Why Sunday?

Why Sunday?

Ex 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. KJV

The question is often asked why most Christians meet on Sunday instead of Saturday. Let’s look first at the definition of the word in both Hebrew and Greek sincere will be looking at it it from the OT and NT sides.

OT:7676 shabbath (shab-bawth’); intensive from OT:7673; intermission, i.e (specifically) the Sabbath:

KJV - (+every) sabbath.

(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

NT:4521 sabbaton (sab’-bat-on); of Hebrew origin [OT:7676]; the Sabbath (i.e. Shabbath), or day of weekly repose from secular avocations (also the observance or institution itself); by extension, a se’nnight, i.e. the interval between two Sabbaths; likewise the plural in all the above applications:

KJV - sabbath (day), week.

(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

God rested on the seventh day of creation. Hence it was an intermission. He went back to work on the eight day doing what He does as God. This was designed to set up the pattern for man created in His image. God rested on the seven days and six days shall a man work and he is to rest on the seventh.

OT:7673

shabath (shaw-bath’); a primitive root; to repose, i.e. desist from exertion; used in many implied relations (causative, figurative or specific):

KJV - (cause to, let, make to) cease, celebrate, cause (make) to fail, keep (sabbath), suffer to be lacking, leave, put away (down), (make to) rest, rid, still, take away.

(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Note that the word for rested in Genesis 2:2 is the root of the word translated Sabbath. There were other sabbath days in the Law. Our word holiday came from holy day so in essence are man made sabbaths or intermissions from servile work. The purpose of the Sabbath is to give man a break from work every six days, which one study I read proved to be the best for our mental and physical health. I do not find that surprising since God created us and knew what the Fall would do to us.

So the purpose of the Sabbath is provide man rest and opportunity to thank God for the week and to think upon His goodness, glory, etc. We are to separate ourselves once day out of seven from our normal day’s activities.

Now, the Jews got really detailed and came up with all sorts of rules concerning the Sabbath and basically got crazy with it and yet Jesus broke all their rules for they forgot the spirit of the Sabbath and got wrapped up in letters and hypocrisy as they would find loopholes so that they could do all they wanted to do or at least the leaders anyway.

Mark 2:27-28

27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man , and not man for the sabbath:

28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. KJV

You see Jesus taking them back to the purpose of the Sabbath. It was made for man. Why? In a fallen world you needed a day of rest or you would break down and die much sooner as we can see with many of our people who work 80 hours a week and go weeks with out a day off or rotating shifts and such.

Now, we have to remember that we are Gentiles and we are in the New Testament so some things changed. We see the disciples meeting on the first day of the week. Several things probably led to that but they wanted to worship on the day Christ arose being most likely the main reason. Now, what is a sabbath? It is an intermission or break from work. Technically, that can be any day in a seven day cycle. In the OT it was really Friday night at 6PM until Saturday night at 6PM. Most Christians who wish to practice the OT sabbath don’t do it correctly. They do it in a Roman calendar style, not a true Jewish/biblical style. The early Church was keeping the spirit and purpose of the Sabbath, just on another day.

Acts 20:77 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. KJV

1 Cor 16:1-3

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.

2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.