Lord Of The Sabbath Series

Religious groups and churches have patterns or rhythms

weekly worship

monthly communion

Liturgies

Annual festivals or meals

Muslims have the month of Ramadan where they fast during the day, give alms, and feast at night

Hindus have Diwali and specific celebrations tied to their deities

Jews have several annual festivals - many of which are in the fall.

On of the very first rhythms that we see in scripture is the day of sabbath.

As we turn to Luke 6 to reflect on the sabbath, we get to see a bit of a collision between OT practice and NT expression.

So, as we approach these verses today, I want to do so by asking and answering some questions:

What is the Sabbath?

What is Jesus teaching about the Sabbath?

How should we as Christians apply the Sabbath?

What is the Sabbath?

The word Sabbath essentially means one in seven. The first mention of a sabbath principle is established in Creation.

Genesis 2:1–3 ESV

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Now, being God, he did not need to rest or be refreshed, but it was in His work at Creation that God laid out a pattern for all humanity to follow - one out of seven days should be set aside as holy, as a day of rest, a day to cease from labor.

If we were to go back and read more through the Old Testament, we would not find Sabbath mentioned again until during the time of the Exodus in Exodus 16 when God was providing manna from heaven. They were to collect manna for each day, except on the sixth day, they were to collect enough for two days - so that there would be no collecting work happening on the Sabbath or seventh day.

Then we come to the actual Sabbath laws. As we read earlier, the Sabbath is first officially commanded, as an act of “remembrance” in Exodus 20.

Exodus 20:8 ESV

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

God then adds that just as in creation He rested, so too, His people should rest from their work one day out of seven.

Later on in the law, Moses outlined several stipulations or expectations for the Sabbath. Here is a brief summary:

no work was to be done on the Sabbath (Ex. 20:9-10; 31:14)

This would be a day of refreshment for humans and animals alike (Ex. 23:12)

no fire could be kindled (Ex. 35:3)

there should be a holy convocation (Lev. 23:3)

There are other rules that discuss the idea of Sabbath years, where every seven years the land was to have rest (Ex. 23:10-11; Lev. 25:1-7) and every 49 years (or a Sabbath of seven years) there would be a year of Jubilee where debts would be forgiven, land that was sold would be returned, and more (Lev. 25:8-22).

Interestingly, there would also be Sacrifices on the Sabbath and the bread of the presence was likely to be baked nor at least arranged on the Sabbath, which meant that the priests and levites were essentially breaking the Sabbath in order to observe it (Num. 28:9-10; Lv. 23:5-8).

The Sabbath is a big deal to God and he wanted it to be a big deal for his people.

The punishment for breaking Sabbath was death or being cut off from the people.

Exodus 35:2 ESV

Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

There is even one example of a Sabbath Breaker being put to death.

Numbers 15:32–36 ESV

While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. And the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the Lord commanded Moses.

So, in light of the expectations from God and the severe punishment expected for Sabbath breakers, the religious leaders assembled traditions or rules in order to help to define what is work and what is not. In the electronic copy of the Mishnah (or the traditional rules) that I have, these guidelines would print out to about a hundred pages, some of which, frankly, is difficult to understand. They did boil it down to 39 specific rules of what not to do on the sabbath (Mishna 7.2).