The Teachings of Jesus

The Sabbath

Lesson #11 for September 13, 2014

Scriptures: [John 1:1-3; 5:16-17; Matthew 12:1-5; 24:20; Luke 4:16-21][i].

1.    In this lesson we will discuss Christ’s role in the origin of the Sabbath and what He taught about the Sabbath while He was here on this earth. We will also take a look at how He kept the Sabbath Himself as well as how His followers kept it after His resurrection and ascension. The memory text probably represents the clearest passage in Scripture on that subject. (See [Mark 2:27-28; compare Matthew 12:8; and Luke 6:5]ii.)

2.    In our day, the questions which arise about the Sabbath include not only how it should be observed but also on which day it should be observed. There is no evidence whatsoever in the Gospels to suggest that Jesus made any attempt to change the day on which we are to celebrate the Sabbath; additionally, there is no evidence in the New Testament in the writings of Paul or others that the disciples or apostles made any attempt to change the day on which we are to celebrate the Sabbath.

3.    Where did our day of rest, the Sabbath, come from? The first mention of the Sabbath in Scriptures was at the end of creation week. (See Genesis 2:2-3iii.) Elsewhere in Scripture, it tells us that everything that has been created was created by Jesus Christ the Son of God. [(John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:1-2)]iv The entire universe including the Sabbath was created by Him. While the Sabbath was specifically created for man living on planet earth in our solar system, no doubt, other parts of the universe have special times or “days” in which they celebrate their friendship with God.

Because the Sabbath was made for man, it is the Lord’s day. It belongs to Christ. For “all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3. Since He made all things, He made the Sabbath. By Him it was set apart as a memorial of the work of creation. It points to Him as both the Creator and the Sanctifier. . . . Then the Sabbath is a sign of Christ’s power to make us holy. And it is given to all whom Christ makes holy. As a sign of His sanctifying power, the Sabbath is given to all who through Christ become a part of the Israel of God.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 288.2.

4.    So, why did God create the Sabbath? It certainly was not because He needed to rest! But, God recognized that in our humanity we would need the rest physically, mentally, and spiritually that is provided by the Sabbath day. But, the Sabbath is much more than just a day to rest. It is a day for us to set aside our cares, worries, and responsibilities from the rest of the week. It is a day to enrich our lives via special communication with God.

5.    The command by God to rest on the Sabbath was given on several different occasions throughout Scripture. As we have mentioned, the first was at the end of creation week. The next time it is mentioned in Scripture was connected with the exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Ten Commandments as recorded in Exodus 20[v] and Deuteronomy 5vi. Thus, in addition to being a memorial of creation, the Sabbath was also to be associated with the escape from slavery, the establishment of the new nation, and the celebration of the beginning of a theocracy. While the Sabbath was mentioned repeatedly by the prophets especially in connection with problems occurring during the Babylonian captivity, [(See Ezekiel 20; Daniel 3, 6.)]vii the next major event connected with the Sabbath was the death, the rest over the Sabbath day, and then the resurrection of Jesus at the end of His earthly ministry. Isaiah 66:23viii carries us far into the future, telling us that we will continue to celebrate the Sabbath in the earth made new. So, why did the keeping of the Sabbath and the worship of the true God upset the rulers of Babylon? It showed that the faithful Sabbathkeepers had another allegiance beyond allegiance to the Babylonian government and Marduk, their god; and it gave the Jewish workers a day of rest.

6.    Was God intentionally trying to connect Sabbath observance with every major spiritual highlight in Scripture? Shouldn’t the Sabbath be a time for us to celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ is our Creator, Redeemer, Savior, Comforter, and Elder Brother?

7.    Read Matthew 12:1-8ix. What was happening in this story? Most likely, Jesus and His disciples were returning home following attendance at Sabbath morning service in the synagogue. On the way, they passed through a field of wheat. Being hungry, the disciples, picked a few heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, blew away the chaff, and chewed on the ripe kernels. To the Pharisees with their multitudinous rules about Sabbathkeeping, the disciples were committing several sins. They were harvesting, threshing, and winnowing the grain. Deuteronomy 23:25[x] states clearly that according to Scripture, everything they were doing was completely legal and acceptable-it was not stealing. But, rabbinical regulations forbade them from doing any of those things on the holy Sabbath.

8.    So, how did Jesus respond when questioned about His disciples’ behavior? There are three important points to be made in His answer to the Pharisees. 1) Just as David and his men were fed by the loaves from the tabernacle, we can be assured that God is concerned about even our simplest needs and wants. 2) The priests in Jesus’s day, just like pastors in our day, did more work on the Sabbath than they did on any other day. We bless them for doing this; we do not condemn them! And 3) Another very subtle but very important point: David had been anointed to be the next king of Israel, but he had not yet been enthroned. Christ had been anointed by the Father and the Holy Spirit at His baptism, but He also had not yet been enthroned. The King of the universe who is also the Creator and Lord of the Sabbath had a perfect right to decide what should or should not be done on the Sabbath day. Shouldn’t the God who created everything including the Sabbath have the right to determine what should be done on that day?

9.    Read Luke 4:16-30xi. Jesus had been gone from Nazareth for a considerable period of time. As recorded in this passage, He was returning to His hometown and should have been given a hero’s welcome. They did invite Him to conduct the service that day by reading from the Scriptures and explaining them. It should be noted that even during His youth:

Often in the synagogue on the Sabbath day He was called upon to read the lesson from the prophets, and the hearts of the hearers thrilled as a new light shone out from the familiar words of the sacred text.-Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 74.

10.    No doubt, the audience expected Jesus to do some wonderful miracles following His presentation. But, things did not turn out the way they expected. Jesus asked for the scroll of Isaiah and turned to the correct place and read from Isaiah 61:1-2xii. Luke quotes those words as they appear in the Septuagint or early Greek translation of those verses. But, Jesus said three things that really upset His hometown crowd. 1) First, He said, “This passage has come true today.” What was Jesus saying? He was essentially saying, “This prophecy of the coming of the Messiah is talking about Me!” 2) He stopped before reading the last few words in verse 2: “And defeat their enemies.” This was their favorite part of the passage. That is what they expected the Messiah to do for them-to defeat the Romans. And the Jews recognized that this passage in Isaiah was a clear messianic promise. But then, 3) He mentioned the time when Elijah was sent out of Israelite territory to stay with the widow of Zarephath, preserving not only his life but also her life and the life of her child. He also mentioned Elisha’s healing of Naaman the Syrian. The idea that the Messiah whom Jesus claimed was among them that very day could reach outside the Israelite nation to bless Canaanites and Syrians instead of Jews was more than they could tolerate. So, they wanted to kill Him.

11.    What should we learn about Sabbath observance by looking at the miracles of Jesus? Jesus performed several miracles specifically on the Sabbath to teach us something about Sabbath observance. None of those people were healed because they had emergencies. One man had been born blind. (John 9:1-12xiii) By spitting on the ground and making “mud” and applying it to his eyes, Jesus was intentionally breaking their Sabbath rules. Another had been paralyzed for 38 years. (John 5:1-18xiv) Another had a crippled hand that had been that way for a long time, likely for years. (Matthew 12:10-12xv)

12.    What excuse did Jesus give for breaking their Sabbath rules? He pointed out that they would rescue their animals which were in trouble on the Sabbath but that they thought it was wrong for Him to rescue human beings who were hurting on the Sabbath! Furthermore, Jesus made it very clear that His Father continually sustains all things by His mighty power, even on the Sabbath. Just as His Father continues to work every day of the week, so Jesus had the right to do good works on the Sabbath.

13.    Try to imagine yourself living in the days of Jesus. How do you think you would have responded to their many rules about Sabbathkeeping?

14.    We know that many of our Christian friends worship God on Sunday instead of Saturday. They have offered a host of different reasons for doing so. The most important and most common of those reasons is the fact that Jesus arose on that day. But, what did Jesus Himself say about Sabbath observance even after His resurrection? Read Matthew 24:20xvi. He told His disciples to pray that they would not need to try to gather their belongings together and escape Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

15.    Paul, one of the most prominent of the apostles, also faithfully kept the Sabbath. See Acts 13:14,42; 14:1; 17:1-2; 18:4xvii. Now it might be suggested by Sundaykeepers that Paul simply went to the synagogue on Saturday because that was when the Jews would be gathered there and that was when he would have a chance to speak to them. But, read Acts 13:26,42-44xviii. If Paul had been accustomed to worshiping God on Sunday, he should have told them to return the following day to hear what else he had to say since many of those who heard Paul were Gentiles. But, he did not. He told them to come the next Sabbath. Clearly, he did not intend to worship on Sunday.

16.    What is special about the Sabbath? What is special about one’s birthday? Down through the generations, Sabbathkeepers have wandered back and forth from a very legalistic observance of the Sabbath to a very lax observance of the day. Is there a good middle ground? Think about your own way of observing the Sabbath. Would you change your activities on the Sabbath if Jesus were to show up at your home on Sabbath?

17.    Without being legalistic, could you make a list of holy activities that would be appropriate to do on the Sabbath? Has that list changed over the years?

18.    How would you compare the way the average Seventh-day Adventist observes the Sabbath in our day with the way the Jews kept it in Jesus’s day?

19.    Do you find the Sabbath to be a true delight? (Isaiah 58:13-14xix)

20.    What ideas are most important in your thinking regarding Sabbathkeeping? In your thinking, is it more important that Jesus was our Creator? Or, our Redeemer? Or, our Savior? Or, our Comforter? Or, our Elder Brother?

21. God seems to promise us that if we take one 24-hour period and set it apart for worshiping Him, our week will be not only more blessed but also more efficient. Is that possible?

22. Have you ever been in a church group where Sabbath observance was discussed in detail with explanations being given as to why we should do one thing or another?

23. A special challenge for the Sabbath is how to spend the time with young children. How can we make the Sabbath not only enjoyable and meaningful but also educational for them?

24. Anyone who has studied ancient Judaism in any detail knows that there were a multitude of rules for keeping the Sabbath. Surely, all of us recognize that the Jews were particularly careful in Sabbathkeeping. They were constantly accusing Jesus of breaking their rules about the Sabbath. What were their Sabbath rules? Many of those rules have been preserved in the Jewish volume called the Mishnah. The Oxford University Press produced an English translation of the Mishnah which gives us some of those details. First, however, note that in giving the fourth commandment, God said simply: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. In it thou shalt not do any work.” But, He did not tell them what “work” He had in mind. So, the Jews set about to solve that problem. See Mishnah, p. 106.

The main classes of work are forty save one: {Do you do any of these things on the Sabbath?} sowing, ploughing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, cleansing crops, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, washing or beating or dyeing it, spinning, weaving, making two loops, weaving two threads, separating two threads, tying [a knot], loosening [a knot], sewing two stitches, {If a button fell off the pastor’s Sabbath suit on his way to church-he does want to look tidy in the pulpit—it is too bad that he cannot sew it on.} tearing in order to sew two stitches, hunting a gazelle, slaughtering or flaying or salting it or curing its skin, scraping it or cutting it up, writing two letters, erasing in order to write two letters, building, pulling down, putting out a fire, lighting a fire, striking with a hammer and taking out aught from one domain into another. These are the main classes of work: forty save one. (Mishnah, page 106) {Content in curly brackets is added.}

In the footnote it says: “These thirty-nine acts of work are treated in various degrees of detail” in chapters eleven and following.

So, what are those details? What if you were rushing home on Friday evening and you did not quite make it home and your donkey was still heavily loaded? There is definitely a rule for that.

If [on the eve of the Sabbath] darkness overtook a man while he was on the way, he must give his purse to a gentile {while it is yet day, of course} {You see, a Gentile was not going to be saved anyway; so, let him carry things for you.}, and if there was no gentile with him he must put it on the ass {on the donkey}. When he has reached the outermost courtyard [of the town] he may take off [from the ass] such baggage as can be taken off on the Sabbath, and for what cannot be taken off on the Sabbath he may loosen the cords so that the sacks fall down of themselves. (Mishnah, page 120) {Content in curly brackets is added.}

25. Dealing with dental pain:

Suppose you have teeth that are making you very uncomfortable, and it is Sabbath.

If his teeth pain him he may not suck vinegar through them but he may take vinegar after his usual fashion {and happy the man with sore teeth who is accustomed to taking vinegar in the usual fashion because he may find relief. But one may not specially take vinegar on the Sabbath. Can you see why Jesus ran into trouble healing on the Sabbath? If a man is accustomed to taking vinegar in an ordinary way, he may do it}, and if he is healed he is healed. If his loins pain him he may not rub thereon wine or vinegar, yet he may anoint them with oil but not with rose-oil. {Now} Kings’ children may anoint their wounds with rose-oil since it is their custom so to do on ordinary days. (Mishnah, page 113) {Content in curly brackets is added.}

26.    Remember that Jews were not allowed to light or put out a fire on the Sabbath. But, what if a Gentile was willing to light the fire for him? Are you old enough to put out the fire?

If a gentile came to put out the fire they may not say to him, ‘Put it out’, or ‘Do not put it out’, since they are not answerable for his keeping Sabbath. But if it was a minor {a young person} that came to put it out they may not permit him, since they are answerable for his keeping Sabbath. (Mishnah, page 114) {Content in curly brackets is added.}

Were there other things that a Gentile might do for him? Lighting a lamp? Or, filling a trough?

If a gentile lighted a lamp an Israelite may make use of the light, but if he lighted it for the sake of the Israelite it is forbidden. If he filled [a trough] with water to give his cattle to drink, an Israelite may give his own cattle to drink after him, but if the gentile did it for the Israelite, it is forbidden. If he made a gangway by which to come down [from a ship] an Israelite may come clown after him, but if he did it for the Israelite, it is forbidden. (Mishnah, page 115) {Content in curly brackets is added.}

One would have to be careful to know what the motive was for filling the water trough.

27.    And one of the most unusual rules is about bathing on the Sabbath and drying off!

If a man bathed in the water of a cave or in the water of Tiberias and dried himself, even though it was with ten towels, he may not bring them away in his hand. (Mishnah, page 119)

One wonder what that would mean, so there is a footnote:

From fear of offending against the principle of squeezing out, however little the moisture in them.

Then you see the point. You are not allowed to squeeze a towel on the Sabbath. But you want to dry yourself. Well, use 10 towels and none of them will get very wet, and you will not by mistake squeeze them. But no, that is forbidden. So, the rule goes on like this:

But if ten men dried themselves with one towel {Then it would be very wet. Wouldn’t it?} [wiping] their faces, their hands, and their feet, they may bring the towel away in their hands. {Well, how could that be? The footnote says:} So many would keep each other warned of the danger of squeezing. (Mishnah, page 119) {Content in curly brackets is added.}

It would be much safer for 10 people to use one towel and get it very wet because they would remind each other that they must not squeeze it. But, if one man used 10 towels, even though the towels would not be very wet, there is the danger he would forget and squeeze one of them. Remember that next time you take a shower!

28.    And what about a Sabbath-day’s journey? How far were you allowed to travel on the Sabbath? How long is a Sabbath-day’s journey? According to the Pharisees, it was about one-half mile. But, what if you had a second home that was approximately one-half mile away? Would you then be allowed to travel another one-half mile beyond that second home? What kind of home would be required? Could it be a tent set up the day before? Or, could it be owning a piece of property? What about your home being your lunch stashed under a bush or behind a tree?

29.    So, how did Jesus observe the Sabbath?

(1) Jesus gathered with other believers for Scripture study and worship (Luke 4:16-21xx). (2) He experienced nature, hiking through the Galilean countryside (Matt. 12:1-8xxi). (3) He relieved human suffering [(Matt. 12:9-14; Luke 13:15, 16; John 5:16, 17)]xxii. (4) He rested from work (Gen. 2:1-3xxiii). (5) Because of Christ’s strict scriptural adherence, we may also infer that Jesus refrained from merchandising [(Matt. 5:17-19 with Neh. 13:15-22)].xxiv (6) We may also infer from Jesus’ disciples’ conduct that He observed the preparation day [(Luke 23, 24; compare with Exodus 16)].xxv Based upon Jesus’ example, Christians should conscientiously craft Sabbath practice for today. (Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, The Teachings of Jesus, page 134.)

30.    At the end of His ministry on that fateful crucifixion Friday about three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus said “It is finished,” and He died. His body was removed from the cross by the disciple John, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea. (Desire of Ages 773.3-774.1) His body was carefully wrapped with the myrrh and aloes provided by Nicodemus in a way that would have been worthy of the most honored of all Jerusalem. Jesus then rested in what He called the sleep-death over the Sabbath while everyone in Jerusalem on both sides of the controversy over His Messiahship was thinking about Him, and many were studying the Scriptures to try to determine if He really was the Messiah. (DA 775.1)

31.    In light of all that we have studied in this lesson, do you have a better appreciation of how the Sabbath should be observed and all that it should mean to each one of us?

© 2014, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged.    Info@.theox.org

Last Modified: July 6, 2014

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i-John 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him.

John 5:16 So they began to persecute Jesus, because he had done this healing on a Sabbath. 17 Jesus answered them, "My Father is always working, and I too must work."

Matthew 12:1 Not long afterward Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began to pick heads of wheat and eat the grain. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do this on the Sabbath!" 3 Jesus answered, "Have you never read what David did that time when he and his men were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and he and his men ate the bread offered to God, even though it was against the Law for them to eat it - only the priests were allowed to eat that bread. 5 Or have you not read in the Law of Moses that every Sabbath the priests in the Temple actually break the Sabbath law, yet they are not guilty?

Matthew 24:20 Pray to God that you will not have to run away during the winter or on a Sabbath!

Luke 4:16 Then Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures 17 and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written, 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed 19 and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people." 20 Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, 21 as he said to them, "This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read."

ii-[Mark 2:27 And Jesus concluded, "The Sabbath was made for the good of human beings; they were not made for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Mark 12:8 So they grabbed the son and killed him and threw his body out of the vineyard.

Luke 6:5 And Jesus concluded, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

iii-Genesis 2:2 By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. 3 He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working.

iv-John 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him.

Colossians 1:16 For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him.

Hebrews 1:1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end.

v-Exodus 20:1 God spoke, and these were his words: 2 "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. 3 "Worship no god but me. 4 "Do not make for yourselves images of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth. 5 Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the Lord your God and I tolerate no rivals. I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation. 6 But I show my love to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my laws. 7 "Do not use my name for evil purposes, for I, the Lord your God, will punish anyone who misuses my name. 8 "Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. 9 You have six days in which to do your work, 10 but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work - neither you, your children, your slaves, your animals, nor the foreigners who live in your country. 11 In six days I, the Lord, made the earth, the sky, the seas, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That is why I, the Lord, blessed the Sabbath and made it holy. 12 "Respect your father and your mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that I am giving you. 13 "Do not commit murder. 14 "Do not commit adultery. 15 "Do not steal. 16 "Do not accuse anyone falsely. 17 "Do not desire another man's house; do not desire his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns." 18 When the people heard the thunder and the trumpet blast and saw the lightning and the smoking mountain, they trembled with fear and stood a long way off. 19 They said to Moses, "If you speak to us, we will listen; but we are afraid that if God speaks to us, we will die." 20 Moses replied, "Don't be afraid; God has only come to test you and make you keep on obeying him, so that you will not sin." 21 But the people continued to stand a long way off, and only Moses went near the dark cloud where God was. 22 The Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites: "You have seen how I, the Lord, have spoken to you from heaven. 23 Do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gold to be worshiped in addition to me. 24 Make an altar of earth for me, and on it sacrifice your sheep and your cattle as offerings to be completely burned and as fellowship offerings. In every place that I set aside for you to worship me, I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stone for me, do not build it out of cut stones, because when you use a chisel on stones, you make them unfit for my use. 26 Do not build an altar for me with steps leading up to it; if you do, you will expose yourselves as you go up the steps.

vi-Deuteronomy 5:1 Moses called together all the people of Israel and said to them, "People of Israel, listen to all the laws that I am giving you today. Learn them and be sure that you obey them. 2 At Mount Sinai the Lord our God made a covenant, 3 not only with our fathers, but with all of us who are living today. 4 There on the mountain the Lord spoke to you face-to-face from the fire. 5 I stood between you and the Lord at that time to tell you what he said, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. "The Lord said, 6 "I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. 7 " "Worship no god but me. 8 " "Do not make for yourselves images of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth. 9 Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, for I am the Lord your God and I tolerate no rivals. I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation. 10 But I show my love to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my laws. 11 " "Do not use my name for evil purposes, for I, the Lord your God, will punish anyone who misuses my name. 12 " "Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy, as I, the Lord your God, have commanded you. 13 You have six days in which to do your work, 14 but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work - neither you, your children, your slaves, your animals, nor the foreigners who live in your country. Your slaves must rest just as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and that I, the Lord your God, rescued you by my great power and strength. That is why I command you to observe the Sabbath. 16 " "Respect your father and your mother, as I, the Lord your God, command you, so that all may go well with you and so that you may live a long time in the land that I am giving you. 17 " "Do not commit murder. 18 " "Do not commit adultery. 19 " "Do not steal. 20 " "Do not accuse anyone falsely. 21 " "Do not desire another man's wife; do not desire his house, his land, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns.' 22 "These are the commandments the Lord gave to all of you when you were gathered at the mountain. When he spoke with a mighty voice from the fire and from the thick clouds, he gave these commandments and no others. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. 23 "When the whole mountain was on fire and you heard the voice from the darkness, your leaders and the chiefs of your tribes came to me 24 and said, "The Lord our God showed us his greatness and his glory when we heard him speak from the fire! Today we have seen that it is possible for people to continue to live, even though God has spoken to them. 25 But why should we risk death again? That terrible fire will destroy us. We are sure to die if we hear the Lord our God speak again. 26 Has any human being ever lived after hearing the living God speak from a fire? 27 Go back, Moses, and listen to everything that the Lord our God says. Then return and tell us what he said to you. We will listen and obey.' 28 "When the Lord heard this, he said to me, "I have heard what these people said, and they are right. 29 If only they would always feel this way! If only they would always honor me and obey all my commands, so that everything would go well with them and their descendants forever. 30 Go and tell them to return to their tents. 31 But you, Moses, stay here with me, and I will give you all my laws and commands. Teach them to the people, so that they will obey them in the land that I am giving them.' 32 "People of Israel, be sure that you do everything that the Lord your God has commanded you. Do not disobey any of his laws. 33 Obey them all, so that everything will go well with you and so that you will continue to live in the land that you are going to occupy.

vii-Ezekiel 20:1 It was the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of our exile. Some of the leaders of the Israelite community came to consult me about the Lord's will, and they sat down in front of me. 2 Then the Lord spoke to me. 3 "Mortal man," he said, "speak to these leaders and tell them that the Sovereign Lord is saying: You have come to ask my will, have you? As surely as I am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. 4 "Are you ready to pass sentence on them, mortal man? Then do so. Remind them of the disgusting things their ancestors did. 5 Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the Lord your God. 6 It was then that I promised to take them out of Egypt and lead them to a land I had chosen for them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. 7 I told them to throw away the disgusting idols they loved and not to make themselves unclean with the false gods of Egypt, because I am the Lord their God. 8 But they defied me and refused to listen. They did not throw away their disgusting idols or give up the Egyptian gods. I was ready to let them feel the full force of my anger there in Egypt. 9 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name, for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt. 10 "And so I led them out of Egypt into the desert. 11 I gave them my commands and taught them my laws, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. 12 I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the Lord, make them holy. 13 But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to destroy them. 14 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt. 15 So I made a vow in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. 16 I made the vow because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath - they preferred to worship their idols. 17 "But then I took pity on them. I decided not to kill them there in the desert. 18 Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God. Obey my laws and my commands. 20 Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the Lord your God. 21 "But that generation also defied me. They broke my laws and did not keep my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to kill them all. 22 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt. 23 So I made another vow in the desert. I vowed that I would scatter them all over the world. 24 I did this because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, profaned the Sabbath, and worshiped the same idols their ancestors had served. 25 "Then I gave them laws that are not good and commands that do not bring life. 26 I let them defile themselves with their own offerings, and I let them sacrifice their first-born sons. This was to punish them and show them that I am the Lord. 27 "Now then, mortal man, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. This is another way their ancestors insulted me by their unfaithfulness. 28 I brought them to the land I had promised to give them. When they saw the high hills and green trees, they offered sacrifices at all of them. They made me angry by the sacrifices they burned and by the wine they brought as offerings. 29 I asked them: What are these high places where you go? So they have been called "High Places' ever since. 30 Now tell the Israelites what I am saying: Why must you commit the same sins your ancestors did and go running after their idols? 31 Even today you offer the same gifts and defile yourselves with the same idols by sacrificing your children to them in the fire. And then you Israelites still come to ask what my will is! As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. 32 You have made up your minds that you want to be like the other nations, like the people who live in other countries and worship trees and rocks. But that will never be. 33 "As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I warn you that in my anger I will rule over you with a strong hand, with all my power. 34 I will show you my power and my anger when I gather you together and bring you back from all the countries where you have been scattered. 35 I will bring you into the "Desert of the Nations,' and there I will condemn you to your face. 36 I will now condemn you just as I condemned your ancestors in the Sinai Desert," says the Sovereign Lord. 37 "I will take firm control of you and make you obey my covenant. 38 I will take away from among you those who are rebellious and sinful. I will take them out of the lands where they are living now, but I will not let them return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord." 39 The Sovereign Lord says, "And now, all you Israelites, suit yourselves! Go on and serve your idols! But I warn you that after this you will have to obey me and stop dishonoring my holy name by offering gifts to your idols. 40 There in the land, on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, all you people of Israel will worship me. I will be pleased with you and will expect you to bring me your sacrifices, your best offerings, and your holy gifts. 41 After I bring you out of the countries where you have been scattered and gather you together, I will accept the sacrifices that you burn, and the nations will see that I am holy. 42 When I bring you back to Israel, the land that I promised I would give to your ancestors, then you will know that I am the Lord. 43 Then you will remember all the disgraceful things you did and how you defiled yourselves. You will be disgusted with yourselves because of all the evil things you did. 44 When I act to protect my honor, you Israelites will know that I am the Lord, because I do not deal with you as your wicked, evil actions deserve." The Sovereign Lord has spoken. 45 The Lord spoke to me. 46 "Mortal man," he said, "look toward the south. Speak against the south and prophesy against the forest of the south. 47 Tell the southern forest to hear what the Sovereign Lord is saying: Look! I am starting a fire, and it will burn up every tree in you, whether green or dry. Nothing will be able to put it out. It will spread from south to north, and everyone will feel the heat of the flames. 48 They will all see that I, the Lord, set it on fire and that no one can put it out." 49 But I protested, "Sovereign Lord, don't make me do it! Everyone is already complaining that I always speak in riddles."

Daniel 3:1 King Nebuchadnezzar had a gold statue made, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and he had it set up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then the king gave orders for all his officials to come together - the princes, governors, lieutenant governors, commissioners, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces. They were to attend the dedication of the statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 When all these officials gathered for the dedication and stood in front of the statue, 4 a herald announced in a loud voice, "People of all nations, races, and languages! 5 You will hear the sound of the trumpets, followed by the playing of oboes, lyres, zithers, and harps; and then all the other instruments will join in. As soon as the music starts, you are to bow down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Anyone who does not bow down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace." 7 And so, as soon as they heard the sound of the instruments, the people of all the nations, races, and languages bowed down and worshiped the gold statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 It was then that some Babylonians took the opportunity to denounce the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "May Your Majesty live forever! 10 Your Majesty has issued an order that as soon as the music starts, everyone is to bow down and worship the gold statue, 11 and that anyone who does not bow down and worship it is to be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 There are some Jews whom you put in charge of the province of Babylon - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - who are disobeying Your Majesty's orders. They do not worship your god or bow down to the statue you set up." 13 At that, the king flew into a rage and ordered the three men to be brought before him. 14 He said to them, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you refuse to worship my god and to bow down to the gold statue I have set up? 15 Now then, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, oboes, lyres, zithers, harps, and all the other instruments, bow down and worship the statue. If you do not, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Do you think there is any god who can save you?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered, "Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves. 17 If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will. 18 But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up." 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar lost his temper, and his face turned red with anger at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 And he commanded the strongest men in his army to tie the three men up and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So they tied them up, fully dressed - shirts, robes, caps, and all - and threw them into the blazing furnace. 22 Now because the king had given strict orders for the furnace to be made extremely hot, the flames burned up the guards who took the men to the furnace. 23 Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, still tied up, fell into the heart of the blazing fire. 24 Suddenly Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement. He asked his officials, "Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the blazing furnace?" They answered, "Yes, we did, Your Majesty." 25 "Then why do I see four men walking around in the fire?" he asked. "They are not tied up, and they show no sign of being hurt - and the fourth one looks like an angel." 26 So Nebuchadnezzar went up to the door of the blazing furnace and called out, "Shadrach! Meshach! Abednego! Servants of the Supreme God! Come out!" And they came out at once. 27 All the princes, governors, lieutenant governors, and other officials of the king gathered to look at the three men, who had not been harmed by the fire. Their hair was not singed, their clothes were not burned, and there was no smell of smoke on them. 28 The king said, "Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued these men who serve and trust him. They disobeyed my orders and risked their lives rather than bow down and worship any god except their own. 29 "And now I command that if anyone of any nation, race, or language speaks disrespectfully of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he is to be torn limb from limb, and his house is to be made a pile of ruins. There is no other god who can rescue like this." 30 And the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to higher positions in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 6:1 Darius decided to appoint a hundred and twenty governors to hold office throughout his empire. 2 In addition, he chose Daniel and two others to supervise the governors and to look after the king's interests. 3 Daniel soon showed that he could do better work than the other supervisors or the governors. Because he was so outstanding, the king considered putting him in charge of the whole empire. 4 Then the other supervisors and the governors tried to find something wrong with the way Daniel administered the empire, but they couldn't, because Daniel was reliable and did not do anything wrong or dishonest. 5 They said to each other, "We are not going to find anything of which to accuse Daniel unless it is something in connection with his religion." 6 So they went to see the king and said, "King Darius, may Your Majesty live forever! 7 All of us who administer your empire - the supervisors, the governors, the lieutenant governors, and the other officials - have agreed that Your Majesty should issue an order and enforce it strictly. Give orders that for thirty days no one be permitted to request anything from any god or from any human being except from Your Majesty. Anyone who violates this order is to be thrown into a pit filled with lions. 8 So let Your Majesty issue this order and sign it, and it will be in force, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed." 9 And so King Darius signed the order. 10 When Daniel learned that the order had been signed, he went home. In an upstairs room of his house there were windows that faced toward Jerusalem. There, just as he had always done, he knelt down at the open windows and prayed to God three times a day. 11 When Daniel's enemies observed him praying to God, 12 all of them went together to the king to accuse Daniel. They said, "Your Majesty, you signed an order that for the next thirty days anyone who requested anything from any god or from any human being except you, would be thrown into a pit filled with lions." The king replied, "Yes, that is a strict order, a law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed." 13 Then they said to the king, "Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, does not respect Your Majesty or obey the order you issued. He prays regularly three times a day." 14 When the king heard this, he was upset and did his best to find some way to rescue Daniel. He kept trying until sunset. 15 Then Daniel's enemies came back to the king and said to him, "Your Majesty knows that according to the laws of the Medes and Persians no order which the king issues can be changed." 16 So the king gave orders for Daniel to be taken and thrown into the pit filled with lions. He said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve so loyally, rescue you." 17 A stone was put over the mouth of the pit, and the king placed his own royal seal and the seal of his noblemen on the stone, so that no one could rescue Daniel. 18 Then the king returned to the palace and spent a sleepless night, without food or any form of entertainment. 19 At dawn the king got up and hurried to the pit. 20 When he got there, he called out anxiously, "Daniel, servant of the living God! Was the God you serve so loyally able to save you from the lions?" 21 Daniel answered, "May Your Majesty live forever! 22 God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. He did this because he knew that I was innocent and because I have not wronged you, Your Majesty." 23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders for Daniel to be pulled up out of the pit. So they pulled him up and saw that he had not been hurt at all, for he trusted God. 24 Then the king gave orders to arrest all those who had accused Daniel, and he had them thrown, together with their wives and children, into the pit filled with lions. Before they even reached the bottom of the pit, the lions pounced on them and broke all their bones. 25 Then King Darius wrote to the people of all nations, races, and languages on earth: "Greetings! 26 I command that throughout my empire everyone should fear and respect Daniel's God. "He is a living God, and he will rule forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his power will never come to an end. 27 He saves and rescues; he performs wonders and miracles in heaven and on earth. He saved Daniel from being killed by the lions." 28 Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

viii-Isaiah 66:23 On every New Moon Festival and every Sabbath people of every nation will come to worship me here in Jerusalem," says the Lord.

ix-Matthew 12:1 Not long afterward Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began to pick heads of wheat and eat the grain. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do this on the Sabbath!" 3 Jesus answered, "Have you never read what David did that time when he and his men were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and he and his men ate the bread offered to God, even though it was against the Law for them to eat it - only the priests were allowed to eat that bread. 5 Or have you not read in the Law of Moses that every Sabbath the priests in the Temple actually break the Sabbath law, yet they are not guilty? 6 I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple. 7 The scripture says, "It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.' If you really knew what this means, you would not condemn people who are not guilty; 8 for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

x-Deuteronomy 23: 25 When you walk along a path in someone else's grainfield, you may eat all the grain you can pull off with your hands, but you must not cut any grain with a sickle.

xi-Luke 4:16 Then Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures 17 and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written, 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed 19 and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people." 20 Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, 21 as he said to them, "This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read." 22 They were all well impressed with him and marveled at the eloquent words that he spoke. They said, "Isn't he the son of Joseph?" 23 He said to them, "I am sure that you will quote this proverb to me, "Doctor, heal yourself.' You will also tell me to do here in my hometown the same things you heard were done in Capernaum. 24 I tell you this," Jesus added, "prophets are never welcomed in their hometown. 25 Listen to me: it is true that there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah, when there was no rain for three and a half years and a severe famine spread throughout the whole land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to anyone in Israel, but only to a widow living in Zarephath in the territory of Sidon. 27 And there were many people suffering from a dreaded skin disease who lived in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha; yet not one of them was healed, but only Naaman the Syrian." 28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were filled with anger. 29 They rose up, dragged Jesus out of town, and took him to the top of the hill on which their town was built. They meant to throw him over the cliff, 30 but he walked through the middle of the crowd and went his way.

xii-Isaiah 61:1 The Sovereign Lord has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To announce release to captives And freedom to those in prison. 2 He has sent me to proclaim That the time has come When the Lord will save his people And defeat their enemies. He has sent me to comfort all who mourn,

xiii-John 9:1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been born blind. 2 His disciples asked him, "Teacher, whose sin caused him to be born blind? Was it his own or his parents' sin?" 3 Jesus answered, "His blindness has nothing to do with his sins or his parents' sins. He is blind so that God's power might be seen at work in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me; night is coming when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light for the world." 6 After he said this, Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud with the spittle; he rubbed the mud on the man's eyes 7 and told him, "Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam." (This name means "Sent.") So the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing. 8 His neighbors, then, and the people who had seen him begging before this, asked, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some said, "He is the one," but others said, "No he isn't; he just looks like him." So the man himself said, "I am the man." 10 "How is it that you can now see?" they asked him. 11 He answered, "The man called Jesus made some mud, rubbed it on my eyes, and told me to go to Siloam and wash my face. So I went, and as soon as I washed, I could see." 12 "Where is he?" they asked. "I don't know," he answered.

xiv-John 5:1 After this, Jesus went to Jerusalem for a religious festival. 2 Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool with five porches; in Hebrew it is called Bethzatha. 3 A large crowd of sick people were lying on the porches - the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. 5 A man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 Jesus saw him lying there, and he knew that the man had been sick for such a long time; so he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" 7 The sick man answered, "Sir, I don't have anyone here to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am trying to get in, somebody else gets there first." 8 Jesus said to him, "Get up, pick up your mat, and walk." 9 Immediately the man got well; he picked up his mat and started walking. The day this happened was a Sabbath, 10 so the Jewish authorities told the man who had been healed, "This is a Sabbath, and it is against our Law for you to carry your mat." 11 He answered, "The man who made me well told me to pick up my mat and walk." 12 They asked him, "Who is the man who told you to do this?" 13 But the man who had been healed did not know who Jesus was, for there was a crowd in that place, and Jesus had slipped away. 14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the Temple and said, "Listen, you are well now; so stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15 Then the man left and told the Jewish authorities that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 So they began to persecute Jesus, because he had done this healing on a Sabbath. 17 Jesus answered them, "My Father is always working, and I too must work." 18 This saying made the Jewish authorities all the more determined to kill him; not only had he broken the Sabbath law, but he had said that God was his own Father and in this way had made himself equal with God.

xv-Matthew 12:10 where there was a man who had a paralyzed hand. Some people were there who wanted to accuse Jesus of doing wrong, so they asked him, "Is it against our Law to heal on the Sabbath?" 11 Jesus answered, "What if one of you has a sheep and it falls into a deep hole on the Sabbath? Will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 And a human being is worth much more than a sheep! So then, our Law does allow us to help someone on the Sabbath."

xvi-Matthew 24:20 Pray to God that you will not have to run away during the winter or on a Sabbath!

xvii-Acts 13:14 They went on from Perga and arrived in Antioch in Pisidia, and on the Sabbath they went into the synagogue and sat down. 42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to come back the next Sabbath and tell them more about these things.

Acts 14:1 The same thing happened in Iconium: Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of Jews and Gentiles became believers.

Acts 17:1 Paul and Silas traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue. 2 According to his usual habit Paul went to the synagogue. There during three Sabbaths he held discussions with the people, quoting

Acts 18:4 He held discussions in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to convince both Jews and Greeks.

xviii-Acts 13:26 "My fellow Israelites, descendants of Abraham, and all Gentiles here who worship God: it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent! 42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to come back the next Sabbath and tell them more about these things. 43 After the people had left the meeting, Paul and Barnabas were followed by many Jews and by many Gentiles who had been converted to Judaism. The apostles spoke to them and encouraged them to keep on living in the grace of God. 44 The next Sabbath nearly everyone in the town came to hear the word of the Lord.

xix-Isaiah 58:13 The Lord says, "If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day, 14 then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken."

xx-Luke 4:16 Then Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures 17 and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written, 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed 19 and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people." 20 Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, 21 as he said to them, "This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read."

xxi-Matt. 12:1 Not long afterward Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began to pick heads of wheat and eat the grain. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do this on the Sabbath!" 3 Jesus answered, "Have you never read what David did that time when he and his men were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and he and his men ate the bread offered to God, even though it was against the Law for them to eat it - only the priests were allowed to eat that bread. 5 Or have you not read in the Law of Moses that every Sabbath the priests in the Temple actually break the Sabbath law, yet they are not guilty? 6 I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple. 7 The scripture says, "It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.' If you really knew what this means, you would not condemn people who are not guilty; 8 for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

xxii-Matt. 12:9 Jesus left that place and went to a synagogue, 10 where there was a man who had a paralyzed hand. Some people were there who wanted to accuse Jesus of doing wrong, so they asked him, "Is it against our Law to heal on the Sabbath?" 11 Jesus answered, "What if one of you has a sheep and it falls into a deep hole on the Sabbath? Will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 And a human being is worth much more than a sheep! So then, our Law does allow us to help someone on the Sabbath." 13 Then he said to the man with the paralyzed hand, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it became well again, just like the other one. 14 Then the Pharisees left and made plans to kill Jesus.

Luke 13:15 The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Any one of you would untie your ox or your donkey from the stall and take it out to give it water on the Sabbath. 16 Now here is this descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept in bonds for eighteen years; should she not be released on the Sabbath?"

John 5:16 So they began to persecute Jesus, because he had done this healing on a Sabbath. 17 Jesus answered them, "My Father is always working, and I too must work."

xxiii-Gen. 2:1 And so the whole universe was completed. 2 By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. 3 He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working.

xxiv-Matt. 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true. 18 Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with - not until the end of all things. 19 So then, whoever disobeys even the least important of the commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be least in the Kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys the Law and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the Kingdom of heaven.

Neh. 13:15 At that time I saw people in Judah pressing juice from grapes on the Sabbath. Others were loading grain, wine, grapes, figs, and other things on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem; I warned them not to sell anything on the Sabbath. 16 Some people from the city of Tyre were living in Jerusalem, and they brought fish and all kinds of goods into the city to sell to our people on the Sabbath. 17 I reprimanded the Jewish leaders and told them, "Look at the evil you're doing! You're making the Sabbath unholy. 18 This is exactly why God punished your ancestors when he brought destruction on this city. And yet you insist on bringing more of God's anger down on Israel by profaning the Sabbath." 19 So I gave orders for the city gates to be shut at the beginning of every Sabbath, as soon as evening began to fall, and not to be opened again until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my men at the gates to make sure that nothing was brought into the city on the Sabbath. 20 Once or twice merchants who sold all kinds of goods spent Friday night outside the city walls. 21 I warned them, "It's no use waiting out there for morning to come. If you try this again, I'll use force on you." From then on they did not come back on the Sabbath. 22 I ordered the Levites to purify themselves and to go and guard the gates to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy. Remember me, O God, for this also, and spare me because of your great love.

xxv-Luke 23:1 The whole group rose up and took Jesus before Pilate, 2 where they began to accuse him: "We caught this man misleading our people, telling them not to pay taxes to the Emperor and claiming that he himself is the Messiah, a king." 3 Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "So you say," answered Jesus. 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, "I find no reason to condemn this man. 5 But they insisted even more strongly, "With his teaching he is starting a riot among the people all through Judea. He began in Galilee and now has come here." 6 When Pilate heard this, he asked, "Is this man a Galilean?" 7 When he learned that Jesus was from the region ruled by Herod, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been wanting to see him for a long time. He was hoping to see Jesus perform some miracle. 9 So Herod asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the Law stepped forward and made strong accusations against Jesus. 11 Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and treated him with contempt; then they put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12 On that very day Herod and Pilate became friends; before this they had been enemies. 13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, 14 and said to them, "You brought this man to me and said that he was misleading the people. Now, I have examined him here in your presence, and I have not found him guilty of any of the crimes you accuse him of 15 Nor did Herod find him guilty, for he sent him back to us. There is nothing this man has done to deserve death. 16 So I will have him whipped and let him go." 18 The whole crowd cried out, "Kill him! Set Barabbas free for us! 19 (Barabbas had been put in prison for a riot that had taken place in the city, and for murder. 20 Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, so he appealed to the crowd again. 21 But they shouted back, "Crucify him! Crucify him! 22 Pilate said to them the third time, "But what crime has he committed? I cannot find anything he has done to deserve death! I will have him whipped and set him free." 23 But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices that Jesus should be crucified, and finally their shouting succeeded. 24 So Pilate passed the sentence on Jesus that they were asking for. 25 He set free the man they wanted, the one who had been put in prison for riot and murder, and he handed Jesus over for them to do as they wished. 26 The soldiers led Jesus away, and as they were going, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon who was coming into the city from the country. They seized him, put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd of people followed him; among them were some women who were weeping and wailing for him. 28 Jesus turned to them and said, "Women of Jerusalem! Don't cry for me, but for yourselves and your children. 29 For the days are coming when people will say, "How lucky are the women who never had children, who never bore babies, who never nursed them!' 30 That will be the time when people will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!' and to the hills, "Hide us!' 31 For if such things as these are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" 32 Two other men, both of them criminals, were also led out to be put to death with Jesus. 33 When they came to the place called "The Skull," they crucified Jesus there, and the two criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Forgive them, Father! They don't know what they are doing." They divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice. 35 The people stood there watching while the Jewish leaders made fun of him: "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah whom God has chosen!" 36 The soldiers also made fun of him: they came up to him and offered him cheap wine, 37 and said, "Save yourself if you are the king of the Jews!" 38 Above him were written these words: "This is the King of the Jews. 39 One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" 40 The other one, however, rebuked him, saying, "Don't you fear God? You received the same sentence he did. 41 Ours, however, is only right, because we are getting what we deserve for what we did; but he has done no wrong." 42 And he said to Jesus, "Remember me, Jesus, when you come as King!" 43 Jesus said to him, "I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me." 44 It was about twelve o'clock when the sun stopped shining and darkness covered the whole country until three o'clock; and the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father! In your hands I place my spirit!" He said this and died. 47 The army officer saw what had happened, and he praised God, saying, "Certainly he was a good man!" 48 When the people who had gathered there to watch the spectacle saw what happened, they all went back home, beating their breasts in sorrow. 49 All those who knew Jesus personally, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance to watch. 50 There was a man named Joseph from Arimathea, a town in Judea. He was a good and honorable man, who was waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Although he was a member of the Council, he had not agreed with their decision and action. 52 He went into the presence of Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took the body down, wrapped it in a linen sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of solid rock and which had never been used. 54 It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee went with Joseph and saw the tomb and how Jesus' body was placed in it. 56 Then they went back home and prepared the spices and perfumes for the body. On the Sabbath they rested, as the Law commanded.

Luke 24:1 Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, 3 so they went in; but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 They stood there puzzled about this, when suddenly two men in bright shining clothes stood by them. 5 Full of fear, the women bowed down to the ground, as the men said to them, "Why are you looking among the dead for one who is alive? 6 He is not here; he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was in Galilee: 7 "The Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and three days later rise to life.' " 8 Then the women remembered his words, 9 returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven disciples and all the rest. 10 The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; they and the other women with them told these things to the apostles. 11 But the apostles thought that what the women said was nonsense, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; he bent down and saw the grave cloths but nothing else. Then he went back home amazed at what had happened. 13 On that same day two of Jesus' followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; 16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him. 17 Jesus said to them, "What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?" They stood still, with sad faces. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have been happening there these last few days?" 19 "What things?" he asked. "The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth," they answered. "This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened. 22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb, 23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him." 25 Then Jesus said to them, "How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?" 27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets. 28 As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther; 29 but they held him back, saying, "Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark." So he went in to stay with them. 30 He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, "Wasn't it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?" 33 They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others 34 and saying, "The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!" 35 The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized the Lord when he broke the bread. 36 While the two were telling them this, suddenly the Lord himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37 They were terrified, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. 38 But he said to them, "Why are you alarmed? Why are these doubts coming up in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, for a ghost doesn't have flesh and bones, as you can see I have." 40 He said this and showed them his hands and his feet. 41 They still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of cooked fish, 43 which he took and ate in their presence. 44 Then he said to them, "These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the Psalms had to come true." 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, "This is what is written: the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later, 47 and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you." 50 Then he led them out of the city as far as Bethany, where he raised his hands and blessed them. 51 As he was blessing them, he departed from them and was taken up into heaven. 52 They worshiped him and went back into Jerusalem, filled with great joy, 53 and spent all their time in the Temple giving thanks to God.

Exodus 16:1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim, and on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, they came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. 2 There in the desert they all complained to Moses and Aaron 3 and said to them, "We wish that the Lord had killed us in Egypt. There we could at least sit down and eat meat and as much other food as we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death." 4 The Lord said to Moses, "Now I am going to cause food to rain down from the sky for all of you. The people must go out every day and gather enough for that day. In this way I can test them to find out if they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to bring in twice as much as usual and prepare it." 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt. 7 In the morning you will see the dazzling light of the Lord's presence. He has heard your complaints against him - yes, against him, because we are only carrying out his instructions." 8 Then Moses said, "It is the Lord who will give you meat to eat in the evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, because he has heard how much you have complained against him. When you complain against us, you are really complaining against the Lord." 9 Moses said to Aaron, "Tell the whole community to come and stand before the Lord, because he has heard their complaints." 10 As Aaron spoke to the whole community, they turned toward the desert, and suddenly the dazzling light of the Lord appeared in a cloud. 11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 "I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them that at twilight they will have meat to eat, and in the morning they will have all the bread they want. Then they will know that I, the Lord, am their God." 13 In the evening a large flock of quails flew in, enough to cover the camp, and in the morning there was dew all around the camp. 14 When the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert. It was as delicate as frost. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they didn't know what it was and asked each other, "What is it?" Moses said to them, "This is the food that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 The Lord has commanded that each of you is to gather as much of it as he needs, two quarts for each member of his household." 17 The Israelites did this, some gathering more, others less. 18 When they measured it, those who gathered much did not have too much, and those who gathered less did not have too little. Each had gathered just what he needed. 19 Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it for tomorrow." 20 But some of them did not listen to Moses and saved part of it. The next morning it was full of worms and smelled rotten, and Moses was angry with them. 21 Every morning each one gathered as much as he needed; and when the sun grew hot, what was left on the ground melted. 22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four quarts for each person. All the leaders of the community came and told Moses about it, 23 and he said to them, "The Lord has commanded that tomorrow is a holy day of rest, dedicated to him. Bake today what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Whatever is left should be put aside and kept for tomorrow." 24 As Moses had commanded, they kept what was left until the next day; it did not spoil or get worms in it. 25 Moses said, "Eat this today, because today is the Sabbath, a day of rest dedicated to the Lord, and you will not find any food outside the camp. 26 You must gather food for six days, but on the seventh day, the day of rest, there will be none." 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather food, but they did not find any. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, "How much longer will you people refuse to obey my commands? 29 Remember that I, the Lord, have given you a day of rest, and that is why on the sixth day I will always give you enough food for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day and not leave his home." 30 So the people did no work on the seventh day. 31 The people of Israel called the food manna. It was like a small white seed, and tasted like thin cakes made with honey. 32 Moses said, "The Lord has commanded us to save some manna, to be kept for our descendants, so that they can see the food which he gave us to eat in the desert when he brought us out of Egypt." 33 Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, put two quarts of manna in it, and place it in the Lord's presence to be kept for our descendants." 34 As the Lord had commanded Moses, Aaron put it in front of the Covenant Box, so that it could be kept. 35 The Israelites ate manna for the next forty years, until they reached the land of Canaan, where they settled. 36 (The standard dry measure then in use equaled twenty quarts.)

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