Dr Paul Allen

At the outset, I have to acknowledge that the issues of when to observe the Sabbath and how we observe the Sabbath have not drawn much attention from Lutherans over the years. To this day, Lutherans are guided in large part by the way in which Martin Luther, the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformer, interpreted the Sabbath commandment in his Small and Large Catechisms. In the Small Catechism, Luther renders the biblical text, “You shall sanctify the day of rest” (for the texts of Luther’s catechisms, see The Book of Concord, ed. Robert Kolb and Timothy Wengert [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 2000]). As you can see, it looks a bit different than how we are perhaps accustomed to reading it. To better grasp the Lutheran view of the Sabbath day, we need to consider both its history and its current understanding. THE GOSPEL AND THE SABBATH Every tradition is shaped by the formative era from which it emerged. This is true also for Lutheranism. When Luther rediscovered the gospel, he stripped...

Rightly understood and observed, the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) is a precious gift from God. Millions of Christians in my faith community experience it as such. At creation, “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy” (Gen. 2:3; italics supplied); the Sabbath commandment echoes, “The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Ex. 20:11). The Sabbath is also God’s chosen sign of creation and redemption: “that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you” (Ex. 31:13); thus, rightly understood and observed, the Sabbath remains a perpetual antidote to both the theory of naturalistic evolution and to legalism.  Finally, the Sabbath is God’s designated day for rest and worship, “a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation” (Lev. 23:3). Scripture never attributes any of these sacred pronouncements, or explicitly assigns any meaning whatsoever, to any day of the week other than the seventh-day Sabbath. The New Testament upholds the Ten Commandments, including the seventh-day Sa...

Increasingly, few Christians reserve one day each week for both worship and rest from all forms of work. Should we be disturbed by this? Seventh-day Adventists and Seventh-day Baptists answer “yes,” and claim that the Sabbath day must be Saturday. Certain kinds of Presbyterians and Reformed Christians, along with others influenced by the legacy of the Puritans, equally adamantly answer “yes,” but they insist that Sunday is the Christian Sabbath. Still, others argue for the principle of resting one day in seven but don’t worry about which day of the week it is, since preachers, for example, can scarcely rest on the day they lead worship services. Are any of these three perspectives right? Not really. Jesus declared, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them” (Matt. 5:17; NIV here and throughout). It’s an unusual contrast. Normally, if someone says he is not abolishing something, he goes on to say he is preservin...

Christ and The Pharisees (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 12:1–8 “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. …For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath ” (vv. 6–8). Christ ’s call for the heavy-laden to come to Him for rest (Matt. 11:28–30) provides an excellent backdrop for this passage on the Sabbath, the day of rest prescribed in the Old Testament (Ex. 20:8–11). If Jesus gives rest to His people, His view of the Sabbath helps us understand the nature of His respite. Judah’s failure to keep the Sabbath was one reason God sent the nation into exile in 586 B.C. (2 Chron . 36:11–21; Jer. 17:27). After the people returned to Palestine (2 Chron. 36:22–23), many religious leaders worked to ensure the Sabbath would be kept so that they would not be kicked out of their land again. They built a “fence” around the Torah — God’s law through Moses — out of various oral traditions, reasoning that the people, in keeping the oral laws, would also obey t...

The Pharisees Question Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 12:9–14 “Of how much more value is man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” ( v. 12 ). We dare not miss the christological significance of our Lord’s teaching on the Sabbath ( Matt. 12:1–14 ). Scripture emphasizes the Sabbath as God ’s special possession; Israel was given a day of rest in order to imitate our Creator’s own cessation of work ( Ex. 20:8–11 ). Furthermore, God asserted His right to determine what can and cannot be done on the Sabbath day ( Isa. 56:4–5 ). Jesus equates Himself with God, the owner and ruler of the day of rest, when He claims, as the Son of Man , to be lord of the Sabbath ( Matt. 12:8 ). Jesus continues to display His authority as lord of the Sabbath when, in a synagogue, He meets a man with a “withered hand.” Seeking a chance to show that Jesus is a Sabbath-breaker, the Pharisees ask Him if it is right to heal on the day of rest ( vv. 9–10 ). Should He do a healing...

Matthew 12:1–8 “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. …For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath ” ( vv. 6–8 ). Christ ’s call for the heavy-laden to come to Him for rest ( Matt.11:28–30 ) provides an excellent backdrop for today’s passage on the Sabbath, the day of rest prescribed in the Old Testament ( Ex. 20:8–11 ). If Jesus gives rest to His people, His view of the Sabbath helps us understand the nature of His respite. Judah’s failure to keep the Sabbath was one reason God sent the nation into exile in 586 b.c. ( 2 Chron. 36:11–21 ; Jer. 17:27 ). After the people returned to Palestine ( 2 Chron. 36:22–23 ), many religious leaders worked to ensure the Sabbath would be kept so that they would not be kicked out of their land again. They built a “fence” around the Torah — God’s law through Moses — out of various oral traditions, reasoning that the people, in keeping the oral laws, would also obey the letter of the Law protected by the fence. So tenuous w...

Oil painting of a young John Calvin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 12:9-14 "Of how much more value is man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" ( v. 12 ). We dare not miss the christological significance of our Lord's teaching on the Sabbath ( Matt. 12:1-14 ). Scripture emphasizes the Sabbath as God 's special possession; Israel was given a day of rest in order to imitate our Creator's own cessation of work ( Ex. 20:8-11 ). Furthermore, God asserted His right to determine what can and cannot be done on the Sabbath day ( Isa. 56:4-5 ). Jesus equates Himself with God, the owner and ruler of the day of rest, when He claims, as the Son of Man , to be lord of the Sabbath ( Matt. 12:8 ). Jesus continues to display His authority as lord of the Sabbath when, in a synagogue, He meets a man with a "withered hand." Seeking a chance to show that Jesus is a Sabbath-breaker, the Pharisees ask Him if it is right to heal on the day of res...

John Calvin (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 12:9 -14 "Of how much more value is man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" ( v. 12). We dare not miss the christological significance of our Lord's teaching on the Sabbath (Matt. 12:1-14). Scripture emphasizes the Sabbath as God 's special possession; Israel was given a day of rest in order to imitate our Creator's own cessation of work (Ex. 20:8-11 ). Furthermore, God asserted His right to determine what can and cannot be done on the Sabbath day (Isa. 56:4-5). Jesus equates Himself with God, the owner and ruler of the day of rest, when He claims, as the Son of Man , to be lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8). Jesus continues to display His authority as lord of the Sabbath when, in a synagogue, He meets a man with a "withered hand." Seeking a chance to show that Jesus is a Sabbath-breaker, the Pharisees ask Him if it is right to heal on the day of rest (vv. 9-10). Should He do a he...

Dispute of Jesus and the Pharisees over tribute money (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Christ and The Pharisees (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Pharisees and the Herodians Conspire Against Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Pharisees and the Saduccees Come to Tempt Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Pharisees Question Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 12:1-8 "I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. ...For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath " ( vv. 6-8 ). Christ 's call for the heavy-laden to come to Him for rest ( Matt. 11:28-30 ) provides an excellent backdrop for today's passage on the Sabbath, the day of rest prescribed in the Old Testament ( Ex. 20:8-11 ). If Jesus gives rest to His people, His view of the Sabbath helps us understand the nature of His respite. Judah's failure to keep the Sabbath was one reason God sent the nation into exile in 586 b.c. ( 2 Chron. 36:11-21 ; Jer. 17:27 ). After the people returned to Palestine ( 2...