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P R A C T I C I N G
SABBATH Fall 2016 Sunday School Series
Sabbath in the New Testament
T h e Wor k o f Wo r sh i p an d t h e Gr ace of Su n day s
Week 3
Introduction# In!Christian!circles,!it!is!often!assumed!that!Jesus!breaks!the!Sabbath!or!that!he!calls! into!question!its!ongoing!relevance!for!his!disciples!and!the!church!today.!To!be!sure,! Jesus!frequently!debates!the!meaning!of!the!Sabbath!with!the!Pharisees,!and!what! Jesus!does!on!the!Sabbath!occasionally!stirs!up!controversy!(John!5:18).! Nevertheless,!throughout!the!NT!Sabbath!keeping!is!always!and!everywhere! presumed.!Paul,!like!Jesus!before!him,!customarily!went!to!the!synagogue!on!the! Sabbath!to!teach!(Acts!17:2;!Luke!4:16).!In!the!Passion!narrative,!the!disciples’! commitment!to!the!Sabbath!is!evident!in!the!fact!that!they!must!bury!Jesus!before! the!Sabbath!begins!(i.e.,!Friday!evening)!and!must!wait!until!the!Sabbath!ends!before! visiting!the!tomb!(i.e.,!Sunday!morning).!Throughout!the!Gospels,!Jesus!actively! reinforces!the!importance!of!the!Sabbath,!showing!how!this!principle!from!the!OT!is! manifested!through!his!own!ministry!of!reconciliation!and!healing.!While!outside!of! the!Gospels!the!Sabbath!receives!less!attention,!it!is!the!focus!of!Hebrews!4.!There,! the!weekly!Sabbath!is!described!as!the!outward,!thisFworldly!manifestation!of!the! ultimate!spiritual!rest!that!will!be!experienced!in!the!age!to!come.!! ! !
Lesson#at#a#glance# ! # # #
I.####Sabbath#and#Healing#Controversies# II.###The#Grace#of#Sabbath## III.##The#Work#of#Worship# IV.##Entering#God’s#Rest#
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Notes#
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Conversation#starter#
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In!Mark!2:27,!Jesus!says!“The!sabbath!was!made!for!humankind,!and!not!humankind!
_____________________________________________________________________!
for!the!Sabbath.”!What!do!you!think!Jesus!meant?!Is!this!understanding!of!the!
_____________________________________________________________________
Sabbath!any!different!than!what!we!encountered!in!last!week’s!lesson!on!Sabbath!in! the!OT?!If!so,!how?#
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!
IV.#Entering#God’s#Rest## In!the!book!of!Hebrews,!the!promise!of!“entering!God’s!rest”!transforms!the!Sabbath! into!a!theological!metaphor!for!the!ultimate!rest!of!God’s!redemption.! ! Read#Hebrews#4:1610.#According!to!this!passage,!what!does!it!take!to!enter! God’s!rest?!Do!we!enter!that!rest!once!for!all!or!is!it!an!onFgoing!process?! ! ! In!this!passage,!the!author!of!Hebrews!claims!that!“a!Sabbath!rest!still!remains!for! the!people!of!God”!(v.!9).!This!Sabbath!rest!includes!but!ultimately!goes!beyond!our! salvation!in!Christ.!It!looks!forward!to!God’s!future!redemption!of!the!world!and! thus!the!creation!of!a!new!heaven!and!new!earth!(see!Rev!21:1F4).!A!similar!idea!is! found!in!the!Jewish!Talmud.!There,!the!rabbis!describe!the!Sabbath!as!meʿem*ʿolam* havaʾ*–!a!taste!of!eternity!to!come.!In!other!words,!in!keeping!the!Sabbath!we! weekly!receive!a!foretaste!of!God’s!world,!redeemed!and!restored.!!! ! What!activities!can!you!engage!in!on!the!Sabbath!that!would!help!you! “taste”!the!delight!and!joy!of!God’s!redemption?!! ! ! What!keeps!you!from!not!entering!God’s!Sabbath!rest?!Are!these!factors! tied!to!your!season!of!life?!Which!factors!are!under!your!control?!What! adjustments!would!you!have!to!make!to!your!schedule!or!priorities!in!order! to!make!practicing!Sabbath!possible?! ! ! What!one!new!insight!stood!out!to!you!from!this!study?!How!does!it!change! your!understanding!of!Sabbath?! !
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I.#Sabbath#and#Healing#Controversies# In!the!various!debates!Jesus!has!with!the!Pharisees!about!the!Sabbath,!the!most! common!theme!is!whether!healing!was!permissible!or!not!on!that!day.! Read#Matt#12:9614#and#Luke#13:10616.!Why!do!you!think!the!Pharisees!were! opposed!to!Jesus!healing!on!the!Sabbath?!What!do!you!think!Jesus!is!trying! to!teach!us!about!the!nature!of!the!Sabbath!in!Matthew!12?!In!Luke!13?!!! ! ! The!Pharisees!believed!that!healing!was!a!type!“work”!and!thus!should!not!be!done! on!the!Sabbath.!Interestingly,!Jesus!never!directly!debates!this!point!with!the! Pharisees.!Rather,!in!both!of!these!passages!he!attempts!to!show!that!the!Pharisees! are!being!inconsistent!in!their!application!of!the!Sabbath!principle.!For!instance,!in! the!Decalogue,!keeping!Sabbath!involves!giving!rest!to!one’s!livestock,!which!is! exactly!what!the!Pharisees!do!when!they!untie!their!animals!and!lead!them!to!water! (Luke!13:15).!The!Greek!word!for!what!the!Pharisees!do!to!their!animals!(luō!=! “untie”)!is!the!same!word!that!is!used!to!describe!what!Jesus!does!in!healing!this! woman!(luō*=!“set!free”!in!v.!16)!from!the!burden!of!her!ailment.! ! In!light!of!these!observations,!why!do!you!think!Jesus!calls!the!Pharisees! “hypocrites”!(Luke!13:15)?!Do!you!think!Jesus!is!lessening!the!demands!of! Sabbath!keeping!or!intensifying!them?!Why?! ! ! Key!to!understanding!Matthew!12!is!the!fact!that!in!Israelite!law!breaking!the! Sabbath!was!permitted!in!cases!of!immediate!danger!to!the!life!of!animals!(see!Exod! 23:5;!Deut!22:4).!Using!a!lesser!to!the!greater!argument,!Jesus!concludes!from!this! provision!that!it!also!lawful!to!do!good!for!one’s!fellow!neighbor!on!the!Sabbath.! ! In!this!story,!Sabbath!keeping!can!involve!something!positive,!redemptive,! or!healing!for!others.!What!activities!can!you!think!of!in!your!own!life!that! would!fall!into!the!category!of!“doing!good”!on!the!Sabbath?!! !
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II.#The#Grace#of#Sabbath# In!Luke!4:16F22,!Jesus!draws!on!the!most!basic!principle!of!the!Sabbath!in!order!to! describe!the!very!purpose!of!his!ministry.!!!!
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III.#The#Work#of#Worship# In!this!story,!Jesus!once!again!is!involved!in!a!controversy!about!the!Sabbath—this! time,!the!issue!is!whether!it!is!permissible!to!pick!grain.!! !
Read#Luke#4:16622;#Isa#58:6;#and#61:162.!What!common!themes!do!you!see! between!Isa!58:6!and!61:1F2?!In!what!way!are!these!themes!related!to!the! Sabbath?!! ! ! The!word!translated!as!“go!free”!in!Isa!58:6!and!“release”!in!Isa!61:1!are!the!same! word!in!Greek:!aphesis.!This!Greek!term!is!the!equivalent!of!the!core!principle!of!the! Sabbath!in!the!OT,!namely,!one’s!“release”!from!the!burden!of!work!and!also!the! obligation!to!“release”!others!from!slavery!and!debt!every!seventh!year!(see!Deut! 15:1F18).!Elsewhere!in!the!NT,!this!Greek!term!(aphesis)!is!used!to!refer!to!being! “released”!from!sin!–!i.e.,!to!be!forgiven!(see!Mark!1:4).! ! In!light!of!this!background!information,!what!do!you!think!Jesus!means!when! he!says!that!this!scripture!–!and!thus!the!Sabbath!principle!of!release!–!“has! been!fulfilled!in!your!hearing”!(Luke!4:21)?! ! ! ! In!this!text,!Jesus!chooses!the!Sabbath!principle!of!release!as!a!way!of!introducing! people!to!the!“good!news”!of!his!teaching.!In!response,!the!crowd!is!amazed!at!“the! gracious!words”!that!Jesus!spoke!(Luke!4:22).!! ! What!binds!or!burdens!you!during!this!season!of!life?!How!might!Sabbath! keeping!help!you!experience!release!from!these!things?! ! ! Have!you!ever!thought!about!the!Sabbath!commandment!as!a!“gracious! word”!from!God?!In!what!ways!could!practicing!Sabbath!help!you!more!fully! experience!God’s!grace?!! !
Compare#Mark#2:23628#and#Matt#12:168.#What!differences!do!you!see! between!these!two!parallel!accounts?!Both!accounts!conclude!with!Jesus! declaring!that!he!is!Lord!of!the!Sabbath.!What!do!you!think!this!means?!! ! ! In!order!to!defend!the!disciples’!picking!of!grain!on!the!Sabbath,!Jesus!cites!a!story! from!1!Sam!21:1F6.!In!that!story,!David!and!his!men!are!fleeing!Saul.!David!asks!the! priest!of!Nob!for!provisions!for!his!weary!men,!but!all!that!he!has!to!offer!are!the!12! consecrated!loaves!of!bread!set!out!in!the!temple.!This!bread!was!meant!to!be! consumed!only!by!the!priests!(see!Lev!24:5F9).!! !
How!do!David’s!actions!in!1!Sam!21:1F6!set!a!historical!and!theological! precedent!for!plucking!grain!on!the!Sabbath?!What!point!is!Jesus!trying!to! make?! ! ! Matthew’s!version!of!this!story!includes!several!lines!(vv.!5F7)!that!are!not!present!in! Mark’s!version.!In!these!verses,!Jesus!provides!a!second!rationale!in!defense!of!the! disciples.!Namely,!Jesus!contends!that!the!priests!in!the!temple!routinely!break!the! Sabbath!but!are!not!held!guilty.!In!what!ways!does!a!priest!break!the!Sabbath?!By! doing!the!“work”!of!worship—offering!sacrifices,!performing!liturgical!rituals,!and! attending!to!other!matters!associated!with!the!functioning!of!the!temple.!! ! Have!you!ever!thought!about!worship!as!a!form!of!“work”?!How!would!you! approach!Sunday!mornings!differently!if!you!saw!worship!as!a!form!of! “work”?!Have!you!ever!experienced!certain!forms!of!work!as!being! refreshing!or!even!restful?!If!so,!what!sort!of!work!was!it?!!
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II.#The#Grace#of#Sabbath# In!Luke!4:16F22,!Jesus!draws!on!the!most!basic!principle!of!the!Sabbath!in!order!to! describe!the!very!purpose!of!his!ministry.!!!!
!
III.#The#Work#of#Worship# In!this!story,!Jesus!once!again!is!involved!in!a!controversy!about!the!Sabbath—this! time,!the!issue!is!whether!it!is!permissible!to!pick!grain.!! !
Read#Luke#4:16622;#Isa#58:6;#and#61:162.!What!common!themes!do!you!see! between!Isa!58:6!and!61:1F2?!In!what!way!are!these!themes!related!to!the! Sabbath?!! ! ! The!word!translated!as!“go!free”!in!Isa!58:6!and!“release”!in!Isa!61:1!are!the!same! word!in!Greek:!aphesis.!This!Greek!term!is!the!equivalent!of!the!core!principle!of!the! Sabbath!in!the!OT,!namely,!one’s!“release”!from!the!burden!of!work!and!also!the! obligation!to!“release”!others!from!slavery!and!debt!every!seventh!year!(see!Deut! 15:1F18).!Elsewhere!in!the!NT,!this!Greek!term!(aphesis)!is!used!to!refer!to!being! “released”!from!sin!–!i.e.,!to!be!forgiven!(see!Mark!1:4).! ! In!light!of!this!background!information,!what!do!you!think!Jesus!means!when! he!says!that!this!scripture!–!and!thus!the!Sabbath!principle!of!release!–!“has! been!fulfilled!in!your!hearing”!(Luke!4:21)?! ! ! ! In!this!text,!Jesus!chooses!the!Sabbath!principle!of!release!as!a!way!of!introducing! people!to!the!“good!news”!of!his!teaching.!In!response,!the!crowd!is!amazed!at!“the! gracious!words”!that!Jesus!spoke!(Luke!4:22).!! ! What!binds!or!burdens!you!during!this!season!of!life?!How!might!Sabbath! keeping!help!you!experience!release!from!these!things?! ! ! Have!you!ever!thought!about!the!Sabbath!commandment!as!a!“gracious! word”!from!God?!In!what!ways!could!practicing!Sabbath!help!you!more!fully! experience!God’s!grace?!! !
Compare#Mark#2:23628#and#Matt#12:168.#What!differences!do!you!see! between!these!two!parallel!accounts?!Both!accounts!conclude!with!Jesus! declaring!that!he!is!Lord!of!the!Sabbath.!What!do!you!think!this!means?!! ! ! In!order!to!defend!the!disciples’!picking!of!grain!on!the!Sabbath,!Jesus!cites!a!story! from!1!Sam!21:1F6.!In!that!story,!David!and!his!men!are!fleeing!Saul.!David!asks!the! priest!of!Nob!for!provisions!for!his!weary!men,!but!all!that!he!has!to!offer!are!the!12! consecrated!loaves!of!bread!set!out!in!the!temple.!This!bread!was!meant!to!be! consumed!only!by!the!priests!(see!Lev!24:5F9).!! !
How!do!David’s!actions!in!1!Sam!21:1F6!set!a!historical!and!theological! precedent!for!plucking!grain!on!the!Sabbath?!What!point!is!Jesus!trying!to! make?! ! ! Matthew’s!version!of!this!story!includes!several!lines!(vv.!5F7)!that!are!not!present!in! Mark’s!version.!In!these!verses,!Jesus!provides!a!second!rationale!in!defense!of!the! disciples.!Namely,!Jesus!contends!that!the!priests!in!the!temple!routinely!break!the! Sabbath!but!are!not!held!guilty.!In!what!ways!does!a!priest!break!the!Sabbath?!By! doing!the!“work”!of!worship—offering!sacrifices,!performing!liturgical!rituals,!and! attending!to!other!matters!associated!with!the!functioning!of!the!temple.!! ! Have!you!ever!thought!about!worship!as!a!form!of!“work”?!How!would!you! approach!Sunday!mornings!differently!if!you!saw!worship!as!a!form!of! “work”?!Have!you!ever!experienced!certain!forms!of!work!as!being! refreshing!or!even!restful?!If!so,!what!sort!of!work!was!it?!!
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IV.#Entering#God’s#Rest## In!the!book!of!Hebrews,!the!promise!of!“entering!God’s!rest”!transforms!the!Sabbath! into!a!theological!metaphor!for!the!ultimate!rest!of!God’s!redemption.! ! Read#Hebrews#4:1610.#According!to!this!passage,!what!does!it!take!to!enter! God’s!rest?!Do!we!enter!that!rest!once!for!all!or!is!it!an!onFgoing!process?! ! ! In!this!passage,!the!author!of!Hebrews!claims!that!“a!Sabbath!rest!still!remains!for! the!people!of!God”!(v.!9).!This!Sabbath!rest!includes!but!ultimately!goes!beyond!our! salvation!in!Christ.!It!looks!forward!to!God’s!future!redemption!of!the!world!and! thus!the!creation!of!a!new!heaven!and!new!earth!(see!Rev!21:1F4).!A!similar!idea!is! found!in!the!Jewish!Talmud.!There,!the!rabbis!describe!the!Sabbath!as!meʿem*ʿolam* havaʾ*–!a!taste!of!eternity!to!come.!In!other!words,!in!keeping!the!Sabbath!we! weekly!receive!a!foretaste!of!God’s!world,!redeemed!and!restored.!!! ! What!activities!can!you!engage!in!on!the!Sabbath!that!would!help!you! “taste”!the!delight!and!joy!of!God’s!redemption?!! ! ! What!keeps!you!from!not!entering!God’s!Sabbath!rest?!Are!these!factors! tied!to!your!season!of!life?!Which!factors!are!under!your!control?!What! adjustments!would!you!have!to!make!to!your!schedule!or!priorities!in!order! to!make!practicing!Sabbath!possible?! ! ! What!one!new!insight!stood!out!to!you!from!this!study?!How!does!it!change! your!understanding!of!Sabbath?! !
!! ! !
!
!
!
I.#Sabbath#and#Healing#Controversies# In!the!various!debates!Jesus!has!with!the!Pharisees!about!the!Sabbath,!the!most! common!theme!is!whether!healing!was!permissible!or!not!on!that!day.! Read#Matt#12:9614#and#Luke#13:10616.!Why!do!you!think!the!Pharisees!were! opposed!to!Jesus!healing!on!the!Sabbath?!What!do!you!think!Jesus!is!trying! to!teach!us!about!the!nature!of!the!Sabbath!in!Matthew!12?!In!Luke!13?!!! ! ! The!Pharisees!believed!that!healing!was!a!type!“work”!and!thus!should!not!be!done! on!the!Sabbath.!Interestingly,!Jesus!never!directly!debates!this!point!with!the! Pharisees.!Rather,!in!both!of!these!passages!he!attempts!to!show!that!the!Pharisees! are!being!inconsistent!in!their!application!of!the!Sabbath!principle.!For!instance,!in! the!Decalogue,!keeping!Sabbath!involves!giving!rest!to!one’s!livestock,!which!is! exactly!what!the!Pharisees!do!when!they!untie!their!animals!and!lead!them!to!water! (Luke!13:15).!The!Greek!word!for!what!the!Pharisees!do!to!their!animals!(luō!=! “untie”)!is!the!same!word!that!is!used!to!describe!what!Jesus!does!in!healing!this! woman!(luō*=!“set!free”!in!v.!16)!from!the!burden!of!her!ailment.! ! In!light!of!these!observations,!why!do!you!think!Jesus!calls!the!Pharisees! “hypocrites”!(Luke!13:15)?!Do!you!think!Jesus!is!lessening!the!demands!of! Sabbath!keeping!or!intensifying!them?!Why?! ! ! Key!to!understanding!Matthew!12!is!the!fact!that!in!Israelite!law!breaking!the! Sabbath!was!permitted!in!cases!of!immediate!danger!to!the!life!of!animals!(see!Exod! 23:5;!Deut!22:4).!Using!a!lesser!to!the!greater!argument,!Jesus!concludes!from!this! provision!that!it!also!lawful!to!do!good!for!one’s!fellow!neighbor!on!the!Sabbath.! ! In!this!story,!Sabbath!keeping!can!involve!something!positive,!redemptive,! or!healing!for!others.!What!activities!can!you!think!of!in!your!own!life!that! would!fall!into!the!category!of!“doing!good”!on!the!Sabbath?!! !
Introduction# In!Christian!circles,!it!is!often!assumed!that!Jesus!breaks!the!Sabbath!or!that!he!calls! into!question!its!ongoing!relevance!for!his!disciples!and!the!church!today.!To!be!sure,! Jesus!frequently!debates!the!meaning!of!the!Sabbath!with!the!Pharisees,!and!what! Jesus!does!on!the!Sabbath!occasionally!stirs!up!controversy!(John!5:18).! Nevertheless,!throughout!the!NT!Sabbath!keeping!is!always!and!everywhere! presumed.!Paul,!like!Jesus!before!him,!customarily!went!to!the!synagogue!on!the! Sabbath!to!teach!(Acts!17:2;!Luke!4:16).!In!the!Passion!narrative,!the!disciples’! commitment!to!the!Sabbath!is!evident!in!the!fact!that!they!must!bury!Jesus!before! the!Sabbath!begins!(i.e.,!Friday!evening)!and!must!wait!until!the!Sabbath!ends!before! visiting!the!tomb!(i.e.,!Sunday!morning).!Throughout!the!Gospels,!Jesus!actively! reinforces!the!importance!of!the!Sabbath,!showing!how!this!principle!from!the!OT!is! manifested!through!his!own!ministry!of!reconciliation!and!healing.!While!outside!of! the!Gospels!the!Sabbath!receives!less!attention,!it!is!the!focus!of!Hebrews!4.!There,! the!weekly!Sabbath!is!described!as!the!outward,!thisFworldly!manifestation!of!the! ultimate!spiritual!rest!that!will!be!experienced!in!the!age!to!come.!! ! !
Lesson#at#a#glance# ! # # #
I.####Sabbath#and#Healing#Controversies# II.###The#Grace#of#Sabbath## III.##The#Work#of#Worship# IV.##Entering#God’s#Rest#
! !!
!
Notes#
! _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________! _____________________________________________________________________
!
_____________________________________________________________________!
Conversation#starter#
_____________________________________________________________________
In!Mark!2:27,!Jesus!says!“The!sabbath!was!made!for!humankind,!and!not!humankind!
_____________________________________________________________________!
for!the!Sabbath.”!What!do!you!think!Jesus!meant?!Is!this!understanding!of!the!
_____________________________________________________________________
Sabbath!any!different!than!what!we!encountered!in!last!week’s!lesson!on!Sabbath!in! the!OT?!If!so,!how?#
_____________________________________________________________________! !
!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
!
P R A C T I C I N G
SABBATH Fall 2016 Sunday School Series
Sabbath in the New Testament
T h e Wor k o f Wo r sh i p an d t h e Gr ace of Su n day s
Week 3