The Sabbath Debate, aka The Definition of Asinine
The Sabbath Day. God created everything in six days and rested on the seventh. “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Gen. 2:2-3).
The debate rages over whether this Sabbath day, or day of rest, falls on Saturday or Sunday. Most Christians observe it on Sunday. Some say it is on Saturday. The Jewish Sabbath is observed on Saturday, as well. Honoring the day of rest is one of the Ten Commandments. Jesus himself had to answer to authorities for gleaning wheat from a field on the Sabbath. And the argument wages on as it has for nearly two thousand years: when exactly is the Sabbath day?
In a very well researched article, Joe Kovacs of WorldNetDaily lays out the issue in ‘Deception’: Christians war over worship day. Another WorldNetDaily article begs the question Anti-Judaism at Root of ‘Sunday Sabbath’? To put things in perspective, as mentioned, Jesus was accused of breaking the Sabbath. When confronted, His answer was this: “And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they [Pharisees] asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.” (Mt. 12:10-12).
Though observing the Sabbath is a commandment, Jesus himself did not deem it more important than love: “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31).
So I ask you, perspectively, what is the point of this debate that has been going on for centuries? Certainly it is not love. The WorldNetDaily articles prove that.
“Centuries-old clash continues over disputed commandment.”
“Do you realize that this deception is blinding millions of people from knowing God?” asks Meredith.
Let’s assume for a moment that in the centuries of this debate, all the scholars who have entered the fray have spent a mere total of 24 hours on this one issue. (Though I admit an actual total would be much greater.) What, in those 24 hours, would matter more to our Lord? On which day falls the Sabbath? Or:
An estimated 2 million babies die worldwide within their first 24 hours.
There are 720 sexual assaults in 24 hours in the US alone.
30,100 children die from preventable causes and diseases in 24 hours. Malnutrition accounts for over half of those deaths.
Between 700,000 to 2 million Americans are homeless in any given 24-hour period. [Naturally, exact numbers are extremely difficult to pinpoint.]
At least 10 children are killed by guns in the US every 24 hours.
The economic impact of US gun violence costs an estimated $273,972,603.00 every 24 hours.
In other words, what other endeavors could these Biblical followers have accomplished in the time they have spent arguing over the day on which to observe the Sabbath? The word “asinine” is an adjective meaning “utterly stupid or silly.” As in, this battle between Christians is one of the most asinine debates to take place since Jesus walked the earth.
Ironically, Greg Laurie of WorldNetDaily points out that keeping the Sabbath is “the only one of the Ten Commandments not specifically repeated in the New Testament.”
christian, theology, Sabbath day, christian debate
March 21st, 2008 at 3:53 am
Does this mean there is only 9 commandments now?
March 21st, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Hi Christine. I did not mean to imply that there are, or should be, only nine commandments. To observe the Sabbath is a commandment, but the argument over what day to call the Sabbath is what I have a problem with. It just does not make sense either theologically or scientifically. Observing A Sabbath day is very important — one day a week when we honor God, the sacrifice His Son Jesus Christ made for us, and we study his word and his will.
We have no way of knowing if the days we call Saturday or Sunday truly fall on the sixth or seventh days of creation. Assigning any day as a Sabbath is, at best, a guess.
The point I am trying to make is that the arguments and name-calling Christians have engaged in during the centuries of this debate are making a mountain out of a relative molehill. Observe a Sabbath, and follow the other commandments given by God. What day you call it doesn’t matter.
April 15th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
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January 21st, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Did God say “Pick any day out of seven, any day will do, and keep that day as a Sabbath” ? If any day will do, what’s wrong with keeping the seventh day Sabbath? Why the aversion to the seventh day. (I’m NOT a Seventh-Day Adventist). Jesus observed the Sabbath as a devout Jew, as the Son of God, (”I came NOT to change the law…”). I’m sure it was the seventh day. Was He being too picky about which day He observed? The first commandment IS to love God above all with all of our being. That doesn’t nullify the Ten Commandments. I don’t understand what people have against the seventh day Sabbath. It’s a gift for everyone.
God bless you.