The Sabbath, to the Jews was a holy day in which they believed no works should be done. It was a day of rest; from sunset to sunset. The Jews believed that working was against the law in which had been set by the Pharisees.
‘It was preparation day, so Joseph went boldly into the presence of Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus’ Jesus wanted to bury the body before sunset because he believed that the Sabbath was not a time for working. After the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary (mother of James and Salome) brought spices to anoint the body of Jesus. This shows that they also thought of the Sabbath as a day of rest so they didn’t attempt to visit Jesus’ body before the end of the Sabbath. This tells Christians that they should spend their special family and God. They should go to Church to pray, they should work because that’s what Jesus done, they should also enjoy themselves and help others.
Because working seven days a week means that you do not get to spend quality time with your family but calling for a doctor is okay because Jesus preached that we should heal others is what the doctor would be doing.
Explain how Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath would affect the life of a Christian today.
There are many different Christian denominations. But they all interpret Christ’s teachings in a different way. The Salvation Army believe it is through Good Works where the Evangelical believes it is through singing, praising and worship. All through a word based meaning. The Roman Catholics express it through mass where as the Church of England does it through Holy Communion.
It would be different because a Christian would go to church to pray, spend time with the family on a day out. An Atheist may not see that as a priority. They may think that working on a Sunday to earn money/meeting up with friends is more important.
A Catholic would use Marks Gospel to explain why it is necessary to go to mass every Sunday because of the parable ‘The Last Supper’ It shows that spending time with those you care for is very important.
Because they see by doing good works they are helping God complete his mission, ‘Love thy neighbour’ but by doing rituals nothing is getting completed.
A single parent would need to work seven days a week in order to earn money to take care for he or she children unlike the highly paid parent who does not really need the promotion, but only wants it for self fulfilment.
Emergency services should not feel guilty because they are helping those in need, just like Jesus did. Jesus did not stop helping others but carried on because helping others is what Sunday is about.
‘Christians should be free to do as they please on a Sunday – God wont mind’ I agree with this statement because some people may not have a family to spend their Sundays with so would rather do as they please, or there a single parent who needs the money to keep his/her family afloat financially so will work extra hours. On the other hand some might say that God would have wanted us to spend time with our families and going to church. In my opinion Christians should be able to do as they please because he did not set any rules saying that we could not do this. He set us free so we could choose our own paths in life.
