And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. (John 5:16-17).
The real question in this passage is the definition of "work." What kind of work is Jesus and His Father engaged in? The Jews felt He was engaged in work that was not lawful on the Sabbath (v. 18), but we know Jesus was sinless, so He was not actually doing anything unlawful, and there is nothing in the Old Testament that mitigates against healing on the Sabbath, which is the charge the Jews leveled against Him. In fact, Jesus says, "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:12).
So what is the "work" Jesus and His Father were doing? I contend that, in keeping with the healing motif, the "work" in this passage is redemptive work - the work of healing the human condition and soul. This is work that God has been engaged in since the fall, and will be engaged in until Jesus comes back. This is work that is lawful on the Sabbath, for the same reason the priests worked harder on the Sabbath than any other day in the Temple, and yet were held guiltless.
Let me quote Samuele Bacchiocchi, since he is much more the scholar than I: "God ended on the Sabbath his act of creation, but not his action in general. Because of sin, he 'is working until now' to accomplish the salvation of the human race. Christ's act of healing represents a link in the great chain of God saving acts accomplished here on earth, and consequently it does not contradict but fulfills the spirit of the Sabbath. By linking his healing act to the saving Sabbath activity of the Father, Christ was actually saying to his adversaries: In accusing me, you are really reproaching the Legislator himself, since I only act in harmony with his precepts and example" (The Sabbath in the New Testament, pages 296-7).
Technorati tagged: Bible, Bible study, God, Jesus, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Sunday, Sabbath, John
5 comments:
Victoria, I've not heard anyone try to proof-text worship on Sunday. I think they'd have a tough time doing that! The practice came about shortly after the apostles' time, as Justin Martyr explains in his First Apology:
"But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration."
link
However, it's not often known in Christian circles that the "Sunday" worship actually begins on Saturday night, because following Jewish worship patterns, a day is reckoned from sundown to sundown. The Orthodox still preserve this. Our Sunday worship actually begins at Vespers on Saturday night.
Yes, Justin Martyr is the first explicit mention of Sunday worship, written around AD 150 I believe. But I come from a Baptist tradition where everything had to be proved from the Bible, so they attempt to find Scripture to support their position.
Perhaps that's why I found the attempts so pathetic - Sunday worship really CAN'T be proved from the Bible.
All laws are fulfilled in Christ. It matters not according to the law what you do or don't. It is our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. You are guilty of all and need redemption. That is why the Father in Christ came redeeming His people. He touched the dead. So, he had to be washed and along with that He took our sins and in that washing He washed us also, His people. In another way He lives in the temple of God>,our body> but it is evil and sin tainted. He purges the body of sin by grace and His Spirit at war with unrighteousness-flesh as in Isaiah 63.
He then conquers the sinful flesh and makes it a slave to righteousness instead of sin.=-)
And yet Christ says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Once we are saved by grace, we will wish to obey God out of love, and that includes loving God and loving our neighbor, summerized in the 10 Commandments. Commandments 1-6 deal with loving God and 7-10 deal with loving others.
It seems that people who want to do away with the Sabbath want to freedom to do anything on any day of the week. Christ simply welcomes us to stop and rest and take a whole day to recuperate from the week and commune with Him and other Christians. Far from being a burden, it's a gift I look forward to each week. :)
We of ourselves do not love. For love is ONLY of God. Christ Loved the Father and His love for the Father is what moves and captures us to obey,love and seek. He is the Salvation, not our works. Yet in that, we follow what He commands and do it with Joy not complaining.Yet not I, but Christ lives in me and does the work. The Priest as you said, is the one working in the Temple(on Sabbath).Christ working for our rest. Our body is the temple of God and HE works, not us. The Jerusalem Temple is the representation of the believer. It is His Salvation and we are brought into it by grace or God's sacrifice and HE works by His life in us.
The Priestly functions you see done in the Temple of God are representative of what Jesus does for each and every sin according to the law in us. He provides His sacrifice for our sin and then gives us His life or works which is according to His word.
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