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Jesus broke the Sabbath?
The Pharisees were a group of Jewish legalists. They had put God’s holy Law before true relationship so that obedience to rules became the ultimate test of godliness. Many Christians today have fallen into this trap.
The Pharisees tried to live in strict accordance with God’s Law and they thus tried to amplify it by adding rules which God never spoke. Rules upon rules which they believed that God would reward. They taught a false doctrine of “predestination“. This made them feel elite much like some false proud Calvinistic ideas today held by some Christians.
Regarding the Sabbath commandment they added many rules that made Sabbath keeping a burden. Jewish Pharisees in Jesus’ day had added many do’s and don’ts to the Sabbath law. Jesus did not agree with these restrictions. His healing miracles on the Sabbath seem to show that the Messiah went out of His way to show the Jews how wrong they were in Sabbath observance. Jesus affirmed; “It is lawful to heal on the sabbath.” [Luke 14:3]
We notice that in all of Jesus’ words regarding the Sabbath He never said: “I do away with the sabbath.” He basically showed what proper observance of the Sabbath was. He informed all that “the Sabbath was made for man” [Mark 2:27] thus informing us that it is a gift from God to man and it was never ment to be burdensome. In “breaking” the man-made Sabbath restrictions of the Pharisees, did Jesus thereby tell us that there is no Sabbath?
We read that after the Pharisees had judged how Jesus kept the Sabbath the apostle John writes: “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his father, making himself equal with God.” [John 5:18] The Greek word used here for “broken” is luo [loo-o] and it literally means “to loosen” or “loosen up“. So Jesus was showing that the Sabbath should not be kept in tight legalistic matter but that it should be a joyous day. In other words, “loosen up dude!”
We know that Jesus never broke one of God’s holy commandments. Jesus said; “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.” [John 15:10]
Jesus also informs us; “Think not that I come to destroy the Law..” [Matthew 5:17,18] And..”one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.”
We are told in the New Testament Scriptures that “sin is the transgression of the Law.” [1 John 3:4] And we are also informed that Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” [Hebrews 4:15] Thus, Jesus never broke God’s Law!
Now, according to legalism Jesus did indeed “break the Law“, Jesus was no legalist and never taught His disciples to be either. The Law can never in and of itself save us. The Ten Commandments are like a mirror. A mirror can show you where the dirt is but it certainly cannot clean the dirt from your face. You must have water to do that. The Law and the grace of Christ go hand in hand, they work together.
Written by: Eric W. King [9-1-07]
Send Eric questions at: Er2Ki@aol.com
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I received the following............
Dear Eric,
I apologize for mentioning E. G. White, but the premise on which you base your argument is that the Pharisees were keeping the law of Moses. Jesus says specifically that none of them were (John 7:19). Jesus also says that if you do not believe Moses' writings, you will not believe His words (John 5:46-47). In addition He says that the one who will be great in the kingdom of heaven will keep the commandments and teach others to do likewise (Matt 5:19). So if you keep the commandments and teach others to do likewise, you will believe Moses' writings, and by extension, Jesus' words, and you will keep that which is written in the covenants of promise (Eph 2:12) that were not abolished at Calvary. This will make you a legalist--Christ was a legalist. He kept the law and because He did, His righteousness covers disciples as a garment put on daily, the reality of the daily sacrifice. This is the better understanding of grace, for if grace were unmerited pardon, Christ would not have had to die. But the record of debt, with its legal demands (Col 2:14) required His death, and His death becomes the ultimate expression of legalism.
Respectfully,
Carolyn Smith-Kizer -
Again, I was received the following.....
Dear Eric,
You did not respond to what Christ said to the lawyer--you replied through the lens of Ellen G. White. Please respond to the actual words of Jesus on the page in your Bible.
Respectfully,
Carolyn Smith-Kizer
http://meek-and-quiet.blogspot.com/
Eric's response....
Well, Carolyn Smith-Kizer, I never mentioned ellen G. White. So please do not add to my testimony. I will be more than happy to directly address Luke 10:25-37
Here we find a mane who new the Law, for he was a "lawer". He asked what he should do to inherit [not earn] eternal life. Jesus responded; "What is written in the law? How readest thou?" Here we see Jesus asking him "how readest thou?" In other words, how do you understand it?
The man replied; "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." And Jesus replied; "Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."
Here we see Jesus teaching that "faith without works is dead". Now what was this lawers real problem? Keep reading in context. The lawer says; "Who is my neighbor?" Ah, so we see that the layers real issue was in loving his neighbor. Jesus goes on to explain to the poor lawyer through parable who his neighbor really is.
We see that commandment keeping is truly the "fruit" and not the "root" of the Spirit. Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments."
In Christ,
E.W.King -
I received the following....
Jews had a law that would have lead to righteousness if pursued by faith (Rom 9:31-32 cited from Deut. 30:1-10) and Christ told the lawyer that he could obtain eternal life by keeping the law, the Ten Commandments summed up in the royal law--loving God and neighbor (Luke 10:25-37)
Respectfully,
Carolyn Smith-Kizer
http://meek-and-quiet.blogspot.com/
Eric's response;
Dear Carolyn Smith-Kizer
The wages of sin has always been death and even the New Testament declares that "sin is the transgression of the law". The "royal law" is basically the last six commandments, love towards our neighbor. The first 4 demonstrate our direct love toward God.
Those who are legalists believe that the law saves them. Christians uphold the Law of God but not as a means of salvation. Grace and Truth does not remove the character of God. We are not and shall never be saved by the moral law of God, the Ten Commandments. But thank God for his commandments...for in them we see Jesus! Jesus was perfect. He never broke one of God's commands. He is our example.
If we only had the moral law we would be in trouble. Why? Because we are sinners. We need mercy from God. We need direction from God. We need forgiveness from God. This we have through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." [John 1:17]
Through God's forgiveness we uphold the moral law. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." [Romans 3:31]
In Christ,
E.W.King
4/27/08 4:56 PM
Eric's response............
Well, Carolyn Smith-Kizer, I accept your apology. It saddens me that you do not understand the Scriptures regarding this and go as far as to call Jesus a "legalist". Jesus said that His burden was easy and that His yoke was light. Jesus was no legalist. The Pharisees had added to the Law of Moses, something God told them not to do. [Deut 4:2] The man made rules made the false teachers legalists.
The reason why Jesus told them that they were not properly keeping the law was because "they sought it not by faith, but as it were by works of the law." [Romans 9:32] They added law unto law seeking self-righteous works to save them.
The "record of debt" that you mention in Col. 2:14 is our sin record. Jesus nailed our sins to the cross, not His holy law. Please take time out to think through some of the statements that you made and please read Scripture in context.
In Christ,
E.W.King