Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 7/22/2011

Question
HI Pastor,  I was wanting to ask a question after reading your answer to Ray re the sabbath question.
You say the commandments were nailed to the cross- are you sure about this, because if they were, your telling us that it is now OK to steal and murder and commit adultry etc.  May I also point out, that Christ was crucified on preparation day, the day before the sabbath, hence I asume they were still keeping the sabbath at the time, and He, Christ rose on the first day of the week.   My question also to you is this.
If Christ was crucified on the preparation day which was friday in HIs time, He laid one day in the Tomb, which could only have been Saturday or The Holy Sabbath Day, as referred to in the 10 commandments, then He rose on the first day of the week, which after the 7th day of the week we revert back to the 1st day again, hence it could only have been sunday, would you not conceed He Rested on His Fathers Holy Sabbath Day? Would you not???

Answer
Hi Beulah

THank you for your question about the Sabbath day.  Let us take a few minutes to consider this passage:

Colossians 2:14–16 (AV)
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:


It was the ordinences He nailed to the cross, not the moral laws... the Sabbath is unique in the 10 commandments because it was a ceremonial law.  We know that it was because verse 16 gives us the list of the ordinences that were nailed to the cross.  THe Sabbath is included as a ceremonial law nailed to the cross.

Jesus never sinned, but He did break the Sabbath.  Now I am not saying that the Pharasees only though He did.... the Bible says He did!

Breaking the Sabbath is working on the Sabbath day.  He was questioned by the religious leaders and this was His response:

John 5:15–18 (AV)
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.

Look at the wording.  They did not THINK He had... the Bible says He had broken the Sabbath.  Now He can do this and remain sinless if it is a ceremonial law... it was.  That is why I believe that we are still not to murder etc, but do not have to keep the Sabbath, because Colossians 2 says it was nailed to the cross.

Now as to Jesus keeping the Sabbath by dying, it is a stretch ... but possible.  You need to remember that both the Sabbath of the Passover and the weekly Sabbath were involved in this story.  Many believe that Jesus died on Wednesday to fulfill the prophecy of Jonah where he was three nights and three days in the earth... the time does not work if it were friday.  Good Friday is a Catholic tradition, not a Bible truth.

I hope that this helps you.

In Christ
Pastor Don