Well, lets get going. The thought here in this topic will be to search out the choices made by people, real people throughout scripture and history that have influenced the day we chose as the Sabbath now. Is the Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday?
First of all, there is no mention of named weekdays in the scriptures that I have found. The days were numbered one through seven in the beginning chapters of Genesis. You might also ask, What does the Sabbath and what day it is have to do with Genealogy and Living life.
So, just after God’s creation of man and his initial blessing on them with all the provisions needed for life and to grow on the earth, we come to the setting aside of the seventh day.
Genesis 2 v7
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. kjv
On over in the book of Exodus as part of the ten commandments, God puts it to Moses and the Israelite’s this way:
Exodus 20 v8-11
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. kjv
There is more. In the New Testament book of Luke this is written:
Luke 6 v1-5
And it came to pass on the second Sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath days? And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungered, and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priest alone? And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. kjv
Mark continues with:
Mark 2 v27,28
And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. kjv
These verses in Luke and Mark could very well be the most significant of all by many today in the choice of the first day of the week being observed as the Sabbath.
The same folks who were questioning Jesus for allowing his disciples to pull and eat corn on the Sabbath were infuriated even more when Jesus healed in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Well, you know there’s more.
Even in the preparation of a case against Jesus to have him crucified there were those religious leaders who used his own words as council against him. It did not work for the intent but nevertheless it gives credit to the fact Jesus told them what would happen. Jesus began to take men’s mind further in the acceptance of what was to come. At the time they did not understand or even know enough to accept the depth of his conversation. He always could see further than the surface of the men and into the spirit of which they were operating. While he was in the temple around the time of the pass-over this was the experience after he had driven the money changers out of the temple:
John 2 v18-22
Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. kjv
Yep, theres more. While the some of the religous leaders of the Jews were quick to point out Christ Jesus’s potential violation of what they seen as the sabbath they had no evident problem condoning the money changers in the Temple buying and selling goods in what Jesus described as “a den of theives.” Jesus angered ran them out of the temple, and again to the dissatisfaction of some of the Jews they pushed Jesus for a sign of who he was after his disruption of the money changers in the Temple. He told them to ” “destroy this temple” and in three days he would raise it up again. Jesus knew what was to come and they did not. All they could see, or maybe all they wanted to see, was that it took years to build a physical temple and they took what seemed to them the safe route and stuck to that defense. Upon the crucifixion of Jesus came the burial and resurrection, and on the third day he rose from the grave. Jewish law prevented his crucifixion on the seventh day because of it being the sabbath, so his crucifiction took place on the day before the sabbath, the sixth day which we know as Friday. Saturday was the seventh day, so that day was known as the Sabbath. Sunday is the first day, we know that day as the day that Christ Jesus rose from the grave and that is specifically the reason many around the world observe that day as the sabbath or set aside worship day. Some different but relative scriptures point out some specifics of the three days.
Luke 23 v50-56 and Luke 24 v1-8
And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counselor; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathea, a city of Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulcher, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Now upon the first day fo the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcer, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered the words. …
Wow, see how easy it is to draw ourselves into the unknown with the audacity of the known. Forever, there will be questions that go unanswered until we all cross over into eternity. There are those who would wish upon us the endless debate and strife over matters that are legalistic in nature yet important to us in the depths of who we are. As the Lord blesses me to continue to write and live, with the wonderful partnership of my wife, and support of all my family I am sure we will dive into more discussion on all types of issues. Of course, there is more, and that brings us to the blessing of knowing we can step by faith into the spiritual essence of Christ and in the way he lived his life.
It is for each of us to own our acceptance of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and of his promise to return for those who are looking for him (the church). The Holy Bible is clear on God’s life to us through his son Jesus, his spirit is also a guiding light to the path of life of those who by faith follow him.
A wonderful enlightenment comes from the book of Ephesians, where we read of our ability and instruction to our new life in Christ.
Ephesians 5 V 1,2 Ephesians 4 V 22-24
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. kjv
In all honesty, life can be just plain hard at times. Sometimes it is because of the decisions we have made, and some times things happen and there is no evidence that our circumstances are a result of choices that we have made, either way the good part is that life continues to happen. It is even more awesome, that the peace of God can be with us all the time should we so choose, even in the times he seems so far away.
He walks among us, his spirit guides our hearts. While we leave our own marks in the steps of the snow, or in the sand, his unseen steps all around us in the protection of our hearts that belong to him, even when we don’t understand ourselves. (picture to come)
And, by the way, Who can number the days since the beginning of time. Calendars have been made, chosen and followed through many different cultures and periods of time. Empires have set time specific events, marking them to the benefit of the time of the moment in the empires, yet they no longer are the rule. Again, who can number the days from the beginning of time to be sure we are on the last day of the week for the sabbath. Not I, so until that time comes, I pray the peace of God will be in all our hearts, and that we worship him everyday in the way we care for our lives and the lives of others.
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Submitting yourselves on to another in the fear of God.”
“he is not here, he is risen”
Threecrosses 