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and the Sabbath David Herring

The term “Sabbath” (sabba, ton) occurs 50 times throughout the four Gospels and accounts for ten events in relation to Jesus’ recorded words and works. The Sabbath (meaning “seventh ”) was the one day out of the in which “covenant” would observe a time of “solemn” rest from their occupational labors in order to be refreshed because Himself rested on the seventh day of the creation week (Ex.20:8,10,11; 31:13-17; 35:2-3; Lev.23:3). The only other routines that were prohibited on this day were cooking (Ex.16:23) and kindling fires in the home (Ex.35:2-3). However, this simple understanding of the Sabbath was foreign to the practicing Jews of Jesus’ day. After God’s revelation ended to the remnant of the nation of around 400 B.C., the scope of interpretation of the changed dramatically because the written word was the only revelation. Consequently, an oral tradition or “law” had been passed down since that time to explain the “” and serve as a “hedge” to guard faithful Jews from coming close to breaking the commandments. Part of this “law” were certain categories of work forbidden on the Sabbath (39 of these are recorded in the Mishnah, M. 7.2). Jesus faced major controversy with zealous Jews because they were equating this “hedge” with the authoritative Law, and thus they abandoned the Biblical understanding of the Sabbath. Jesus encountered opposition for two particular ways that He observed the Sabbath. The first way he was encountered is recorded in all the Synoptic gospels (Matt.12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; :1-5). Jesus and His disciples were walking through some grain fields (probably around Capernaum; cf. Mark 2:1ff.) and the disciples “plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands” (Luke 6:1 ESV). It is probable that the had been following them to observe their behavior on the Sabbath since Matthew wrote, “when the Pharisees saw it” (Matt.6:2; cf.Luke14:1). Although the disciples were plucking the grain, the Pharisees addressed Jesus and asked Him why His disciples do what is “not lawful to do” on the Sabbath (Matt.12:2; Mark 2:24; Luke 6:2). According to the Mishnah, the third category of work prohibited on the Sabbath was reaping (TJ Shabbat 7.2,9c), which may be what the Pharisees have in mind regarded “plucking” (Lane, 115). Jesus’ defense for this is on a few levels. First, He appealed to David’s eating of the showbread with his men recorded in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. He pointed out that what David did was “not lawful to do” (Matt.12:4; Mark 2:24; Luke 6:2). Therefore, if David was not condemned for that which was actually written in the Law, how could they condemn Him or His disciples for what was not written in the Law. Second, he cites another example of how the priests are required to “break” the Sabbath (Matt.12:5) in order to change the consecrated bread and offer the double burnt offering and yet they remain innocent (Carson 1984, 281). Then He says, “one greater than the temple is here.” Here is an instance were the “authority of the temple laws shielded the priests from guilt” (Carson 1984, 282), and likewise the “authority of Jesus shields His disciples from their ‘guilt’” (Carson 1984, 282) as the one who is greater than the temple in authority. So in a way, He is questioning their authority to question His authority (Carson 1982, 67). Lastly, He gets to the heart of the matter; God desires mercy and not sacrifice (Hos.6:6). They missed the significance of the law (Carson 1984, 282) to the extent that they condemned those walking with the “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matt.12:8). The other way Jesus encountered opposition was when He performed healings on the Sabbath. There are five such times when He is condemned for Sabbath healing. Immediately following the “grain picking” account, all of the synoptists record the incident of Jesus healing a man with a withered hand while He is teaching in a synagogue (Matt.12:9-14; :1-6; Luke 6:6-11). The Pharisees specifically pay attention to see if He will heal on the Sabbath so that they might accuse Him (Luke 6:7). Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking (Luke 6:8) and made it an opportunity to specifically “break” the Sabbath by asking the man to stand in their midst initiating the question Himself to them, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” (Luke 6:8-9). Again, for a physician to heal on the Sabbath would be doing work, but that is not the matter he was addressing. He brought forth the analogy of rescuing ones sheep that had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath. Certainly the man was more valuable than a sheep (Matt.12:9) and no one could question that (Mark 3:4). Although He was angry with them for their hardness of heart, he healed the man out of mercy (Luke 6:10). The other instances of Jesus’ Sabbath healings are similar. He uses similar illustrations in both Luke 13:15-16 and 14:5 and in almost every instance the Pharisees would be more motivated to try to kill Him (Matt.12:14; Mark 3:6; Luke 6:11; :18). Not every Sabbath event in the life of Jesus was controversial. In the parallel accounts in Mark 1:21-28 and Luke 4:31-37, Jesus taught in a synagogue, casted out an unclean spirit and there was no conflict with the Pharisees. The “controversy” in the Nazareth rejection accounts is not Him “breaking” the Sabbath but rather proclaiming His Divine Messiahship and condemning His hometown (Matt.13:54-58; Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:16-30). Bibliography

Bock, Darrell L. 1996 Luke. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. 2 Vols. Grand Rapids: Baker Books Carson, D.A. 1982 Jesus and the Sabbath in the Four Gospels. Pp. 57-97 in From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Investigation, ed. D.A. Carson. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing 1984 Matthew. Pp.1-599 in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Casey, Maurice 1988 Culture and Historicity: The Plucking of the Grain. New Testament Studies 34: 1-23 Cranfield, C.E.B. 1959 The Gospel According to Saint Mark. Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Edersheim, Alfred 1886 The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 3d edition. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. Repr. 1993 Lane, William L. 1974 The Gospel According to Mark. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Lohse, Edward 1976 sab, baton. Pp.1-36 in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol.7, ed. by Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Freidrich, trans. by Geoffrey Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Marshall, I.H. 1978 The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Weiss, Herold 1990 The Sabbath in the Synoptic Gospels. Journal for the Study of the New Testament 38: 13-27