What can a study of Marks gospel tell Christians of different dominations the meaning and importance of the Sabbath?AO2:Explain how jesus' teaching on the sabbath

Mark 3:1-6, Jesus heals a man's hand even though it is the Sabbath and no work is to be done on the Sabbath. The Pharisees are angered by this and do not want Jesus to continue with his healing but Jesus says "what does our law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To help or to harm? To save life or destroy it?" But the Pharisees went silent and Jesus healed the mans hand. This act tells modern Christians that Jesus did good on the Sabbath even though the Pharisees didn't like it. So today's Christians can follow this by doing good on a Sunday (or any day) and maybe that not all rules of Christianity need to be followed specifically if it is an obstacle of good, such as Christian doctors not resting on the Sabbath because they would rather heal people and save lives. Although some Christians may not agree with this.

The text on Jesus' burial in the gospel (Mark 5 42-47) can tell Christians today the importance of the Sabbath day as it was 2000 years ago. Once Jesus had died his body was removed from the cross he could not be buried for it was the Sabbath day. The Sabbath was so important all those years ago, so much so that families of a recently deceased person could not bury him/her.

In conclusion a study of Marks gospel on the teachings of Jesus can help Christians understand the importance and meaning of the Sabbath. Many texts from Marks gospel suggest its importance then so it should still remain important to Christians today with their Sabbath day (Sunday).

Closely linked with the marks gospel teaching the meaning of the Sabbath is how marks gospel, on Jesus' teaching on the Sabbath, can affect Christians today

Jesus teaching and actions on the Sabbath through Marks Gospel effects modern Christians today. It effects Christians behaviour, attitude, lifestyle and decision making. Most modern Christians today cannot abide by all the rules of the Sabbath in this fast and ever expanding world. But if they follow in the example of Jesus and try to do good on the Sabbath (Sunday) they are doing what God wants.

Other effects Jesus' teachings have on Christians are the effects on worship (ability to attend mass ect.), Healing (Doctors ability to see a patient on a Sunday ect.), Work (ability to work on a Sabbath ect.), Leisure (to be able to do whatever a Christian wants on a Sunday in his/her free time).

Worship is a very important part of Christian life, Jesus' teaching on the Sabbath effects worshipping of many different Christian sects in different ways. Roman Catholics believe in transubstantiation (they believe in the bread and wine at mass become the actually body and blood of Christ) so they go to church every week to receive the Eucharist. However Marks Gospel tells us that Jesus himself went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day so Roman Catholics believe along with other Christians that it is necessary to go to mass every week. Other Christians such as the Salvation Army believe in living like Jesus, helping people and believe there is no need for the Eucharist.

I think mass attendance has risen and fallen over the last 70 years. I think this because attendance has probably fallen more than it has risen over the years because families are getting richer. They have also gotten smaller. The smaller the family the more bond they might have with each other. Decades ago families were big and so mass was the one time they were all together (and awake). So mass was a time for families to bond. But today with closer families, church is not a method of bonding. Families are richer so parents may work on a Sunday or may go out for a meal with the children (it may be a Sunday routine) ect.

Healing has a lot to do with Christianity for God heals people mentally and psychically . So doctors and other types of medical staff have to choose whether to rest on a Sunday and go to church or to go into work and help cure peoples illness' and save lives. Healing also ties in with work because healers are doing Gods work as well as earning a living. Work can cause conflict between maintaining a stable life and doing what god wants. Some people need to work to live instead of working to afford luxuries and so for people needing to work on a Sunday can be excused from going got mass and resting. In mark2:23-28 Jesus said to the Pharisees that the Sabbath was made for the good of man and not man for the Sabbath. So if a man/woman needs to work on a Sunday they should not have to rest or attend church because the Sabbath was made for their well being and not working on a Sunday is only doing them harm.

Spreading peace is what Jesus really wanted. But it all depends on how different sects of Christianity go about spreading peace. The Salvation Army is all based around peace and so Sundays are dedicated to peace to helping others. But Catholicism and other sects the priest says.

"go in peace to love and serve the lord"

What does this statement actually mean? Some Christians may believe that this statement suggests that they go with inner peace within themselves and go home to reflect. But for the majority it means "go spread peace in the name of god" But even though most Catholics perceive it as "spread piece" most do not.

Can Jesus' teachings on the Sabbath effect how we spend or Sunday? In this section of the paper I will be exploring many opinions from different Christian groups, using this statement as the topic,

"Christians should be free to do as they please on a Sunday, God wont mind."

"Christians should be free to do as they please on a Sunday, god wont mind"

This is a statement that has a number of responses for there are many different forms of Christianity. I believe many people would agree with this statement such as people in the Salvation Army. They believe that it is better to do good on the Sabbath rather than have a service. Quite a few Christians would agree for God gave man free will so God would not want to force the Sabbath upon Christians making it compulsory. However other Christians may argue that God offered us the Sabbath and we accepted and that by following the laws it will make us good followers of god. Also Christians who agree with this statement may say that doing good work with other people, following in the way of Jesus, is better than going to church for ones own benefit. But Christians who disagree may suggest that Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and to follow Jesus Christians must do good as well as attend mass. However Christians such as the Salvation Army, who would agree with the statement may counter argue and say Jesus ,himself, broke the rules of the Sabbath so he could do good and that is exactly what the Salvation Army is doing.

Some Christians however, such as Catholics, believe in transubstantiation which means that the body and blood of Christ is actually present and is no longer bread and wine. So Catholics feel they have an obligation to go every week to church so they may argue that you are a bad Christian if you do not attend mass every week. Christians who agree and disagree both have valid points and have been addressed in this paper.

But in my own opinion I think Christians should be free to do as they please on a Sunday and free will has a part to play in my decision for that is our own fundamental characteristic that separates us from the animals. God gave us free will so we could live our lives in freedom. So God cannot be hypocritical and order Christians to go to church on the Sabbath for god is perfect. Also if Christians are doing good on a Sunday instead of going to mass empty hearted, and then not doing a thing for the rest of the day , it makes us a better person and Christian.