The Pharisees were a group of Jewish legalists. They had put God’s holy Law before true relationship so that obedience to rules became the ultimate test of godliness. Many Christians today have fallen into this trap.

The Pharisees tried to live in strict accordance with God’s Law and they thus tried to amplify it by adding rules which God never spoke. Rules upon rules which they believed that God would reward. They taught a false doctrine of “predestination“. This made them feel elite much like some false proud Calvinistic ideas today held by some Christians.

Regarding the Sabbath commandment they added many rules that made Sabbath keeping a burden. Jewish Pharisees in Jesus’ day had added many do’s and don’ts to the Sabbath law. Jesus did not agree with these  restrictions. His healing miracles on the Sabbath seem to show that the Messiah went out of His way to show the Jews how wrong they were in Sabbath observance.  Jesus affirmed; “It is lawful to heal on the sabbath.” [Luke 14:3]

We notice that in all of Jesus’ words regarding the Sabbath He never said: “I do away with the sabbath.” He basically showed what proper observance of the Sabbath was. He informed all that “the Sabbath was made for man” [Mark 2:27] thus informing us that it is a gift from God to man and it was never ment to be burdensome. In “breaking” the man-made Sabbath restrictions of the Pharisees, did Jesus thereby tell us that there is no Sabbath?

We read that after the Pharisees had judged how Jesus kept the Sabbath the apostle John writes:  “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his father, making himself equal with God.” [John 5:18]  The Greek word used here for “broken” is luo [loo-o] and it literally means “to loosen” or “loosen up“. So Jesus was showing that the Sabbath should not be kept in tight legalistic matter but that it should be a joyous day. In other words, “loosen up dude!”

We know that Jesus never broke one of God’s holy commandments. Jesus said; “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.” [John 15:10]

Jesus also informs us; “Think not that I come to destroy the Law..” [Matthew 5:17,18] And..”one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.”

We are told in the New Testament Scriptures that “sin is the transgression of the Law.” [1 John 3:4] And we are also informed that Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” [Hebrews 4:15] Thus, Jesus never broke God’s Law!

Now, according to legalism Jesus did indeed “break the Law“, Jesus was no legalist and never taught His disciples to be either. The Law can never in and of itself save us. The Ten Commandments are like a mirror. A mirror can show you where the dirt is but it certainly cannot clean the dirt from your face. You must have water to do that. The Law and the grace of Christ go hand in hand, they work together.

Written by: Eric W. King [9-1-07]

Send Eric questions at: Er2Ki@aol.com

“The Adventist Way of Life“