DID JESUS BREAK THE SABBATH?

Did Jesus break the Sabbath? The internet is filled with the strange people telling us that Jesus actually broke the Sabbath. Is that true?

And where do they get that idea?

They got that idea, according to them, from the following scriptures:

John 5:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.

4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.

6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.

11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.

12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?

13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.

14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.

16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

18 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.

And also this scripture:

Luke 6:1 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungered, and they which were with him;

4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?

5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

In the first example we see that the strange posters point most violently to verse 18 of John 5. There the scripture says plainly that the Pharisees sought the more to kill Jesus "because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." Their contention therefore is that the Word says plainly here that Jesus broke the Sabbath.

Our contention here is that when the scripture says that Christ broke the Sabbath, it was merely showing the perception of the Pharisees. It could not be saying that Christ broke the Sabbath, for many other scriptures speaking of Christ tell us that He will be a perfect sacrifice and example of man. They tell us therefore that Christ will not sin (1 John 3:5). In the Old Testament, God at times even killed people for not keeping the Sabbath. It was even the law of the land among the Israelites for blatant Sabbath breakers to be put to death. Christ, being the example for the whole world could not then come and break the Sabbath after destroying even other certain souls for the same act.

The Jews believed that Christ had broken the Sabbath and that He, being a man, claimed to be God. That statement of the scripture was showing what the Pharisees thought and not the reality. Is it true that Jesus was a mere man claiming to be God? THAT IS WHAT THE SCRIPTURE SAYS HERE! But that statement is not true. And so we see that both statements are incorrect and this therefore shows us that the scriptures here were demonstrating the thoughts of the Pharisees and not making a standard for reality. Christ actually did not break the Sabbath, number one; and Christ is not a mere man who then claimed to be God. The scripture there was showing how the Pharisees attempted to stone Christ at that particular time and the pretexts for doing so.

If Christ was a Sabbath breaker, why didn't the Pharisees accuse Christ of being a sabbath-breaker AT HIS TRIAL AND CONDEMNATION. Yes we all know they accused Him of being a Sabbathbreaker during His ministry. Examples of that are shown above. In the second example above we see that Christ did not agree with the charge that He broke the Sabbath. Neither did He say that things have changed now. Neither did He say in any way that He was exempt from the obligation. Instead, Christ appealed to the Old Testament scriptures in order to demonstrate that He did not do anything wrong. But for some strange reason at the trial and condemnation of Jesus, we read that the Pharisees and rulers, "sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none." -- Matt. 26:59, 60. If they had justly accused Christ of being a Sabbath breaker, they would have had no problem condemning Him.

Since almost every offense the Pharisees had against Christ pertained to His keeping of the Sabbath, how is it that Christ could speak Matthew 5:17-19? That scripture tells us that we are not to think that He is come to destroy the law or the prophets. Here we see that by the things He has done in His day given even in just two scriptural examples above, people would think that he is trying to tell everyone that we can disregard the law. Yet Christ tells us that till heaven and earth pass, not a jot or tittle shall fail. It then condemns those who break them and teach people to break them. Does Christ therefore condemn Himself?

But one particular poster quotes where Christ told us that the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath. That poster therefore told us that Christ is greater than the Sabbath and therefore can and has broken it.

If Jesus were greater than the Sabbath, He would have known that before instituting it at the discomfiture of the accusers. Is that to be used as a solid argument here? If that is so, is the Sabbath the only thing that Jesus is greater than? Jesus is greater than communion. Jesus is greater than attending church. Jesus is greater than prayer. Jesus is greater than trying to trick all the churches into forming an ecumenical union under Rome. Jesus is greater than all these things. What does that prove??? Jesus is greater than the prohibition against committing adultery. When should He commit adultery therefore? These are just some of the tactics used by the workers of the Antichrist to confuse and destroy God�s people.

Please also remember that Matthew 24 tells us that when we are in flight from the trouble to come in the future, we are to pray that our flight does not take place neither in the Winter, nor upon the Sabbath day, here showing that the obligation of the Sabbath extends past the cross. Then in Matthew 28, Christ gives these unmistakable admonitions to people whom posters are telling us are Jewish:

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded YOU: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

We therefore see here that these obligations are not just for the Jews, but they are for everybody for they are part of the Gospel.