THE SABBATH Lesson 11 for September 13, 2014
THE ORIGIN OF THE SABBATH “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. ” (Genesis 2: 2 -3) In a sinless world, the Sabbath is a temple in time when all creatures come together to praise their Creator and to enjoy a special communion with Him. Unlike them, we are surrounded by sin, so we need those moments of close communion with our Creator even more. Jesus set an example by resting on Sabbath both after creating us and after redeeming us. Who created all things, including the Sabbath? John 1: 1 -3, Colossians 1: 16; Acts 1: 1 -2 Jesus is the Maker of everything, including the Sabbath. Jesus, Adam and Eve were not tired, so why did they need to rest on Sabbath?
“For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. ” (Matthew 12: 8) Jesus’ disciples began to pluck heads of grain from a grain field and to eat them on Sabbath (Mt. 12: 1 -2) That was permitted by the law (Dt. 23: 25), but they were accused of breaking the law by doing that on Sabbath. The Pharisees followed very strict rules to observe the Sabbath day. So what the disciples did involved reaping, threshing
“For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. ” (Matthew 12: 8) Jesus replied the Pharisees. He used two examples involving the services in the Temple: A. David ate the Showbread. The ceremonial law permitted that transgression. B. The priests work (even harder) on Sabbath. His work is accepted by God. Just after that, Jesus stated: 1. “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ” (Mark 2: 27) v The Sabbath is a gift from God for mankind. It was made to serve us, not the other way around. 2. “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. ” (Mark 2: 28) v Our Savior is the Maker of the Sabbath, so He is entitled to decide what is appropriate to do on that holy day.
THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. (Luke 4: 16) ” Jesus’ example of Sabbath keeping is paramount. How did Jesus observe Sabbath? 1. Jesus gathered with other believers for Scripture study and worship. (Luke 4: 16– 21) 2. He experienced nature (Matt. 12: 1– 8) 3. He relieved human suffering (Matt. 9– 14; Luke 13: 15, 16; John 5: 16, 17) 4. He rested from work (Gen. 2: 1– 3) 5. Because of Christ’s strict scriptural adherence, Jesus refrained from merchandising (Matt. 5: 17– 19; Neh. 13: 15– 22) 6. We may infer from Jesus’ disciples’ conduct that He observed the preparation day (Luke 23, 24; Exodus 16) Based upon Jesus’ example, Christians should conscientiously craft Sabbath practice for today.
THE TEACHING OF JESUS “So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. ” (Mark 3: 2) Jesus was accused of violating the Sabbath because He “worked” by healing people. How did Jesus counter that statement? Matthew 12: 10 -13. • If a sheep falls into a pit, rescuing it is lawful. Isn’t a man more valuable than a sheep? So it is lawful to do good on Sabbath. Luke 13: 10 -17. • Loosing an animal so it can drink on Sabbath is lawful. Shouldn’t we also loose that have been tied with sickness by Satan? Shouldn’t we heal them? John 5: 2 -18. • The Father works on Sabbath by supporting the Universe. Shouldn’t helping people on Sabbath be also lawful? Jesus released the Sabbath from extremism. He helped us to get away from legalism without transgressing the Sabbath day.
THE ETERNAL NATURE OF THE SABBATH “‘And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, ’ says the Lord. (Isaiah 66: 23) ” Popular theology states that Jesus transferred the holiness of the Sabbath to Sunday, to honor His resurrection. Nevertheless, when Jesus spoke about the destruction of Jerusalem (that would take place 40 years after His resurrection), He said, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ” (Matthew 24: 20) Paul and the rest of the apostles usually attended Church on Sabbath (Acts 13: 14, 42; 14: 1; 17: 1 -2; 18: 4) When some Greek people wanted to meet Paul apart from the Jews (outside the synagogue), he preached to them for two consecutive Sabbaths (Acts 13: 42 -44). He didn’t meet them on Sunday.
“As the Sabbath was the sign that distinguished Israel when they came out of Egypt to enter the earthly Canaan, so it is the sign that now distinguishes God’s people as they come out from the world to enter the heavenly rest. The Sabbath is a sign of the relationship existing between God and His people, a sign that they honor His law. It distinguishes between His loyal subjects and transgressors. ” E. G. W. (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, cp. 44, pg. 349)
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