Buttafleye Ministry Interactive Bible Study (IBS) Jesus vs. Yeshua. Here
One of the most important topics of Torah study is the keeping of the Sabbath Day. It is, after all, the only of the Ten Commandments that Christians reject, question, or redefine as being changed to Sunday (but that’s a topic for another time). This belief hinges on the belief that “Jesus” broke the Sabbath—repeatedly—and therefore established the foundation for a change. While this alleged change was not officially made until centuries later under the decree of the Emperor Constantine, it is critical to the change that “Jesus” was the Sabbath-breaker that He has been touted to be throughout much of Christian history.
Let’s take a look at a couple of examples that Christians love to use to say that their “Jesus” broke the Sabbath, justifying the breaking or changing of the Sabbath by Christians today.
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” ~Luke 6:1-2 (NIV)
While the passage goes on to quote Yeshua as telling His accusers about how David ate the showbread from the Temple when he and his men were hungry, if we are not careful this too can be twisted to further drive the point that He broke Sabbath. After all, many would consider David’s actions to be motivated by rebellion against Torah as well. There is, however, an interesting Torah commandment given that tends to get overlooked here.
When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand; but you are not to swing a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain. ~Deuteronomy 23:26 (TLV)
Do you see what that says? That means that Yeshua was perfectly within the rights of Torah, as well as His disciples, when they were plucking the grain for personal use to satisfy their hunger on the Sabbath Day. They were not “working the field”; they were simply grabbing a quick bite to eat, which was perfectly permissible, even on the Sabbath Day
Another thing that people like to look at when trying to say that their “Jesus” broke the Sabbath are accounts where Yeshua healed people on the Sabbath. Let’s take a look.
Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. ~Mark 3:1-4 (NIV)
Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.( “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. ~John 9:14-16 (NIV)
Now, one would think that divine healing on the Sabbath should not be questioned, but apparently there were those who believed that it was wrong. Not only did Yeshua stump those questioning Him with His own questions, but there also were a number of man-made laws that had developed prior to the life of Yeshua. This occurred primarily during the 400 year period commonly referred to in Christianity as the “Intertestimental Period”, which is the time between the last words of the “Old Testament” books and the opening of the “New Testament” record. This is when the Talmud was developed, which is a written record of the oral traditions of the Jewish leaders.
Consider for a moment this gem I found from an ancient Rabbinical text, the Midrash Tanchuma, Noach 8:
R. Hiyya the son of Abba stated in the name of R. Levi: It is forbidden to place saliva on an ailing eye on the Sabbath, for that would be equivalent to healing on the Sabbath.
Rabbi Hiyya ben Abba lived from 180-230c.e., not too long after the time of Yeshua. This is a clear example of a man-made law regarding the Sabbath, not something found in Torah. Yeshua was not breaking the Sabbath by extending healing through prayer and faith on the Sabbath any more than a Rabbi would be “working” by walking to the podium of the Synagogue, taking a Torah scroll and carrying it to the desk, unrolling it, and proceeding to teach from it. Sometimes the lack of common sense from religious leaders, both in antiquity and in the present day, simple boggles the mind.
But I’ll leave that alone, for now, let’s move on.
What does it mean to be a Sabbath- Breaker?
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Who Is This Man Named "Jesus"? posted for students participating in interactive Bible study and those who are interested in learning the Biblical truth. Join
Arthur: PurposefulPoet/ Truth Ignited