DID JESUS BREAK THE SABBATH?!! Part II
Created 08/30/2001; updated 04/18/2008: Text added in blue!
Many enemies of the truth despot to us that Christ broke the Sabbath and admitted it as a means to show us that things are different now. They move to first take the obligation of the Sabbath away, and then move a step forward to show us with another giant leap, that the scriptures sanction or command Sunday keeping. All claims that Rome makes stating that she changed the day from Saturday to Sunday are naturally and expectedly ignored by them. They don't even say the Catholics are arrogant for making such claims nor even venture to correct them. For other faiths to do such a thing would have them cornering the egg production market.
They then often use the same old scripture to show that Christ broke the Sabbath. The Disciples were walking through a cornfield on the Sabbath and began to pluck and eat. The Pharisees met them and accused the Disciples of breaking the Sabbath. Christ then responded talking about what the High Priest did with David when he was hungry. The High Priests offered him the shewbread which it was not lawful to eat except the priests.
Matthew 12:1-8:
12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through
the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of
corn, and to eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold,
thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did,
when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the
showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were
with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath
days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater
than the temple.
7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy,
and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
The answer to this is plain. When Christ referred to what David did, was he just, according to the enemies of truth, breaking or condemning the Sabbath? We have to conclude no. He must have also been speaking against the prohibition for common people to eat the shewbread. Therefore could the common people eat the shewbread at that time of the statement?
Do the enemies of truth tell us that Christ is speaking against the ceremonial prohibition for common people to eat the shewbread? Generally no. Even the Pharisees did not think Christ was condemning the restriction for the showbread to be eaten by the priests only. Yet this part of the argument is not mentioned because the whole intention is to destroy God's Sabbath. But let's look at something really startling in this argument:
If Christ was speaking against the Sabbath and against the prohibition for the common people to eat the shewbread, when is He telling us this prohibition came into existence? By using the example of David, HE WAS TELLING US THAT THESE THINGS CAME TO AN END AT THE TIME OF DAVID. Is that true? None of the enemies of truth we know of tells us this. They tell us about the Old Covenant that existed UNTIL CHRIST DIED! They tell us the Seventh-day Sabbath was binding until Christ died. How then can Christ use the example of David and what he did, and not be condemning the Sabbath IN DAVID'S DAY?
What Christ was saying is that although the command says that no work is to be done, it doesn't mean ALL ALL ALL work. Only conniving despots would try to mix up the plain teachings. Even on the Sabbath, when you get up that is work. When you put on your clothes, that is work. When you study the bible, that is work, etc. Therefore the priests profaned the Sabbath and were blameless IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. They had to do the work of the Sanctuary. Ministers have to preach on the Sabbath. That is work. I often see them sweating while delivering their sermons. Christ was showing the Pharisees that the Disciples didn't have opportunity or time to prepare, but should not starve because of Pharisaism.