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John

John 
Day 
Day 320

John 19:16-42 "THE SABBATH ISSUE AGAIN"

Day 320 – John 19

THE SABBATH ISSUE AGAIN

How the Jews quarreled with Jesus concerning the Sabbath issue. Right from the start, the Jews were up in arms against Jesus because it appeared that He was breaking the Sabbath. All the Gospels noted that one of the main controversies Jesus was embroiled in concerned the keeping of the Sabbath!

In the classic case of the healing of the man who was born blind, the Pharisees came to this startling conclusion.

“This Man is not from God, because He
does not keep the Sabbath.”
John 9:16

The Pharisees were prepared to judge the whole life and ministry of a person based on his keeping of the Sabbath! How did they see Jesus? They vehemently declared,

“We know that this Man is a sinner.”
John 9:24

On what basis did they conclude that Jesus was a sinner? They decided that Jesus was a sinner because He did not keep the Sabbath!

HOW WELL DID THE JEWS ACTUALLY KEEP THE SABBATH?

In Matthew’s Gospel, the synoptist devoted much time to discuss the Sabbath issue. Matthew 12 opened with the Pharisees finding fault with the Disciples of Jesus because they deemed them as Sabbath-law breakers.

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields
on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry,
and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him,
‘Look Your disciples are doing what is not lawful
to do on the Sabbath!'”
Matthew 12:1-2

Jesus’ reply was astonishing to the Jews. He argued from the Scriptures,

“Have you not read what David did?

Have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath
the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath,
and are blameless?”
Matthew 12:3, 5

The point had to be made. The Pharisees were wrong in their application of the Sabbath law! They were condemning the Disciples who were “guiltless” (Matthew 12:7).

They had also not taken into consideration an important truth! Jesus was in their midst as “Lord” even of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). Their lack of understanding and regard for Jesus as the Son of Man and therefore the Lord caused them to err seriously!

Did the Jews keep the Sabbath law as fastidiously as they appeared to do? Jesus’ remark was most insightful.

“What man is there among you who has one
sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath,
will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how
much more value then is a man than a sheep?
Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Mathew 12:11-12

The Pharisees did not keep the Sabbath law consistently. They kept the Sabbath law according to their own interpretation. They went around insisting that others should keep the Law even though they broke it at will.

Jesus’ indictment of the Pharisees of their hypocritical ways was well captured by Matthew.

“Why do you also transgress the commandment
of God because of your tradition?

Thus you have made the commandment of God of
no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did
Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

‘These people draw near to Me
with their mouth,
And honour Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men.'”
Matthew 15:3, 6-9

THE PROBLEM OF CRUCIFIED BODIES ON THE SABBATH

The execution of Jesus and the two thieves took place on the eve of the Sabbath. John sardonically noted the way in which the Jews approached Pilate to have the bodies taken down.

“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day,
that the bodies should not remain on the cross on
the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day),
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be
broken, and that they might be taken away.”
John 19:31

The Jews were concerned that the Sabbath should be celebrated without anyone hanging on the cross. It would have somehow defiled the land, and thus they would not be able to celebrate the Sabbath and the Passover Feast properly! What hypocrisy!