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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Matthew 12:1-13 - What does Christ say is appropriate for the Sabbath day?

In these verses, the Pharisees accuse Christ of plucking ears of corn and healing on the Sabbath Day. Christ declares himself Lord of the Sabbath, and He explains to the Pharisees why His actions are acceptable.

In the talk "The Sabbath--Holy Day or Holiday?" from the October 1994 Ensign, Elder Charles Didier says, "The New Testament opens new doors to our understanding of the spirit of the Sabbath. Jesus Christ himself corrected the general misunderstandings about the rigidity of the law during his time. Answering the questions of the Pharisees, he stated: 'The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath' (Mark 2:27). At the same time, he gave the people an example of what could be done on that holy day: he taught in parables, lectured on spirituality, read from the law and the prophets, visited and healed the afflicted, blessed the obedient, pondered, prayed, called twelve Apostles, and rested.'

The Sabbath is a day to glorify God. It was "given unto man for a day of rest . . . and not that man should not eat. For the Son of Man made the Sabbath day, therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath" (JST, Mark 2:26-27). We should be following the example of the Savior who created the Sabbath Day. It was a mistake of the Pharisees to be so caught up in the law of the Sabbath that they failed to recognize the good of Christ's actions that He performed on the Sabbath. Christ is the ultimate authority.

When it comes down to it, we can follow the council of Matthew 12:12 which reads, "It is lawful to do well on the sabbath days."

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