Jesus did no such thing...
Jesus aimed at bringing the people back to a correct understanding of Scripture, with pointed focus on the practice of Sabbath observance.
Jesus was raised in a Jewish household. He grew up attending and participating in Sabbath services in the synagogue.
“And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read” (Luke 4:16, ESV).
The synagogue was a place of religious instruction for Jewish communities that lived away from Jerusalem where the temple was. And on Sabbath, they gathered in the Temple or in Synagogues to worship and learn together.
So, Jesus often went to the synagogue or temple to teach (Mark 1:21). This is similar to what the church is for Christians today.
He also:
- healed the sick (Mark 3:5; Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 6:6-11).
- cast out evil spirits from demon-possessed individuals (Mark 1:23-27).
This annoyed the Jewish religious leaders. They considered these acts as violations of the Sabbath.
But Jesus asked them,
“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4, NKJV).
He showed that any activity meant to save the life of both man and animals are not a violation of the Sabbath (Luke 14:1-6).
He clarified the fact that
“it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12, ESV).
On another occasion, His disciples were hungry on the Sabbath day. And as they walked through the grainfields, they picked some that were ripe and ate them (Mark 2:23-27; Matthew 12:1-8; Luke 6:1-5).
Again, the religious leaders were upset with Jesus and His disciples. They said this act was
“not lawful on the Sabbath” (Mark 2:24, NKJV).
But Jesus pointed them to the story of David in 1 Samuel 21:1-9. He showed that we don’t have to deprive ourselves in times of necessity because it is Sabbath. Because this will mean the Sabbath will be endured instead of being a time of blessed enjoyment.
In the end, He emphasized that
“the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27, NKJV).
And He went on to declare Himself as having the authority to say that since “
the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” (Mark 2:28, ESV).
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus clearly says what is His relation to God’s commandments as a whole, including the Sabbath. He says:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, ESV).
As we’ve seen, Jesus had many conflicts with the Jewish leaders over Sabbath observance. There are some who say that through these incidents, Jesus gave us permission to break the Sabbath commandment.
But a closer look at these stories shows otherwise. Jesus was concerned with removing the many unnecessary requirements that were placed on the Sabbath by the religious leadership of the time. These requirements made God’s Holy day a burden instead of a delight.
And the conflicts were never on which day the Sabbath was. Neither were they on whether or not the Sabbath was to be kept. These things remained undisputed.
The main question was
how the Sabbath was to be kept.
And Jesus clarified this for us.
To emphasize just how unchangeable and indestructible God’s laws are, He said that
“it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void” (Luke 16:17, ESV).
The way Jesus’ followers handled His burial shows that they took Sabbath observance seriously.
First, the Jews asked that Jesus’ body should not remain on the cross over the Sabbath. And after it was confirmed that He was dead, two of His secret disciples—Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus—asked for His body.
They then prepared it for burial and buried Him in a nearby tomb (John 19:31-42).
Luke tells us that
“that day was the preparation day and the Sabbath drew near” (Luke 23:54, NKJV).
Also the women who followed Jesus from Galilee went and saw where He was buried. Then
“they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56, NKJV).
And Mary Magdalene together with two other women who were devoted followers of Jesus waited until
“the Sabbath was past” before going to Jesus’ tomb in order to anoint Him with spices (Mark 16:1, NKJV).
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