1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

====================R4995 : page 100WHICH DAY IS SABBATH?--MARK 2:23-3:6.--APRIL 14.--Text:--"The Sabbath was made for man,and not man for the Sabbath."--Mark 2:27.THAT THE BIBLE teaches some importantlessons respecting the Sabbath is undisputed,but what that lesson is is muchquestioned. The fourth commandment ofthe Decalogue refers to the seventh dayand requires its observance as a day ofrest, and no more. The Ten Commandments,as a whole, were the basis of theLaw Covenant, compulsory upon every Jew.The Jew keeping all of those commandmentswas promised everlasting life. Failure to keepthem all condemned him afresh. There can be no doubton this point.However, in our Lord's time, Jewish religionists hadbecome to a considerable degree formalists, and greaterstress was laid upon the literal commandments than ontheir real spirit, their real meaning. Jesus reproved thison several occasions, saying to the Doctors of the Law,"You bind heavy burdens upon the people." For instance,to hunt for a flea on the Sabbath was construed to be aviolation of the fourth commandment, a breaking of theSabbath, for it was claimed that the man was hunting astruly as though it were a buffalo or a lion.Similarly, as mentioned in this lesson, fault was foundwith our Lord's disciples because, passing through a wheatfield, they rubbed out some of the grains in their handsand ate them. This was construed as a violation of theSabbath because it was threshing, winnowing, whetherthe amount was small or great. Jesus did not violate theSabbath ordinance nor teach men so. He was a Jew andbound to keep the Sabbath law to the full. He did objectto such nonsensical misinterpretations as we havementioned. In this study He shows that the Sabbath wasordained for man, and that it is a mistake to suppose, assome then and some now seem to suppose, that God madeR4996 : page 100man simply to keep the Sabbath. One day of rest to sixof work was intended for man's comfort and protection,and at the same time to symbolize a certain great lesson,which we shall note hereafter.Jesus, knowing the mental attitude of His hearers inrespect to ancient customs, supported His teaching by