt the sacred place! By and by a man with a sheep to sell led it in. A sheep is the most innocent of all animals. No harm could come to God or man from the presence of a sheep. Still later the man with a steer to sell brought him in. “I have as much right here as you have,” he said to the man with the sheep and the man with the pigeons, and soon there were a dozen steers. That is the way it all happened. The abuse grew up so gradually that nobody observed it, and before men knew it the sacredness of the place was gone. Just so does the desecration of the day of rest take place in great cities. One man steps into the temple of rest, saying: “Let me sing you a little song.” His voice is sweet and the song is pretty, and what is so beautiful and innocent as a song? And a man outside hearing this song inside the temple says: “I think I’ll come in and sing, too.” His voice is harsh and his song is a different kind of a song, but in he comes, and who is wise enough to draw the line and say this song is proper, that song will never do? And while these two men are singing, another man who can not sing at all, and who can only use his feet, decides that he, too, has a right to exercise his gifts inside the temple, and in he comes, and after him a dozen others, and after them a hundred others, some bringing doves, some sheep, some steers, until the whole day is trampled into sordidness and one of the most precious of all the privileges of man has been wrested from him.
— CHARLES E. JEFFERSON
Indians observing Sabbath rest traveled farther and healthier despite opposition and persecution.
In northern Canada Mr. Evans, the apostle to the Indians there, induced a large number to become Christians, and said to them, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” At this time all the furs were carried by brigades of Indians, and the exchange cargo taken away by them. The Indians had been in the habit of traveling seven days a week, but when the mission was established, the observance of the Sabbath began. At once there was opposition from the Hudson Bay Company. They argued “Our summer is short, and to lose one day in seven is a terrible loss to us. We will run you missionaries out of the country if you interfere with our business.” There was downright persecution for years, but there is none now, for it was found that the Indians who traveled only six days and rested quietly on the Sabbath made a journey of a thousand or fifteen hundred miles without a single exception in less time, and came back in better health than those who did not observe the Sabbath rest. (Text.)
Rev. Taylor walked on Sabbath to avoid causing others to work, honoring God's command.
* * * * *
The last sermon that was preached by Rev. J. Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, was one which the _North China Mail_ characterized as “a mile long.” He was under appointment to preach that same day at a station one mile distant from his home. He was too feeble to walk that distance without rest, and he was unwilling to be carried in a sedan-chair because he feared the evil influence of what would have been--to him--perfectly innocent. So he made the journey on foot, helped by his son, who carried a stool. Every few rods the stool was placed and Mr. Taylor sat on it and rested. The attention of the Chinese, Christians and Confucianists alike, was attracted. Every little while some one would ask: “Why does not the old man ride?” “Because he will not make any one else work on the Sabbath day.” “Why not?” “Because God said, ‘Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,’” was the reply (Text.)
Business success came from faithfully honoring Sabbath rest and fair dealing.
See PRINCIPLE; SUNDAY RECORDED.
* * * * *
The true philosophy of religion invariably teaches that we act wisely when we conform to the requirements of Sabbatic rest from toil. Such conformity is simply the recognition of a beneficent natural law.
In 1909 Mr. Selfridge, of Chicago, established a great American store in London. It immediately became a great popular success. Speaking to an interviewer, Mr. Selfridge said: “I am a business man, and not a preacher, but still I feel strongly that fair dealing is not only right, but wise--to put it on the lowest ground. If you treat people fairly, you will be fairly treated by them in return, and somehow or another the religious method of carrying on business has not failed in the case of Marshall Field. I will give you one curious instance of this. Our house never advertises in the Sunday papers, with the extraordinary result that we prospered in direct consequence. Many warned us that we were holding to a suicidal policy, for in America Sunday papers are the chief means of publicity. Our method turned out most effective, because it forced itself upon the notice of every woman in the United States that Marshall Field & Co. did not advertise on Sunday, and that fact was a great advertisement in itself. But who--out of a religious tract--would ever have dreamed of such a topsyturvy result?” (Text.)
Sabbath observance improved health and travel efficiency among Canadian Indians despite opposition.
Egerton Young gives this testimony about Sabbath-keeping by the Indians of British Columbia:
When our mission was established, all the missionaries went in for the observance of the Sabbath day. At once there was opposition from the Hudson Bay Company. They argued, “Our summer is short, the people have to work in a hurry, and to lose one day in seven will be a terrible loss to us, and you missionaries must get out of the country if you are going to interfere with our business.” There was downright persecution for years, but there is none now, for it was found that the brigades of Indians who traveled only six days, and quietly rested on the Sabbath, made the journey of perhaps fifteen hundred miles, without a single exception, in less time, and came back in better health, than those who traveled without observing the Sabbath.--PIERSON, “The Miracles of Missions.”
An Indian chief faithfully kept treaty promises despite hunger and delay in receiving supplies.
Rev. Egerton R. Young, a missionary among the Canadian Indians, tells the following:
The governor of our colony sent out one of his commissioners to meet the Indians and give them their supplies in accordance with the treaty. The commissioner sent word to one of our Christian Indians to bring his people as far as a certain place and he would be there to distribute their allowances. The Indians were on hand at the time appointed. They came empty handed, expecting to receive an abundance immediately, but the big white commissioner did not arrive. One day passed, then another, and the Indians were hungry. The food was there in tantalizing abundance, but the commissioner did not come to distribute it. The young Indians came to their chief and said, “Pakan, our wives and children are crying for food; will you not open the boxes and give us enough to satisfy them?” “No, my children,” said the chief, “I have never broken a word of treaty and I do not want to do it now.” Another day passed and the commissioner did not come. The young Indians’ eyes began to flash forth something that boded trouble, but the old chief answered, “Have patience a little longer, my people,” and he called on an Indian who had a splendid horse to accompany him to find and hurry up the dilatory commissioner. About noon they met the commissioner with a large retinue and a company of his friends coming leisurely along, stopping for sport where the country abounded in game.
They were just halting for such an afternoon’s sport when Pakan rode up. “You have broken your promise to my people,” he said solemnly. “You were to have met with them three days ago. Don’t stop here, my people are hungry. Come with me and give them food.”
The commissioner replied with an easy smile, “Oh, Pakan, I’m glad to see you. Come and dine with us. Meet my friends; have an afternoon of hunting and then to-morrow I will go with you.”
“No,” said Pakan, “to-morrow is the Sabbath. I and my people have been taught to keep the Sabbath, and hungry as we are, unless you come to-day, I and my people will wait until Monday for the supplies.”
The commissioner quailed before him, and sent a sub-officer back with him to open the supplies. The next day the commissioner rode into camp. He expected the Indians to meet him with firing of guns and waving of flags, but no one came to receive him, and no guns were fired. The only wigwam where a flag was flying was the place where the people were meeting to worship God. The commissioner called a council, but not an Indian responded. The commissioner wanted Pakan to dine with him with other guests that day. It is a great honor to dine with a royal commissioner; but Pakan said, “I dine with my family quietly on the Sabbath day, for God has said, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’”
Sabbath gatherings enabled temperance work among working-class people who labored all other days.
Among those who opposed and criticized Father Mathew were the Sabbatarians, who opposed the holding of temperance meetings on Sunday. Father Mathew replied: “They must well know that if we did not assemble on the Lord’s day, we could not hold our meetings at all, for the great majority of those who compose our society are from that useful and virtuous body, the operatives, who on every other day labor from the rising to the setting sun. The temperance cause is the work of the Most High God, and it is admirable in our eyes.”
Christians have many excuses for ignoring the Sabbath. The Sabbath is made for man, but it makes sense of observe it. Three reasons for observance:
1. Grace of God. The rhythm and pattern of creation.
2. Freedom. The Jews were reminded they were slaves in Egypt.
By observing the Sabbath we show we are not slaves to
work.
3. Hope. It gives us a peek into the next world.
Mother says to Charlie, "Get out of bed. It's Sunday morning and time to go to church." He replies, "I don't want to go and I have two good reasons - they don't like me and I don't like them!" Mom says, "I'll give you two good reasons you have to go:
#1, you're 31 years old,
#2, you're the pastor!"
#611
*
Sermon on the Sabbath. Two reasons for it: Rest & Worship. NT says it is done away by cross, but still good reasons to follow it: to remind us of God's grace and goodness to us, to remind us we are free people and not in bondage to work, and to remind us of our hope in God's Kingdom (Heb 4).
References:
Christianity Today, "Day of Rest and Gladness," p. 102, October 2, 1981.
Christianity Today, "Rest? Never on Sunday," p. 16, September 19, 1986.
(good, focuses on "rest" without bringing up issue of Sabbath/Sunday)
[See #609]
#612
*
Fresh packaging of E. G. White's writings. Catholicism is equated with apostasy and Protestants are cozying up to them. Idolatrous practices such as praying to saints and rosary are condemned. Heavy emphasis on the seventh-day Sabbath. It is practiced on Sunday only due to Catholic influence. The papacy is the antichrist.
America is seen in prophecy. In Revelation 13:11 the beast from the earth with two lamb-like horns is America. "Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity."
The "image of the beast" represents apostate Protestantism that seeks to enforce its dogma by the aid of the civil powers. (Sunday blue laws?)
The name and number (add up to 666) of the beast are:
"VICARISU FILII DEI" (Latin - Vicar of the Son of God)
"LATEINOS” (Greek - Latin man or church)
"ROMIITH" (Hebrew - Roman kingdom)
The doctrine of the immortality of the soul is attacked, and spiritualism.
Sermon in Ten Commandments series. #4: The Sabbath. Exodus 20:8-11
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YOU NEED THE REST
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I. Remembrances of Sundays past.
II. Jews were distinctive in making seventh day special.
A. Ancient, eternal, serious commandment.
B. The Sabbath is about a balanced life.
C. The Sabbath is about acknowledging God's place in life.
D. Desecrating the Sabbath. Amos 8:5
III. The influence of Christianity.
A. Jesus clarified the Sabbath by his actions. Luke 4:16
B. Jesus clarified the Sabbath by his announcements. Mark 2:27-28
IV. From Saturday to Sunday.
A. Earliest Christians were Jews and accepted the Sabbath.
B. In the New Testament Sunday was becoming the main holy day.
C. Sunday and the Sabbath are different.
V. The advantages of Sabbath-keeping.
A. Grace. God rested, so should we.
B. Freedom. We are not slaves to labor.
C. Hope. God has good things in store for us.
#3163
*
Practical ideas for restoring the sanctity of the Sabbath. The Sabbath should be a delight, not a burdensome duty. It is a gift from God.
1. Plan ahead.
2. Focus on the Lord.
3. Find fellowship.
4. Love the needy.
5. Cherish your children.
6. Date your mate.
7. Exacting a price.
8. The demand on others.
9. Cultivate thankfulness.
"You see, God, it's like this: We could attend church more
faithfully if Your day just came at some other time. You have chosen a
day that comes at the end of a hard week, when we are all tired out.
Not only that, but it is the day following Saturday night. Saturday
evening is one time when we feel that we should enjoy ourselves; so we
go to the movies or a party, and often it is after midnight when we
reach home. It is almost impossible to get up on Sunday morning. You
have chosen the very day on which we want to sleep late. In fact the
children are often late to Sunday school because it is difficult for
us to get up early enough. It is usually after ten o'clock before the
dishes are done, and then it is time to think about Sunday dinner, not
to mention the Sunday paper. I mean no disrespect, and do not claim
that my judgment equals Yours; but You must realize that You have
picked out the very day on which we have the biggest dinner of the
week. Not only that, but You have fixed the hour for the church
service at the very time when we must be preparing the dinner.
"Then, too, we must think of John. He is cooped up in an office all
the week, and Sunday morning is the only time he has to tinker with
the car. There is no time in the whole week that is quite so good as
Sunday morning for the cleaning of the car, and for doing odd jobs
around the house. When John gets into his old clothes and gets his
hands all greasy, you can hardly expect him to think about going to
church. If You did not want him to tinker with a car, You should not
have let him get one. Then there are leaves to be raked up into piles
and burned, and nearly everybody does that on Sunday morning; usually
during the church hour.
"I am telling you these things because I want You to see our
viewpoint and that it is not our fault that we are not able to get to
church on Sunday morning. We should like to go, and we know that we
should go, but it must be clear that the real reason we cannot go is
because You have chosen the wrong day. If You will select any other
day than Sunday, we shall be glad to give the matter further
consideration."
SABBATH FACTS
Misconceptions about the sabbath day are common. Here are some facts according to the Bible.
--The first sabbath observance was after Israel's exodus from Egypt, at the time God began to feed them with manna (Ex. 16:22-30).
--The sabbath was made known at Mt. Sinai when the law of Moses was given (Neh. 9:13-14).
--The sabbath was a memorial of God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage (Dt. 5:15).
--The sabbath was a sign to Israel of God's covenant with them (Ex. 31:12-17).
--The sabbath was the seventh day of the week, Saturday (Ex. 20:9). That day was chosen because in it God rested from His creation (v. 10). NO BIBLE PASSAGE EVER REFERS TO SUNDAY AS THE SABBATH!
--One kept the sabbath by ceasing secular work (Ex. 34:21). Jesus taught that the sabbath law did not preclude humanitarian activities or medical services (Lk. 13:15; Jn. 7:23).
--Death was the God-given penalty for not keeping the sabbath (Ex. 31:14-15).
--Keeping the sabbath was part of the law that Christ took away. Christians are no more obligated to keep the sabbath than the other Old Testament festivals or its food and drink regulations (Col. 2:14-17).
THE MANSLICK ROAD SPEAKER, Louisville, KY
Will A Man Rob God?
A proverb is told of a Chinese gentleman who was traveling through the country. He owned seven coins which he carried on a string. Beside the road he saw a beggar and compassionately gave him six of the coins. The beggar went his way and the gentleman found a place to spend the night. As he slept, the beggar slipped up and stole the seventh coin.
It was a despicable act. But before we judge him too harshly, we should be careful lest we condemn ourselves. God has given us six days out of compassion of His heart and let us use them for our work and pleasure. One day He has designated as a time for worship. How many of us are not content with the six days but steal and pervert the seventh to our way?
--THE REMINDER, Bay, Arkansas
Nature teaches the need of Sabbath-rest for souls.
For all organic life God has provided periods of repose, during
which repair goes on in order to counteract the waste caused by
activity. In the spring-time we see movement and stir in gardens,
fields and hedgerows, which continues till the fruits are gathered in
and the leaves fall; but then winter's quiet again settles down over
all, and nature is at rest. Even the flowers have their time for
closing their petals, and their sleeping hours come so regularly, and
yet are so varied in distribution among them, that botanists can
construct a floral clock out of our English wild-flowers, and tell the
hour of night or day by their opening or closing. The same God who
created the flowers and appointed the seasons, ordained the laws of
Israel, and by these definite seasons of rest were set apart for the
people -- the Sabbath, the jubilee year, and the annual festivals.
Indeed, in every age and in every land, the coming of night and the
victory of sleep are hints of what God has ordained for man. -- A.
Rowland, LL.B.
By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."
The following incident in the life of Billy Bray, the eccentric Cornish evangelist, is worthy of note. On this occasion Satan came to tempt him to sit at ease on the Sabbath, saying, “You have to work hard all the week, Billy, and need one day's rest in seven, and here you are preaching three times and walking twenty miles. You ought to rest, Billy.” Billy turned around to him and said, “Thee is a pretty man to give a feller advice. Thee had a good situation theeself an' lost it; and thee wants me to lose mine, too, does thee?”
The same devil that worked so hard to overthrow Billy Bray is on your track, and if you listen to him he will have you thinking of the sacrifice you have made for the worship of God and the cause of God, and get you to settle back on your oars, and become careless, indifferent, negligent, and idle, and soon you will reap what you have sown; namely, spiritual bankruptcy, and at last drop into hell, lost forever. Keep moving, and always, at all places and under all circumstances, make God's work, cause, and interests first and everything else second. Then, and not till then, can you claim the promise, “And all these things shall be added unto you.”
-- SELECTED
A worldly man living on the shores of a beautiful lake built a
yacht for pleasure excursions. The minister called upon him and
expressed his fears that it would demoralize the young people and
prove a Sabbath-breaker. The man said, defiantly, "That is just what
I'll name my boat. She shall be called the Sabbath-Breaker." She was
launched upon a Sunday, and her trial trip was made also on a Sunday.
Many were invited to the excursion. Her ill-omened name floated on the
flag, and caused many to refuse to go on board. A large company went,
and mirth, music, and dancing were the order. But this blasphemy was
too much for God; the "Sabbath-Breaker" was wrecked, and many were
drowned.
William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."
A certain minister had a weakness for golf. But he had no time for
it. Searching his busy schedule, he found one day in a year's time
when he could play. Unfortunately, that day fell on the Sabbath.
The minister apologized to God and traveled some distance to a golf
club so that no one who might know him would see him.
As he teed up the first ball, an angel looked down from heaven
aghast: "A minister playing golf on the Sabbath!" He immediately told
the Almighty about it.
On the third hole, God sent down a gust of wind that made the
minister's ball sink into the cup. . . a hole in one!
The angel watching was puzzled. "You call that punishment?"
"Think about it," the Lord replied . . . "Who can he tell?"
- {Hopewell Herald, }June/July 1997
In the days when mules were used in the mines of Pennsyvania,
sometimes they were left down in the earth day and night during the
week. But on Sunday they were brought outside to keep from going
blind.
We need the light of Sunday worship services to retain our
spiritual sight.
Once a lad was praised for not going fishing on Sunday. When he
was asked to give the reason for his policy, he stated that his father
wouldn't let him go alone.
Eric Liddel, a young Scottish ministerial student, the best sprinter in the British Empire, was favored to win the 100-meter race in the Olympic Games in Paris, July 1924. But a few weeks before the Olympics he learned that the preliminary 100-meter races were scheduled for a Sunday afternoon. He considered Sunday sports wrong. For the few weeks before the Games he excused himself after evening dinner from the usual bull sessions with classmates, returning home hours later exhaused.
A few weeks later the whole world knew his secret. He had spent those evening hours practicing for another event that was scheduled for a weekday and which required a different type of speed and endurance. On the closing day of the Olympics he stood on the winner’s platform and received the Gold Medal as 400-meter champion. Liddel, who became a missionary, died as a prisoner in a concentration camp in the Far East during World War II. His story was told in the film "Chariots of Fire".
Thirty years ago Sandy Koufax - a Jewish pitcher with a sling like
David's for a left arm - announced that he wouldn't play on the
holiest day of his year, Yom Kippur. Koufax's employer, the Los
Angeles Dodgers, respectfully pointedout that this was the first game
of the 1965 World Series. Couldn't he pitch just a little?
"No," Koufax said. But later pitched a shutout in games five and
seven, and the Dodgers won the series, 4-3.
Well, Sandy would love a kid named Eli Herring, a 340-pound
offensive tackle for Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. In his
senior year Herring sported a 3.5 grade-point average and was judged a
top senior offensive tackle in the pro draft. But Herring, a devout
Mormon, turned down a possible multimillion-dollar deal with the
Oakland Raiders becaus he, too, won't play on a holy day.
unfortunatelly, his holy day, Sunday, comes up once a week, just when
the Raiders buckle on their equipment and go to work.
Herring meditated intensely over his dilemma. He could sign up
with the NFL, play ball on Sundays and filll his life with fancy cars
and houses, or he could teach math for $20,000 a year and honor the
Sabbath. Herring's answer was to honor the Sabbath. He announced to
the NFL that if he were drafted, he wouldn't serve.
Wow! Talk about a role model for kids adrift in a cultural sea of
avarice, especially in sports. But what about his financial future?
Well, to people like Herring a blessing from above is better than a
bank account. Hey, as the country-gospel song says, "You can't be a
beacon if your light don't shine."
- Ted Roberts in {The Wall Street Journal} as quoted in
{Reader's Digest, }April, 1996, 185
Because God is our Creator and Redeemer, he deserves and demands the first of all that we possess. This principle is given and reiterated throughout Scripture. We are to give the Lord the firstfruits of our increase. We should give him the first minutes of our day. We should seek first his reign and rule in our lives.
When the children of Israel moved into the land of Canaan, they were not allowed to keep any of the spoils from their conquest of Jericho. Because Jericho was their first conquest, it was to be totally devoted to the Lord. Is it any wonder, then, that New Testament believers have dedicated the first day of the week to commemorate the resurrection of our Lord?
Some Christians have erroneously called Sunday the Sabbath, but the Sabbath is, by definition, the seventh day of the week. Furthermore, some Christians suggest that the Bible teaches that Sunday has replaced Saturday and serves as a "Christian Sabbath." But admittedly, this is nowhere clearly taught in the Bible.
So why do Christians speak of "the Lord's Day" and worship on Sunday rather than on Saturday? The answer to this important question lies in several biblical principles and practices rather than in any clear teaching or mandate of Scripture.
First, Christians need to understand that the principle of a day of rest after six days of work is rooted not in the law of Moses, but in creation. God was not tired. He needed no rest, yet he rested on the seventh day to provide a model for mankind. Jesus verified this when he taught that the Sabbath is a gracious gift of God given for the benefit of man (Mark 2:27). Since a day of rest is taught in creation and by Jesus, Christians should embrace the principle and observe a day of rest each week.
Second, even though we should observe a day of rest, we are not bound by the legal qualifications of the Sabbath as given in the law of Moses. That law was for national Israel and included precise definitions of just how much work could be allowed. The ancient Jews debated such matters as whether they could eat an egg that was laid on the Sabbath, or whether they could break a dead twig off a rose bush. Jesus ran up against this legalistic view of the Sabbath in his ministry.
Third, even though there is no clear teaching in Scripture that changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, there is unambiguous evidence that the early church met to worship on the first day of the week. Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, which was the first work day of the Jewish week, and almost immediately thereafter the Bible records the church meeting on the evening of the first day of the week (John 20:19; Acts 20:7). In his teaching on giving, Paul instructs the Corinthians to receive the offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:2). Many scholars believe that John's phrase, "the Lord's Day," in Revelation 1:10 refers to the first day of the week as well.
Finally, since, like the early church, we commemorate the resurrection of Christ by engaging in corporate worship on the first day of the week, it is right and reasonable to also use this day for the day of rest in which we cease from labor that is not a work of necessity or of mercy. Individual issues and questions about whether or not we should engage in a game of touch football or watch television, etc., are best left to the individual conscience with the admonition that we strive for maximum conformity to the will and intention of God and not the minimum.
That is why Article 8 of the Baptist Faith and Message states simply and clearly, "The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ."
_________________
Full text of Article 8: The Lord's Day
The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10.
_________________
York is the Victor and Louise Lester Associate Professor of Christian Preaching and associate dean of ministry and proclamation in the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
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Living 10,000 miles away from my parents, we always looked forward to their yearly visits to Israel. Whenever they visited my family, we always got along wonderfully. That is, until Shabbat.
Long ago, my great-grandparents had decided to stop observing Shabbat, and my grandparents and parents had followed in their footsteps. We had grown up with very little awareness of or interest in Jewish rituals. After college I became more interested in Judaism and gradually began to learn Hebrew, study Jewish sources, and practice a more observant life style. This process culminated with my moving to Israel. Though my parents were always very proud of being Jews, my choices were alien to them. They felt that I had rejected the way they had raised me, and could not understand why what had been acceptable for three generations had to be changed. Endless talks had not been able to change these feelings that the unity of our family had been shattered.
We were often able to camouflage these feelings of loss during the week. But then Shabbat would inevitably arrive. All the rituals of Shabbat represented the change from how my parents had raised me to how I lived my life today. Starting with the Thursday night cooking, through the Friday cleaning, showering and getting into Shabbat clothes, the tension in the air would become more palpable with every passing moment.
By the time we sat down to eat, we could hardly look into each others' faces. My wife and I sat in our special Shabbat clothes, the kids all cleaned up, with white shirts and freshly scrubbed faces, opposite my parents, sitting in their regular clothes, looking excessively uncomfortable.
We would sing Shalom Aleikhem and then Eshet Hayil while my parents, knowing no Hebrew, would sit in painful silence. Then the children would come to my wife and me for the moving traditional Shabbat parent's blessing, and we would proceed with Kiddush, HaMotzee, and the meal. All the while trying to make conversation in attempts to cover up the true feelings of discomfort.
We proceeded like this for years, always dreading the approaching of Shabbat. Then, inexplicably, everything changed.
One Shabbat, after singing the seemingly interminably long songs of Shalom Aleikhem and Eshet Hayil, I sat waiting for the children to come for their blessings. Then, utterly unplanned and unanticipated, an uncontrollable force came over me. Without any awareness of what I was doing, I rose from my chair and took several steps to where my father was sitting.
For a moment I just stood next to him, in a daze, not really understanding what I had done. He looked at me and asked what I was doing. I looked at him and said, "Dad, give me a brakhah, a blessing." Bewildered, he said, "I don't know any Hebrew."
"So say whatever you want to."
He paused, then placed both hands on my head, paused for another moment, and then whispered, "I love you, son."
At this point, the children were all asking, "Why is Grammi crying?" I walked over to my mother, and amidst her tears of joy, I bent down for her to give me her blessing.
Then I returned to my seat and gave the kids their blessings. The tensions had all disappeared. The Shabbat experience that had once separated us, the Shabbat that had once shown how different we were, had now become the Shabbat of expressing our love for each other. It had become our Shabbat, for all of us. No longer was there a break in the generations.
Now, though still completely different in our life styles, we all look forward to sharing Shabbat together. Come Thursday nights, the excitement grows as we anticipate the moment of sharing our three generations of blessings.
_________
Rabbi Aryeh Ben David (c) 2001, from Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins.
«The leader’s material is “em-braced” by these braces; excluded from handouts.»
The Christian and the Decalogue — Worship — Exodus 20:8-11
2 I am Jehovah thy God, … 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
«Some Quite Imperfect» Notes Regarding the Sabbath and Sunday
A. What we call the “week” varied in length and in the method of counting it amongst ancient peoples. In certain eras, the Romans had an 8-day week, the Babylonians a 7-day week, the Assyrians a 6-day, the central Asians a 5-day, and tribes in West Africa a 4-day. In the century before Christ’s birth, the Roman world appears to have adopted the Jewish 7-day week.
1. Assyrian records seem to indicate that at one time, days 1, 7, 9, 14, 19, 21, 28, 29, and 30 of each month were days in which it was not considered propitious to work. Later, this was reduced to days 7, 14, 19, 21, and 28. These were based on a lunar month (of 29½ days) that began in the day of the new moon. Thus, their “week” was re-established each month.
2. there is some suggestion — based upon those Sabbaths that were fixed on certain days in the first and seventh months in Leviticus 16 and 23 — that the Jewish Sabbath was re-established annually or semi-annually. This would imply its initial establishment being related to the Passover and the exodus from Egypt. After the return from exile, this was no longer — if ever — the case.
B. Is it to be kept on the seventh day or the first day of the week? Is it still to be an enforced rest or not? These are questions will not be answered to the satisfaction of every Christian. Certainly, both in its origin — Creation — and in its ordinance by the Law, it is the seventh day of the week. Certainly, in the Law it was an enforced rest, with death for disobedience.
1. Sabbatarianism usually refers to an enforced Sabbath rest, whether that be on the first or the seventh day of the week
a. Generally the reformers, such as Luther and Calvin, rejected this as legalism (that we are not under Law but under grace) and / or Romanist externalism.
b. the Puritans, however, held to it as evidenced by the “Blue” and similar laws enacted in England and in the colonies (e.g., the Ontario Lord’s Day Act)
c. Seventh-day Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists hold that rest on this day is an essential moral obligation
d. No Bible passage refers to first day of week as the Sabbath
2. the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath
a. this is based primarily on the fact that the institution of the Sabbath pre-dated the giving of the Law — in the rules concerning the manna its existence is presumed and it was defined by God at creation
b. weight is given to the fact that Paul kept the Sabbath (Acts 16:13, 17:2, 18:4) by attending the synagogue and prayer
c. this position is held by such groups as the Seventh-day Baptists and the Seventh-day Adventists
d. this position — or a difficulty in denying it — seems to be especially attendant upon those who hold with multiple covenants before Christ, since Sabbath-keeping is said — although difficult to prove! — to have applied to the various covenants: Adamic, Noahic, Abramic, etc. On the other hand, those who find only two covenants — the Old (progressively revealed to Adam, Noah, Abram, etc.) and the New — are less likely to hold it.
3. the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day
a. This takes the position that the Sabbath is no longer binding, being essentially ceremonial and done away in Christ. Biblical support is found in
(A) this is the only commandment not repeated in the New Testament
(B) Leviticus 23:7 — both the first and seventh day of the feast of unleavened bread were to be Sabbaths; this week immediately follows the Passover; this is said, by some, to prefigure the changing of the day when Christ became the true Passover, bringing true rest to the soul
(C) Colossians 2:16 — no one to judge us in keeping the Sabbath, etc.
b. Note, however, that ceremonial laws involve basic and eternal principles and have analogies in New Testament truth and practice.
(A) For the Sabbath that analogue is the first day of the week which seems to have come to be called the “Lord’s day”
(1) as John refers to it in Revelation 1:10
(2) and in keeping with Psalm 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
(B) and as found in the New Testament being the day that Christians came together to break bread, and,
(1) John 20:19, when Christ met with the disciples
(2) Acts 20:7, Paul then preaching to those so assembled
(3) 1 Corinthians 16:2, it was when the collection was taken
(C) this being taken especially to be related to the fact that it was on the first day of the week that Jesus rose again; and so we, having been raised to a new life, commemorate and worship on that day.
c. but, just as many maintain that opposed to the tithe that belonged to the Lord in the Old Testament, in the New Testament everything is recognized as belonging to God, so also the one day in the Old is replaced by the fact that everyday in the New is to be treated as God’s. So we are to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58), “giving thanks always” (Ephesians 5:20), “praying always” (Ephesians 6:18), and “rejoice in the Lord alway” (Philippians 4:4).
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2 I am Jehovah thy God, … 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
C. understanding the character of the Jewish Sabbath
1. it was to be holy, or S____ A________ as special« Set Apart»
2. it was particularly D______________ unto Jehovah God« Directed or Dedicated»
3. Numbers 28:9–10; it was an occasion for an offering to God A__________ to the continual offerings« Additional»
4. it was special, in part, because it was a day for R______« Rest»
5. one couldn’t use S_____________ to do his work for him« Surrogates or Substitutes or Servants»
6. see Title on Psalm 92; it was a time for P_________ God« Praising»
7. Acts 15:21; it was a time to R____ T___ S___________« Read The Scriptures»
D. Christ also had teachings concerning the Sabbath
1. Matthew 12:1–8, Mark 2:23–28, Luke 6:1–5; The Son of Man is _______ of the Sabbath, and the Sabbath was made for ______, not ______ for the Sabbath «(Lord, man, man)»
2. Matthew 12:8–12, Mark 3:1–5, Luke 6:6–11, Luke 13:10–16; it is a day in which it is lawful to do _________ «(good)»
3. Mark 1:21, Mark 6:2; On it he went to __________ in the __________________ «(teach, synagogue)»
4. Luke 4:16ff; it was when he announced ____ _________ « (His mission)»
5. John 5:1–17, John 7:22–24, Matthew 12:1–8 (again!); it is proper to do ________ ________ on the Sabbath «(God’s work) — also note implications of Jerusalem council, Acts 15»
E. So how should the Christian, seeking to live a life of faith under grace rather than under the law, apply those principles which underlie this commandment? Let me suggest the following:
1. God made man so that he needs a weekly R_______« Rest»
2. as Christians, living by faith, all our time, not just one day is to be H______ (S____ A________) unto God to be engaged in the exercise of worship in all its forms« Holy (Set Apart)»
3. none-the-less, in accordance with the practice in the early church and since, it is convenient to set aside the first day of the week so that the worship we practise all week in an individual manner can be practised as a body of believers.
F. What should comprise the worship that is by faith in Christ?
2. Romans 15:4
6. Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2
9. 1 Timothy 4:13 (I know this is addressed to a pastor, but…)
10. Hebrews 10:24–25
G. In a very special way, this commandment was a reminder to the Israelites that God had brought them out of the slavery in Egypt into a place of rest (remember of the preamble to the “Ten Words” in Exodus 20:2?); if God designed us for rest, and if Christ has given us rest (Matthew 11:28-30), in what ways can a Christian miss out on what God intended for us in terms of rest? «(For your meditations this week!)»
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This set of lessons was inspired by part II of “Ethics of Decision” by George W. Forell, The Muhlenberg Press, Philadelphia, 1955 (Library of Congress 55-7767).
A.J. Jacobs, an editor-at-large for Esquire magazine and a secular Jew, did a special assignment of living for one year by the precepts of the Bible, as literally as he could. The result was his book THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY.
One of the hardest commandments for him to keep was the Sabbath. A.J. had been a workaholic who was used to working 24 hours a day. The first thing he would do when he woke up was check his Blackberry. It was a huge struggle to adapt to a work-forbidden day, but he came to see it as a great thing. Instead of constantly checking his email, he spent the day with his family. He said each Sabbath became a real smell-the-roses type of day for him. He found it to be a day for joy, for just really reconnecting with his life and realizing that work is not everything.
The change was such a large one he had to do it in stages but he has come to love it and still practices it. Ironically, he is still an agnostic. But now he is a much more spiritual one.
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Adapted from Christianity Today International/LEADERSHIP Journal. Winter 2008, Vol. XXIX, No. 1, Page 17; copyright © 2008
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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #25622]
Luke 6:1–11 — Lord of the Sabbath « Leader information shown in this fashion »
A. Comments on the Sabbath
1. The Sabbath and Sunday are not the same; the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, while Sunday is the first day of the week « — although some calendars try to make Monday the first day of the week. Note that there has always been doubt as to the continuity of Sabbath keeping since the giving of the Law »
2. there are two extremes in the Christian church about Sunday
a. Sabbatarian keeping of Sunday « — treating it in every way as the same as the Sabbath, with all, or almost all, of the same rules of conduct »
b. secularization « — it is a day like any other day; for doing all the same things and anything that you like to do »
3. in the New Testament we find that the early church treated the first day of the week in a special fashion.
a. from Revelation 1:10, we see that it may have been called “the Lord’s day” — why would have this been appropriate?
(A) Mark 16:2 « — Christ was raised on first day of the week »
(B) John 20:19 « — Christ met with the disciples on that day »
(C) Acts 20:7 « — they met to remember Christ (communion service) on first day of the week »
(D) 1 Corinthians 16:2 « — a day of setting aside an offering to the Lord of what had been received from God »
b. what spiritual dangers are there in making Sunday special?
(A) « legalism; dependency on works »
(B) « get a false sense of holiness »
(C) « what should be rejoicing becomes needlessly sombre »
c. what spiritual advantages in making Sunday special?
(A) « opportunity to assemble with Christians (Hebrews 10:25, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16) »
(B) « special opportunity for spiritual exercise »
(C) « a testimony to unbelievers (but our lives must agree) »
B. Plucking Corn on the Sabbath — Luke 6:1–5 (parallel passages in Matthew 12:1–8, Mark 2:23–28)
1. 1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 3 But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” 5 And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” (NKJV)
2. Some notes
a. there is no agreement as to what is meant by the phrase, “second Sabbath after the first” — the most probable is a reference to the counting of weeks up to Pentecost
b. some translations use the word “corn” which has a different meaning to us who live at the eastern end of the “corn belt” — this was one of the grains such as wheat, rye, barley or oats
c. the Pharisees had defined just about every action that could not be done on the Sabbath to ensure people kept it; in the action of the disciples, it is said, they found transgressions
(A) plucking the heads « — harvesting »
(B) rubbing the heads together « — threshing »
(C) blowing off the husks before eating « — winnowing »
(D) making the heads edible « — preparing food »
(E) Deuteronomy 23:25 — the taking of grain was allowed
d. what does Mark 2:27 add to the record of this incident? « — that the Sabbath was created for man’s benefit »
e. what does Matthew 12:5 add to the record? « — that the duties of the priests overrule the rules of the Sabbath. John 7:22–23 confirms this last point since circumcision was performed, Sabbath or not »
f. what does Matthew 12:6 add to the record? « — more reason that the Son of Man (a Messianic name) is Lord of Sabbath »
g. what does Matthew 12:7 add to the record? « — the Pharisees’ problem was their own hearts, not the disciples’ actions »
3. In addition to what we have already noted, Jesus uses an incident from the life of a previous messiah, David, to show the proper application of the Law. (1 Samuel 21:3-6, cf., Leviticus 24:5-9) What are the proper priorities as we find in this incident?
a. « the law should not result in deprivation of the innocent – “human need must not be subjected to barren legalism” »
b. « the law is for the benefit of God’s people, particularly His messiah, not vice-versa; ie., we should not worship the Law »
c. the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath … « not only in its origin as Creator (Genesis 1) but in its institution (Exouds 20:8-11). This is a significant claim; why? Because one more time in this book of Luke we find that this Son of Man, this human being, is Deity, God in the flesh. »
C. Healing the Man’s Withered Hand — Luke 6:6–11 (parallel passages in Matthew 12:9–14, Mark 3:1–6)
1. 6 Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. 8 But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” 10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. (NKJV)
2. Notes
a. this confirms Jesus’ lordship, not only over the day, but also over disease
b. the rabbis (Yoma 8:6) had no objection to healing when there was the danger (which they interpreted fairly liberally) of the loss of life; this is pertinent to Jesus’ answer to them
c. what does Matthew 12:10 add to the record of this incident? « — that they provoked the discussion, but here He knew why »
d. what does Matthew 12:11–12 add to the record? « — the proof of the sheep in the pit that the Pharisaic / rabbinic teaching was misguided; it had a wrong sense of values »
e. what does Mark 3:5 add to the record? « — again, the basis problem with the Pharisees was their own hearts, not what Jesus was doing, or when He was healing »
3. What are the proper priorities?
a. Luke 6:9 is unequivocal – explain it
(A) « there is no middle ground, nos such thing as neutrality »
(B) « the only alternative to doing good, is doing evil »
(C) the story of the good Samaritan illustrates this; it would seem that the priest and the Levite feared becoming ceremonially unclean would not help the injured man
b. « the love command should always, under the Holy Spirit, give a proper interpretation to God’s commands »
4. the reaction of the Pharisees
a. The word “rage” in Luke 6:11 is literally “without mind” so that the phrase can be translated “filled with senselessness,” “filled with folly,” “became mindless,” “beside themselves with anger” or “filled with fury.” Why were they so?
(A) « they could not dispute that He was right, could not reply to His question »
(B) their hearts were wrong before God despite their careful religion
Pope John Paul II says Sunday should be a day for God, not for secular diversions like entertainment and sports.
“When Sunday loses its fundamental meaning and becomes subordinate to a secular concept of 'weekend' dominated by such things as entertainment and sport, people stay locked within a horizon so narrow that they can no longer see the heavens,” the pontiff said in a speech to Australian bishops.
John Paul criticized the "culture of the 'here and now,'" urging church leaders to “lead men and women from the shadows of moral confusion and ambiguous thinking.”
Luke 14:1–24 — The Sabbath and the Supper « Leader information shown in this fashion »
A. The Man Cured of Dropsy, Luke 14:1–6 (NKJV): 1 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy A. 3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey B or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.
1. Notes:
a. A. – Gk. hydropikos, where organs of body fill with fluid
b. B. – instead of honos, “donkey” many ancient manuscripts have huios, “son” — donkey seems to fit the context better
2. Jesus is invited to a dinner (note: a breaking of bread!) at the home of a ruler « (either a member of Sanhedrin and, or a leading member) » of the Pharisees; what ongoing dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees was in focus here? « — the Sabbath observance »
3. how was this evident? « — the close scrutiny of the Pharisees »
4. Who seems to have taken the initiative in bringing this dispute to a head? … in what three ways?
a. « Jesus »
(A) « He asked the question first; yet, note the “answering” as though the problem had already been posed to Him »
(B) « He carried out the healing of the man with dropsy; this man being present may have been a trap they had set »
(C) « He challenged their position by a further question »
5. what two responses were made to this initiative?
a. « silence to the first question; the rabbinic tradition did not allow healing unless the life were threatened; however, the Mosaic law contained no such injunction »
b. « could not answer the second question; the implication being that deeds of mercy are proper activity for the Sabbath »
B. A Lesson on Humility, Luke 14:7–11 (NKJV): 7 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places A, saying to them: 8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honourable than you be invited by him; 9 and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place B. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
1. Notes:
a. A. (also verse 8)– Gk. protoklisia, the first (most honourable) reclining-places; those nearest the host; corresponding to the English “head table”
b. B. – Gk eschaton topon, the last place; corresponds to our “to the end of the line”
2. “those who chose out for themselves” — there seems to have been something of a mad scramble for these best places — what quality is thereby evidenced in them (compare John 12:42–43)? … can this occur in the church? « — to gain honour from and among men; … yes, consider Diotrephes, 3 John 1:9 »
3. Is there any tie in of thought here with the verse we looked at last week,
a. Luke 13:30? « — may have the same idea, although it is more likely to refer to the Jews (the “first”) and the Gentiles (the “last”) who have their positions reversed »
b. … what about Mark 9:35? « — is the same idea of the way to honour is by humility and service »
c. … what does 1 Peter 5:6 add? « — the timing of exaltation of the deserving is under God’s control »
4. By His statement, to what did Jesus bear witness (see Proverbs 25:6-7) « — to the authority of the book of Proverbs, and, to the third section of the Scriptures, the Kethubhim or writings as well as the more highly regarded Torah (law) & Nebi’im (prophets) »
C. A Lesson on True Charity, Luke 14:12–14 (NKJV) 12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just A.”
1. A. – Gk. dikaios, just, especially in the eyes of God; righteous
2. what is the mark of benevolence illustrated here? « — that you give without thought of something in return? »
3. even if you were to follow literally Christ’s teaching in these words, what are some ways you might contravene their spirit? — Matthew 6:2 « — you do it looking for praise »
4. John 5:25 and 29 tells about the general resurrection of the dead in two groups; the first to the resurrection of life, the second to the resurrection of condemnation; is this passage teaching how to get into the first group? … or what? « — no, this is instruction for those who are righteous headed for the resurrection of life and its rewards; … so, what constitutes the kind of hospitality Christians are to be? (Romans 12:19, 1 Peter 4:9, etc) »
D. The Ungrateful Invitees, 14:15–24 (NKJV): 15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited A, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 “And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”
1. Note: A. – “who had been invited,” ie., previously
2. this parable responds to a statement by someone present; the context interprets to us the its intent; … what is that? « — it has reference to those who would attend the “breaking of bread” at the Sabbath (rest) in the kingdom of God … but Jesus goes beyond this to a great banquet; see Revelation 19:9 »
3. so, the gracious invitations of the man correspond to what? « — the invitation of God to His heavenly kingdom »
4. in what way does this parable challenge the statement of the man? « — his implicit assumption that he would be there, but the parable questions just how many were ready to respond »
5. the invitation was given (no negative RSVP’s appear to have been received), the preparations were made, and the servant (bond-slave) … see example in Esther 5:8, 6:14);
a. what was the servant’s message? « — “Dinner’s served!” »
b. did they have the excuse of now warning? « — No »
c. so why were their excuses (”made as one”) invalid?
(A) the land — « you really bought the land without looking? »
(B) the oxen — « what is the point in testing after buying? … did he not examine them at the purchase; why now? »
(C) the wife — « was the wedding that sudden? … taking on new obligations does not release one from the old »
6. where have you seen before the classes of people used as the replacements for the ungrateful invitees? « — see verse 13 »
7. what does verse 22 tell us about the character of the invitation of God into His heavenly kingdom? « — genuine and wide … the first invitation was by Moses & the prophets; the second by Jesus Christ, the apostles, & the church (not here recorded as done) »
8. does “compel” imply force? … or what? « — a single slave could not very well exert physical force; but his proclamation of the message must be compelling (the verb includes the idea of meeting a necessity, an essential obligation »
9. do the homeowner, drover or groom get a second chance? « – No »
It is commendable that the city that never sleeps is at least taking naps. MetroNaps, a New York company that was founded in 2003 and tested at Carnegie Mellon University, provides a chance for over-worked employees, shoppers, and travelers to put their busy schedules on hold. For 20 minutes and 14 dollars, the weary are offered a state-of-the-art sleep pod designed to maximize the invigorating effects of a brief rest. Appropriately, the gift of napping is also givable. “Nap Passes” can be purchased for stressed-out colleagues and bosses, friends or family. In any case, even if the notion of paying for a nap fails to catch on, it is probably not reflective of the universal longing, and need, for napping.
The subject of busy lives and well-worn calendars is one that hits close to most homes. In fact, that busyness is the common denominator in so many lives can be seen in the marketing tactics of products from cell phones to portable breakfasts. Everything is meant to improve our demanding lives (or at least make the chains of busyness more comfortable).
I was intrigued once to discover an editorial offering a proposal to counter the chains that bind us to clocks, palm pilots, and inboxes, 24 hours a day. The suggestion, which the author admittedly referred to as radical, was to set aside a day, to set aside our electronics. Calling readers to take a day to refocus and reorder, he urged the world to give itself permission to take a full day off. “Maybe the ancients didn't pick the number seven out of a hat,” he reasoned. “Perhaps they understood that human beings can only immerse themselves in commerce for six days at a stretch before losing touch with anything approaching a civic, social, or spiritual reality.”
Something about the seventh day was not meant to be forgotten. The book of Exodus recounts, “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day” (20:11). While each of the six days of God's labor was pronounced good, God chose to set apart one day out of seven, pronouncing it holy. And in the form of a commandment, He asked us to keep it that way. It was to be a sign between God and humanity for generations to come, “so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy” (Exodus 31:13).
But after centuries of living with the command to rest, humanity struggled to see it as anything more than a command. In this, Jesus found opportunity to remind the crowds, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Daydreaming of sleep pods and power naps as our country observes Labor Day, I realize that I, too, need the reminder. The seventh day is a gift, a nap pass — a gentle invitation, albeit a powerful sign between God and humanity. It is a day set apart from appointment books and pressing schedules to remind us that the most pressing aspect of our lives is most authentically realized and dynamically lived out when we are resting in the presence of God. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, ESV).
Slowing down long enough to realize that he is talking to me, I remember that rest is not only a luxury but that it is something I need. I remember that the labor of God is far more significant than my own. I remember that the One who watches over me neither slumbers nor sleeps.
________
Copyright © 2004 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.
*
The “Day of Rest”: a History
In the Bible, “Sabbath” is the practice of taking one day off every week for rest and spiritual renewal. It is so important as to be included as one of the Ten Commandments. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping in holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work...”
Some see this as a restriction – actually it is a gift. A gift of time for rest and spiritual renewal. There’s nothing arbitrary about this practice – we were created with a built in need for this renewal every seven days. We may try to deny it, but the need is there. I was reminded of this recently when I read a book by Witold Rybczynski called “Waiting for the Weekend.” This fascinating book gives the history of how people have structured their work lives and calendars throughout the centuries. At various times, people have tried to move away from the seven-day week -- and weekly “Sabbath” day of rest -- with unfavorable results.
Rybczynski writes about two occasions in the recent past where people tried to do away with the current seven day calendar. The first attempt happened as part of the French Revolution. Trying to do away with any and all things Christian, the powers that be felt the need to restructure the Christian calendar. Voltaire wrote: “if you wish to destroy the Christian religion you must first destroy the Christian Sunday,” and that is exactly what the French revolutionaries tried to do.
They did away with the dating of years around Christ’s birth, proclaiming the year of the proclamation of the republic (1792) to be year one, and then counting from there. They maintained the solar year, and divided it into 12 months, each consisting of 30 days. The five leftover days were tacked on at the end of the year, and set aside for an end-of-the-year festival. The seven day week (with one day set aside for rest) was done away with. In their new system, each month was divided into three ten-day periods. The tenth day of each period was a holiday.
People hated this system. It didn’t give them enough time for rest and recreation, let alone worship. They kept it going until year 24, when Napoleon restored the traditional Christian calendar in France. Rybczynski wryly sums up the situation by saying: “The French revolutionaries underestimated the potency of the week.”
The most recent attempt to undo the seven-day week happened in 1929. Joseph Stalin tried to completely restructure the calendar in the Soviet Union. Like the French attempt, their calendar maintained 12 months, each of 30 days length, the extra days being public holidays. Unlike the French, the Soviets actually did away with any division of the month into “weeks” or other smaller units. Factories were instructed to operate continuously, without a break. There was no universal rest day – in fact, no work week at all. Workers labored four days, on staggered shifts, and had every fifth day off.
As you might imagine, this created massive confusion in just about every corner of society; from banks to schools to businesses. It caused chaos even in relationships. This new calendar made it difficult for families or friends to schedule time together, since everyone had different days off. It was supposed to increase productivity, but it actually had the opposite effect. They abandoned this confusing calendar after nine years.
What is the lesson in this? Simply that the seven day week, and Sabbath rest it implies, is a really good idea. In our 24x7 world of “always on” and “always connected,” let’s not lose our sense of the natural rhythms of life. Let’s maintain the Sabbath, and our sanity.
*
Sunday is a special day – a cherished day – for Christians. It is a day that is different, not because of our church-going, but because of something God did. Not only did God begin His work of creation on a Sunday (the first day of the week), but God raised Jesus from the dead on a Sunday (Matt. 28:1). That Resurrection Day is what really makes Sunday special. It was a day of new life for a world that was dead in its sins. It marks a new beginning – a new creation.
The early disciples recognized the importance of Sunday. We can trace that special designation for Sunday – “the Lord’s Day” – back to the apostle John (Rev. 1:10). Also, we read that New Testament believers held meetings on Sundays (Acts 2:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). And so, throughout Church history up to today, Sunday is the pre-eminent day on which God’s people gather for teaching, fellowship, worship, and prayer. It is a time set apart from our everyday routine, bringing us back to our Centre, refreshing our souls, and realigning our walk.
However, there are some Christian groups that insist on worshipping on Saturdays. Messianic Judaism is one such example. Messianic Judaism encourages Christians to view Saturday as the Sabbath, and thus, the divinely ordained day of rest and worship. They cite the example of Jesus, who kept the Sabbath. They also cite the early disciples who continued to visit synagogues on Saturdays after Jesus’ ascension (cf. Acts 13:14; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4). Seventh-Day Adventism shares this view.
In response to such “Saturday-Sabbath” thinking, many (if not most) Christians will assert the “Christian Sabbath” view. These people whole-heartedly agree that we need to observe the fourth commandment. However, they will argue that Sunday has now become the Christian Sabbath because of the finished work of Christ. Everything that once pertained to Saturday-Sabbath observance now pertains to Sunday.
The story of Eric Liddell, immortalized in the movie “Chariots of Fire,” centres around this very issue. Liddell refused to race in the Olympics on a Sunday because, in his Christian convictions, it was the Sabbath. According to this Christian Sabbath tradition, the observance of Sunday is no less mandatory than is the observance of Saturday in Old Testament times. Unless we observe the Christian Sabbath, we will find ourselves compromising our faith and missing out on a blessing (so it is thought).
But is Sunday truly the Christian Sabbath? Must Christians observe the Sabbath at all? How are we to deal with the fourth commandment or the fact that Sabbath observance is so central to the Old Testament (cf. Ex. 31:13-17)? How can we reconcile this with New Testament teachings that seem to make Sabbath observance irrelevant (cf. Rom. 14:5,6)?
If we would seek to be true to Scripture, obedient to God, and faithful in our worship, we need to give some thought to this issue. Let us not go to our churches next Sunday morning out of mere routine. As Christians, we need to understand why we do what we do. More importantly, we need to understand what God expects of us.
THE OLD TESTAMENT SABBATH
Any discussion of the Sabbath must begin with its roots in the Old Testament. There we begin to see that Sabbath is more than a day – it is a theme that runs throughout the entire Bible, starting in Genesis.
In these verses we read that God finished all His work of creation. This work was completed over the space of six literal days (Sunday to Friday), each marked by an evening and a morning. The seventh day (Saturday) was a day of rest. Though God issues no commandment for people to rest, He does set the day apart as holy. We read: “God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” (2:3). Interestingly, the word for “rested” (shabat) is the root for the word for “Sabbath” (shabbat).
It is pertinent that the seventh day of Gen. 2 is not designated by the passing of an evening and a morning, as the prior six days were. This does not mean that it was not a literal day. Yet this does imply that there is more to the seventh day than just an ordinary day. The seventh day also represents a state. {2} God enters into this state with His good creation after all His work is completed, and as the intended goal of all His work. {3} In this Sabbath-state, after God’s good creation, man possesses a divine rest until the time of his Fall. The later fourth commandment serves to call us back to this Sabbath-state – a state of rest in God.
Exodus 16:22-30; 20:8-11
In these verses, we find the first references to God’s Sabbath commandment. In 16:22-30, the Israelites are given a double portion of manna on Friday so that they will be able to stay at home, refrain from work, and rest on Saturday. Saturday is “a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.” (16:23). This is further clarified in the fourth commandment (20:8-11), where God orders the weekly Sabbath rest: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy ... In it you shall do no work.” Later Scripture outlines the observance of Sabbath years as well (cf. Lev. 25). And so, from the Exodus onward, God’s people are to be distinguished by their Sabbath-keeping. They would later suffer divine wrath for their failure in this regard (cf. 2 Chr. 36:20,21).
THE PLACE OF THE LAW
How should we, in this Christian era, understand these Old Testament Sabbath ordinances? One answer comes from Tertullian. Tertullian suggested the Old Testament Law be divided into three parts: civil, ceremonial, and moral. {4} The civil law contains regulations relating to national Israel, which passed away with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The ceremonial law contains types and symbols pointing to Christ, which were fulfilled in Him at His death. The moral law, however, is viewed as the eternal “kernel” of the Old Testament Law, which can never be set aside. The Sabbath, some Christians hold, is a part of this eternal moral law. {5}
There are several problems with this view. First, it is notable that the New Testament does not emphasize the need to keep a weekly Sabbath day in the Old Testament sense. The Jerusalem Council did not require it of Gentile converts (Acts 15:20). Also, in the lists of sins which would bar one from the kingdom of God, Sabbath-breaking is conspicuously absent. {6} As well, interestingly, the later Church fathers make no connection between the Old Testament Sabbath and the church’s accepted day of worship – the Lord’s Day. {7}
Furthermore, there is a major flaw in Tertullian’s three-fold division of the Law. When we come to the text of Scripture, we do not find the Old Testament so neatly divided. In fact, all three “divisions” are intermingled and interspersed: it is impossible to delineate which laws apply to which division. For example, the Ten Commandments were portrayed as being in the category of “moral law,” and hence, still applicable today. However, the fourth commandment – the Sabbath law – deals with the observance of a day. As such, it seems more ceremonial than moral.
How then can we understand and apply Old Testament Law, and the Sabbath commandment in particular? Well, every commandment must be viewed as part of an irreducible complex of civil, ceremonial, and moral law that comprises the unity of the one Old Testament Law (torah). This Law can only then be interpreted in the light of Christ, who Himself fulfills the entirety of the Law (Matt. 5:17): “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Rom. 10:4). Thus, if we are going to gain a true understanding of the Sabbath law and its applications for today, we must look to Christ and the New Testament record of what He said and accomplished regarding it.
THE NEW TESTAMENT SABBATH
In these verses, Jesus makes a claim about Himself that is extremely pertinent to our understanding of Sabbath. He says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (11:28). Though He does not use the word “Sabbath” here, the Sabbath theme is in view.
Christ, the ultimate authority on the meaning of “Sabbath” (cf. 12:8), is saying that He is the Rest-giver. Not only does He provide immediate rest for our souls – a spiritual rest from sin – but also that ultimate physical rest which we will enjoy with Him in heaven. This makes the Old Testament Sabbath a type which points ahead to Christ Himself and our salvation in Him. His rest in the grave on a Saturday (the seventh day) lays to rest this old creation with its sins. It enables us to enter into a new Sabbath state with God in a new creation.
Col. 2:16,17
One of Paul’s major concerns in Colossians was a heresy that advanced Jewish ritual and mysticism. Paul warns that such things do not elevate us to God, for the fullness of God can be found in none other than Jesus Christ (2:8-10). He asserts that the old rituals involving foods and festivals have been done away with. Paul goes so far as to include the Sabbath in this, saying, “let no one judge you ... regarding ... sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (2:16,17). Thus Paul sees the Sabbath as reaching its fulfillment in Christ and His saving work alone. {8}
Heb. 3:7-4:13
The writer of Hebrews further clarifies the relation of Christ to the Sabbath. He begins by speaking of the Israelites who sinned in the wilderness. Those who were typified by unbelief fell under God’s wrath, which entailed a barring from His rest. We read: “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” (3:18,19).
We should not exhibit the same unbelief, “since a promise remains of entering His rest.” (4:1). That promise of rest is equated with the Gospel in 4:2. This rest is a part of the Sabbath theme – a theme fulfilled in the Good News of Jesus Christ.
As David Robinson explains, in Christ, we re-enter the Sabbath-state that God alone provides. This state existed in Eden, but was destroyed by Adam’s sin. Israel tasted of this state in the Sabbath ordinances, but would not enjoy its fullness. However, with Christ’s death and resurrection, an eternal Sabbath is established which no man can break. So, “There remains therefore a rest (sabbatismos; literally, “Sabbath rest”) for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” (4:9,10). Fred Zaspel asserts that the Old Testament Sabbath “pointed to a finished work of God in providing redemptive rest for His people through the death of His Son.” {9}
THE SABBATH AND THE LORD’S DAY
In summary, “Sabbath” for the New Testament Christian has been fulfilled in Christ. Its ultimate meaning is realized in our state of salvation in Him. The day was part of an eschatological theme – a shadow of a better Day to come. Therefore, we cannot hold to the common Christian Sabbath or Saturday-Sabbath views. Neither Saturday nor Sunday is our Sabbath, because believers have an Eternal Sabbath in Jesus – a state of salvation which can never be abrogated. This Jesus and His salvation is our Christian Sabbath.
However, do not miss the connection between the Old Testament Sabbath and the Lord’s Day (Sunday). The Lord’s Day celebrates the completion of Christ’s work of salvation and, thus, our entry into the Eternal Sabbath. The Lord’s Day looks back to the things which the Sabbath day looked ahead to. And so it would not be wrong to draw some parallels. {10} Both days are linked to worship. Both are commemorative days observed by the people of God. Both are associated with rest – either physical or spiritual. {11} The Lord’s Day, while not the Sabbath, is a day to remember.
TODAY’S CHRISTIAN AND THE LORD’S DAY
How are you observing the Lord’s Day? Certainly the first day has been appointed in a special way for Christians to gather, learn, fellowship, worship, and pray. But, are we distracted from the Person we worship by our day of worship? Or, worse, are we Sunday Christians, living for God only one day a week?
What about those like Eric Liddell or those in Messianic Judaism who hold to a Sabbatarian position? Certainly, Paul provides for differences among Christians over just such an issue: “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.” (Rom. 14:5,6). Individual Christian conscience must always be considered. However, a strict Sabbatarianism should be rejected.
Also, we must remember that parallels do exist between the Lord’s Day and the Sabbath. As well, the New Testament does set out principles regarding the Lord’s Day. Christ’s fulfillment of the Law does not mean that there is now no more Law at all! Rather, we must look to Him for the definitive interpretation.
The Sabbath has not been abolished, for “there remains therefore a Sabbath for the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). However, this Sabbath has been fulfilled in the finished work of Christ. We no longer need to observe a Sabbath day, but we must devote time to the Lord who gives us our Eternal Sabbath. It is the Lord’s Day – Sunday – which provides this opportunity in a special way. It is the Lord’s Day that helps us remember that we find our true rest in Jesus; that we have a new beginning in Him.
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Footnotes:
1. Article first appearing in the Winter 2006 edition of The Evangelical Baptist, © David T. E. S. Cooke.. Reproduced here by permission of the author, David T. E. S. Cooke, who serves as a missionary to Toronto’s Jewish community at The Toronto Jewish Mission (www.torotojewishmession.org). He is also involved in an ESL Bible Study ministry for immigrants. He completed his M. Div (Hons) from Toronto Baptist Seminary in 2004. David, his wife Heather, and their new baby, Joshua, reside in Richmond Hill, Ontario and attend Richmond Hill Baptist Church.
2. Based on a sermon by David Robinson, Grace Bible Church, Cambridge, Ontario, Feb. 16, 2003, 6:00 PM.
3. Fred Zaspel, “The Sabbath: A Test Case,” Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel, New Covenant Theology, (Frederick, MD: New Covenant Media, 2002), 214.
4. A. T. Lincoln, “From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: ‘A Biblical and Theological Perspective,’” D. A. Carson, ed., From Sabbath to Lord’s Day, (Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1982), 380.
5. Douglas Allen Adams, Sunday – The Christian Sabbath, (TBS Thesis, 1977), 8,9.
6. Cf. 1 Cor. 6:9,10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5.
7. Lincoln, 385.
8. Lincoln, 368.
9. Zaspel, 232.
10. Lincoln, 398.
11. Cf. W. O. Carver, Sabbath Observance, (Nashville: The Broadman Press, 1940), 54-57.
Sermon in series "The Quest for the Real Jesus," #13. Matthew 12:1-8
LIFE OVER LAW
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I. Ancient rules.
A. Many Jews live in the northeast.
B. Jesus had issues with this kind of religious system.
C. Today's principle can open a can of worms.
II. Jesus confronts his critics on a weekend.
A. The Sabbath was important.
B. But some were stricter than others.
C. Sabbath observance was one of his key conflicts with the Jews.
III. Two analogies and a principle.
A. Jesus makes a point about King David. 1 Samuel 21
B. Jesus makes a point from the Torah.
C. Jesus draws a principle from a prophet. Hosea 6:6
IV. Where's the concrete?
A. If some laws can be bent, the rest can become Jell-O.
B. We must be led by the Spirit.
C. Human nature prefers rigidity.
V. Jesus is our authority.
A mortal affliction affects much of America’s heartland. Known as “deaths of despair,” both the Rust Belt and Appalachia have seen incredible spikes in rates of addiction, overdoses, violence, and suicide. In addition to the thousands who die each year by various forms of self-harm, thousands more live Gollum-like, trapped by their chemical chains and in loneliness.
It is a complex situation. While we must not diminish anyone’s moral agency, the downward paths we are on are paved, lined, and greased by a number of contributing factors. For example, Beth Macy, the author of the book Dope Sick, has documented the lethal partnership of doctors and drug companies, not to mention the co-option of government oversight agencies, which inflicted a plague of highly addictive opioids on some of America’s poorest areas of the country.
A new recent study, however, points to an additional complexity, an oft-ignored element of this cultural disease: the decline of religion. According to the study’s authors, there is some correlation between the end of so-called “Blue Laws” and the opioid epidemic. In certain parts of the country, Blue Laws have long limited the range of activities allowed on Sundays. Certain businesses were not allowed to be open, and certain things (especially alcohol) could not be sold. Though these laws continue in certain areas, particularly in Europe, they began to disappear in parts of the United States as the 20th century wore on, to the point that now they are few and far between.
Of course, a significant, culture-wide phenomenon like the opioid crisis cannot be reduced to something as simplistic as whether or not people can shop on Sunday. To do that would be to mistake correlation for causation, kind of like saying murders go up with ice cream sales. And this is something the study’s authors readily admit.
Rather than claiming that the end of Blue Laws created the opioid crisis, they use the end of Blue Laws as a marker to track the decline in American religiosity. The diminishing connections to faith in communities across the country, especially in those areas where they were once so strong, are among the factors that contributed to our nation’s chemical plague. In other words, Blue Laws are a kind of canary in the coal mine, marking when we’ve crossed a dangerous line.
In light of these diminishing religious commitments, reinstating Blue Laws likely will not lead to a reversal in rates of addictions or other deaths of despair. Even if they were an important part of our cultural life of faith at one time, too much has changed for such an easy fix. However, what these laws represented and what has been lost as they disappear points to the underlying causes, not only of the opioid crisis of but many of our parallel pains as well.
What we need to ask is, in a mix of Friedrich Nietzsche and REM, what is the cost of losing our religion?
As much as we prize our individualism, particularly here in America, human beings aren’t just dust motes of consciousness, floating on the air currents of life. We’re connected, not just to one another, but to a host of other elements through relationships that give us meaning, identity, direction, and hope. To be healthy, as individuals and as communities, these relationships (upward, inward, outward, and downward) must be strong.
Human beings need a connection to something beyond ourselves, something higher and transcendent in order to find ourselves, to know who and what we are, to be sure of our identity. We need connections with one another, especially the links of family and friendship, in order to be accountable, supported, and complete. And, we need proper connection to the physical world around us, so to be tethered to reality through things like meaningful labor, a place to call home, and some part of the world to call “mine.”
Marx got it wrong. Religion isn’t the opiate of the masses, but instead a part of life most needed, irreplaceable by technological convenience or scientific mastery. The loss of religion has been a bad idea wherever it has been tried, and those suffering across Appalachia and the Rust Belt are some of its most obvious victims. By abandoning religion, specifically the Christianity which once provided meaning to these now missing relationships, the essential connection between individuals and communities and a higher purpose has been lost.
As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said all the way back in 1983, “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.” Blue Laws didn’t hold off the effects of substance abuse, but the religious impulse that such laws represented were part of a way of seeing life and the world, one in which we weren’t just reduced to being cogs or animals or sexual expressions. The Christianity that the world has rejected offers the hope that the world so desperately needs.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.
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