Love-Works Not a Sabbath Violation

The healing ministry would often get Y’shua into trouble with the religious authorities. Why? Because they thought He was desecrating the Sabbath, it being a day of rest. The religious authorities even considered stoning Him to death. For it is written: ^“Anyone who desecrates [the Sabbath] must be put to death” (Exodus 31:14); “the whole assembly must stone him outside the camp” (Numbers 15:35). <The New Covenant has ushered in the Age of Grace and stopped the practice.>

But did the Son of Man desecrate the Sabbath? The answer is No. To give us a hint on what He was doing, He said the Sabbath rites on circumcision (Luke 1:59, 2:21) and of preparing and cooking food (Numbers 28:9-10 and Leviticus 24:5-9) involved doing work, but no blame was attached to the Temple priests (Matthew 12:5). Why? Because their activities were a love-work unto God and neighbor.

To give us another hint, He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:26).

¹⁴ Indignant because Y’shua had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. Come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” ¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶ Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Lucifer has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” LUKE 13

⁴ Then Y’shua asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to help or to harm? To do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. ⁵ Y’shua looked around at them with anger… deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts. MARK 3

¹¹ He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it fell into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath… ⁶ I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. ⁷ If you had known what these words mean, I desire mercy [love], not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man is the Lord of Sabbath.” MATTHEW 12

One night Y’shua was overheard one night to have prayed, “Abba, they are angry and mindful to kill Me, for I work for You on the Sabbath and call You Abba. Make them understand that love-works [acts of compassion, relieving a human pain or need] are not a violation of Sabbath. Make them understand that love-promotion should motivate Sabbath observance.” (cf. Gospel of Barnabas)

The Lord of the Sabbath never rests from producing fruits of love (John 5:17). To Him the Sabbath is the best occasion for expressing love, for building love-relationships.

Never did He desecrate the Sabbath for the simple reason that He had made His Word a law even unto Himself (Isaiah 46:11). It was His accusers who desecrated the day. They made an unholy judgment on the Innocent and violated Ezekiel 20:20 which says, “Keep My Sabbaths holy.”

² Blessed is the man… who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. ISAIAH 56

Trumpet Call

It makes sense to observe the Sabbaths, as God commanded, for they come from a very practical God. He requires us to observe day of rest and be sanctified altogether because we all need rest and refreshing one day a week. He tells us to observe the Seventh-Day Sabbath once a week and the other Sabbaths once a year because only a handful can observe them daily. He tells the church leaders to feed their flocks (“They do not need to go away hungry. You give them something to eat”—Matthew 14:16) because He knows we would be hungry at the end of the sacred assembly. He is recompensing us because Sabbath observance would mean stopping from earning a living. Sabbath observance is made mandatory because the demonic forces would oppose it; He is prompting us to overcome the opposition. 

³¹ If you hold on to My teaching, you really are My disciples. JOHN 8

Y’shua said, “If you do not keep the Sabbath as the Sabbath, you will not see the Father.”[1]

¹⁶ Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. JEREMIAH 6

Now let us study in detail each of the Sabbaths.

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[1] Michio Kushi and Alex Jack, The Gospel of Peace (New York: Japan Publications Inc., 1992), verse 27.