RELIGION/ THEOLOGY

 “Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath”

To begin with, the Sabbath has been one of the uplifting and intriguing sources of the Bible to the majority of the scholars. It is God who initiated the Sabbath day on the seventh day of accounts of creation (Bergant & Karris, 1992). This day also remains to be memorial of His creative powers. In the process of reinforcing it to His people, God incorporated the Ten Commandments with it (T.C.S.B, 2008). According to Isaiah 66:22-23, the Sabbath day is meant for resting and worshiping and therefore man will continue to preserve it through his life.  Regardless of that, the reason for choosing this quote is because there has been great debate regarding the relevance of observing it as the resting day given that some individuals do perceive that the Ten Commandments was dealt away with by Jesus Christ on the cross (Joe, 2009). Another point of consideration is that God’s grace dealt away with them i.e. the law. It is also believed that the Sabbath day was initially meant for the Jewish hence not applicable to the Gentiles. This shows that it is essential to validate these arguments.

According to Mark 2:18, referring Jesus as the Lord of the Sabbath is basically trying to experience his supernatural powers (Bergant & Karris, 1992).  With respect to that, the intention here is to clearly illustrate the main encounters regarding the teachings of Jesus as well as the truth of His personality (Mark 2:27-28). This it is a story of Jesus Christ and the purpose that the ministry He had while on earth served. Conversely, this is to say that is trying to have a clear picture of who God is together with the buzzing and presented message from various Biblical accounts (T.C.S.B, 2008).

Additionally, it already clear from this opening that the son of God has ultimate powers over all evil spirits, temptations, Satan, diseases, over sin, and so on. How significant this is in case He is to be Savior of mankind to remove all effects of falseness in the world, overpowering demons, diseases, death, and sin. This is to say that Mark, John, Luke had gone to the extent of identifying Him (although inspired to write it) as true God and our utmost redeemer (Pickett, 2013).

Basically, by calling himself the Lord of the Sabbath means that his disciples were already aware that God had ordained the Sabbath (Matt 12:11-13). For instance, it well explained that God had created everything for a period of six days but dedicated and blessed the seventh day as the day for resting. This shows that the intention of God was to bless, and sanctify the Sabbath day (Bergant & Karris, 1992).

Contextual analysis

Historically, the Sabbath is perceived as being the day of rest. It is a day which was sanctified by the creator at the end of the creation week. This implies that it is a memorial of the accounts of creation (Joe, 2009). As much as it is a recurring period of time, the enduring thing which is well known to man is that God had guaranteed man that He will always be with mankind to help those who will be keeping the Sabbath holy so as to attain the purpose of the creator (Mark 3:4). These remains to one of the wonderful gifts man could receive from God (H.P, 2008). The Sabbath, on the other hand, is the day Jesus Christ associated with salvation, redemption, and liberty. This evident from His preaching, casting of demons, healing, alleviating from stannic bondage, and so on (Luke 14:5).

Although the issue which is not dealt with is whether one is inclined to keep the Sabbath, the truth remains that man needs to know how to keep it (Exodus 3:12-17). Being that it main emphasis keeps on changing in the whole context, individual responsibility regarding personal worship during the Sabbath day indicates the desire of fulfilling the spirit of the law. This means that the Sabbath, according to Mark 3:12, is a present type of the true personality of God (H.P, 2008). Likewise, not working during the Sabbath day becomes a secondary law although a significant factor regarding the best means of keeping the Sabbath. Giving priority to fellowshipping with the Creator entails doing good works (Joe, 2009).  Conversely, preparation is crucial to roper Sabbath keeping i.e. indicating that adequate attention is given to the spiritual aspects and activities of the Sabbath (Mathew 11:28).

Considering the entire four gospel, it is clearly indicated that Jesus Christ was tried, convicted, crucified, and then buried on the preparation day.  This then indicates that the Sabbath is not the working day as the other days of the week. Of course it God Himself who gave instructions regarding the preparation day to all Israelites before they arrived Mount Sinai. As a result of that, the Jews decided to make sure that any holy day which are also the Sabbath days were to be preceded with preparation days (Pickett, 2013). Due to the fact that the holy days can equally fall under any day of the week, typically the preparation day can also fall on any day of the week (Mathew 12:12).

This then indicates that the Sabbath day is significant to the Passover. Since the Passover is relevant festival on its own right, the truth is that it similarly functions as the main preparation day for the holy day i.e. the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. From the biblical accounts of Jesus ministry, it is God who is has the right of instructing how the Sabbath was to be carried out (Mark 2:27). This means that he is sovereign. In other words, God is the supreme ruler of this day and His commandments are the ones which are used by man to define it. In addition to that, in Exodus 20:20-11, God instructs that “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”. He designated what it should be given to. This is to say that it was Him who laid out the laws regarding the Sabbath (Kohlenberger, 2003).

Formal analysis

Nevertheless, if anybody claims to be the Lord of the Sabbath means that he or she is typically claiming to be the son of God or God Himself (Mark 2:28).  Being that Jesus Christ acknowledged Himself the Lord of the Sabbath means that His was to do away with the burdening pharisaic system (T.C.S.B, 2008). This is because this system used to work on self-righteous which deteriorates one’s spiritual relationship with God. In the process of ignoring or disdaining the Sabbath, Jesus placed found Himself in conflict leaders as well as their spiritual leadership system (Mark 12:3-4). Both these incidents illustrate the back to back explanations regarding the Jesus Christ’s utter disregard of the Judaism treatment of the Sabbath day (Kohlenberger, 2003).

On the other hand, Jesus Christ Himself had initially recognized His feelings towards the manner in which they Pharisees Sabbath. For this reason, it means that the Jews had already strategized on how to persecute Jesus because of the activities he was doing on the Sabbath day. For instance, to the Jews, it was horrible to heal someone on the Sabbath day (Hebrews 3 $ 4). It should be noted that the sabbatarian tradition remained to be their domain hence making them to be fanatical about it. This was far away from teaching of the scripture. As it is explained, the scripture does not give restrictions about the Sabbath other than not working during that day. Despite that, they came up with impossible rules which were aimed at restricting the Sabbath conduct. In other words, they ensured that rules regarding the Sabbath had been made restraining as possible. The notion or behind this was that the more and more a person was to be deprived from the right way of keeping the Sabbath holy the more he or she was to become holy (John 17:3). In order to guard their rules more fiercely, it was mandatory for each person to observe them. They willfully did it for the sake of their freedom as well as to maintain their reputation as spiritual leaders (H.P, 2008). This means that legalism remained to their religion symbol of spiritual nourishment to man. In return, God denounced them all. Typically, the bible illustrates that He had no reason for confirming to the conditions regarding earthly rules which had extensively replaced the rule and regulation regarding the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).

In Mathew 15, Jesus claimed that the leaders had ended up substituting the laws of men with that of God. Thus, this is to say it all this events had the potential of hitting the spiritual system of the Pharisees and scribes. The reason for that is because they were perceived as being compassionless and merciless towards people suffering. These leaders remained to be fanatical with their self-righteous rules. In Mathew 11:28, God Himself said that “Come unto Me all you who labor and who are heavy laden.” What this meant is that he was not referring to individuals with physical labor but to those who were oppressed with sabbatarian legalism through which a person cannot get relieved (Kohlenberger, 2003).

Detailed analysis

In accordance to that, receiving and to be rooted in true spiritual conditions implies that it is the ultimate means of accepting certain truths about Jesus Christ.  In other words, the general acceptance of truth is the ultimate means through which individuals come to all that is more than belief of the truths (Isaiah 58:14-14). It is through believing in the truth faith that lies in Jesus Christ that makes it easier to possess Him. Naturally, mankind is built in Kim and therefore in his compact union man finds a true support for life which is otherwise baseless. This then indicates that it is Jesus Christ himself who has the potential or capacity of exercising authority over the rules and regulations which governs the Sabbath day (H.P, 2008).

From the fact that He was proclaiming to the world, particularly to the legalistic Pharisees, that he was ultimately above the law all He meant is that He was the author of those spiritual rules and regulations (Mark 2:27). Being that the Pharisees were unable to keep them as required, they ended up instituting it with the complex and confusing spiritual system which became oppressive and legalistic. Other than including a number of forbidden activities in the laws, they made themselves the lords or the controller of the Sabbath, hence making them to be the lords of the people (John 1:1-3).

As a creator, it means that Jesus Christ is the original or main creator of the Sabbath. According to John 1:3, it is clear that Jesus Christ has the authority to overrule the traditions and regulations of the Pharisees. This is to say that the as a creator of the whole universe, he will always remain to be greater that the creation (Rowe, 2005). Likewise, the reason for claiming that authority was for the purpose of correctly interpreting the meaning of the Sabbath to mankind as well as the laws concerning it.  Due to the fact that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath day, it means that he has the right to do whatever pleases him with it (Hebrews 1:10).

With respect to the above considerations, it means the Jesus has the power, authority, and right to dispense the Sabbath day in any way that pleases Him even abolishing or reinstituting it as the Lord’s Day i.e. the day of worship because it was the integral part of His creation (John 5:16-17). By stating that the Sabbath day was meant for man and not the Sabbath to control the actions of man, it means that He was attesting that the Sabbath was meant to give man time to rest (Rowe, 2005). Typically, this was meant to offer rest from laboring so as to enable people to realize their salivation. Due to His sacrifice on the cross, it mean that man can forever cease from laboring to as to gain favor, mercy, and grace from God.

In connection to that, as the creator of the Sabbath means that we are all meant to obey the fourth commandment (Knechtle & Sohlmann, 1997). The secular law which illustrates that we should not kill indicates that all laws were meant for man and they ought to be followed without deviation (Exodus 3:1-5). The fact is that the Sabbath was ultimately meant for mankind during creation and thus there no single person who can deny that. So to this date, there is nothing which has changed. Since all the Ten Commandments were meant for man, it means that the Sabbath was mainly designed or ordained for the welfare of all humanity (Exodus 16:4).

Synthesis

It is, therefore, apparent that those who believe that the Sabbath was mainly made for man is a way of disobeying God. The reason for that is because there is no biblical verse which accounts for that. One thing that Jesus Himself approved is that it lawful for a person to good during the Sabbath day (Knechtle & Sohlmann, 1997). For example, Jesus illustrated that it is lawful to rescue a sheep if it falls in a hole. Equally, it is lawful for doctors, nurses, and so on, to work on the Sabbath day because it is necessity which is unavoidable. Furthermore, Jesus explained that all those who will be working on church during the Sabbath day cannot be blamed (Joe, 2009). These are the services which are essential to our everyday encounters. As the Lord of the Sabbath it means that offering that day as a way of seeking blessing from Him as compared to the legalistic rules and regulations which the majority of the Pharisees had turned it into (Rowe, 2005). As Jesus illustrates, he directs His attention to the creator hence His authority of determining the purpose of it. This is to say that Jesus Christ has the authority and power in determining all that is appropriate for this day unlike the manner in which the Pharisees were exceeding their prerogatives (Isaiah 66:22-23).

Nonetheless, from the teachings of Jesus Christ, the church leaders do not have the authority of loading the Sabbath with any form of oppressive restrictions. Moreover, the church should not transfer its sacredness to the laws governing the Sabbath day. In other words, it is not rightful for man to tamper with the Sabbath day whether he or she is a Christian or Pharisee. This indicates that the line of reasoning that Christ was trying to set to mankind is that Jesus was supreme leader of the church (Joe, 2009). The work which was to be performed in connection to the church services entailed keeping the requirements of the Sabbath (Exodus 16:4).

Reflection

From the above explanation, by Jesus Himself illustrating that He is the Lord of the Sabbath means that it is not some sort of magical sub-clause which is used to end the Sabbath commandments (Paul, 2015). From the fact that it the lord who has the authority of magnifying the law, it means that it was not a way of making the law to be less strict (Psalm 103:14). This is just to show that man has the liberty of choosing to obey these commandments or not. The Sabbath was fundamentally made for man and for that reason it is the responsibility of man to keep it holy (Mark 2:28).

With respect to the above considerations, Jesus Christ’s teaching had a lot of influence on the Sabbath day which in return angered the religious leaders. Although their actions was also angered Him, this was termed as a righteous indignation (Knechtle & Sohlmann, 1997). The reason for that is because the religious leaders had already made the Sabbath day a heavy burden to the people. As the bible clearly illustrates it, the Jesus Himself is the Lord of the Sabbath and for that case man should be use it an opportunity of seeking His blessings (Mark 2:27). What Jesus meant is that the Sabbath day was made for mankind and it was ultimately meant for good. Since someone who creates something is the true owner of it, the intention of God was to ensure that man has managed to do with it in a manner that pleases him (Paul, 2015). This is what the disciples did all the time they were with Him. This the main reason as to why Jesus said that He was the Lord of the Sabbath (John 3:3-4).

Conclusion

To some up, Jesus Christ is the true Lord of the Sabbath day. Therefore, we have no right or authority of judging other about what they do during the Sabbath day. When God was speaking about the laws governing the Sabbath day, He meant that the Sabbath was made for mankind so that they can have time and opportunity of worshiping God.

God Himself acknowledges that man was made for the dust and for that case He is aware how fragile our framework is. As our creator, He is aware that we require time to rest in the seventh day. The Sabbath was not meant to be a burden to man has the religious leaders had already tried to make it. It other words, the leaders were cruel to the extent of making it seem to be a camel which ought to be weighed down with all means available. The truth is that they incorporated it with several manmade traditions. Although they considered it to be somehow equal with the Sabbath commandments, it is obvious that they were greater and burdening that the law. The other reason for that is because such rules and regulations were not contained in the rules given by God Himself regarding the Sabbath. As the Bible explains, this was extensively opposite of what the Sabbath was intended by God to be like.

In this context, the word Lord is used to denote the sovereign ownership and rights. This then shows that there is no one who has the rights of telling Jesus what to do or not to do with the Sabbath. This the reason as to why Jesus kept on rebuking the religious leaders about it because they often made it to like something which a person could not keep properly according to the manmade self-righteous standards they had incorporated

 

 

 

References

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Joe, C, .(2009). Jesus Christ Is God. Xulon Press

Knechtle, E. B., & Sohlmann, C. J. (1997). A people ready for the return of Jesus. Brushton, NY: Teach Services.

Kohlenberger, J. R. (2003). The evangelical parallel New Testament: New King James Version, New International Version, Today's New International Version, New Living Translation, English Standard Version, Holman Christian Standard Bible, New Century Version, the Message. New York: Oxford University Press.

Paul , L, .(2015). The Feasts of Israel: God's Plan of the Ages - Volume 1. Redemption Press

Pickett, E. (2013). Minister's companion bible: Mark (volume 1). Place of publication not identified: Lulu Com.

Rowe, C. K. (2005). Early narrative Christology: the Lord in the gospel of Luke. Berlin: de Gruyter.

The chronological study Bible: New King James version. (2008). Nashville, Tenn: Thomas Nelson.