Barefoot Sabbath Eating out on the Sabbath

Dear Brethren,

The specific purpose of this Countdown to the Return of Jesus Christ, is to demonstrate that those who espouse that it is wrong for brethren to have a meal together in a restaurant on the Sabbath, are teaching a false gospel.  They follow the letter of the law while violating the spirit of the law.  They are not more righteous than their brothers and sisters in Christ because they direct the focus of the Sabbath toward the physical keeping of the Sabbath – while taking the true focus away from the worship of God.

Let us look at a few Biblical examples to help us understand the mind of Christ.  The Word of God is filled with principles and lessons that we are to apply in our lives as we grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18).  We will begin with two scenarios – the first, the burning bush:

"The angel of the Lord appeared unto [Moses] in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.  And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.  And he said, Here am I.  And He [God] said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou stand is holy ground."  (Exodus 3:2-5)

What was it about the burning bush that made the area holy ground?"  It was not the fire, the bush or the soil - it was God's presence that made that location holy ground.  Now, we will consider the Sabbath Day – because, like the ground around the burning bush – it too is holy.

"You shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defiles it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people."  (Exodus 31:14)  The Sabbath is holy time because of God's presence in the Sabbath.

Is this a good conclusion:  Since God said to Moses, "put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou stand is holy ground," shouldn't we also take off our shoes on the Sabbath because it is holy time?

What is wrong with that conclusion?  What are we to gather?  We should be saying to ourselves, "That's crazy" – or it is, "Circular reasoning" – or some such thing – but we know to reject that kind of reasoning – or we should.  Here's a good question – how would you prove to someone going barefoot on the Sabbath that they did not have to take off their shoes?  The answer is that we must possess right spiritual discernment and come to correctly understand the mind of Christ.

"The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.  For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?  But we have the mind of Christ."  (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)

God is very serious about the Sabbath – but our going barefoot on the Sabbath is not His intent.  He is teaching us to be like He is, and more than anything, we want to be in His Kingdom.  What about our understanding on "eating out" and doing "business" on the Holy Sabbath Day?  Let's start with two examples of "eating out," and, let's see what God means by the spirit of the law (Romans 7:6).  The first example:

Dressed in a dinner tuxedo, a man takes a woman, in an evening gown, out on a Friday night date to an elegant black tie restaurant for a sumptuous candlelight dinner with wine, music and dancing until the early morning hours.  Most people in God's Church would realize right off the bat that there is something about this "eating out" that is not pleasing in God's sight.  Now the second example:

A minister has to travel a few hundred miles on the Sabbath to a number of different church areas, and along the way home that evening he stops to buy a sandwich.  Most people in God's Church would think this "eating out" is proper.

Both of the above situations can be described as "eating out."  But, what we really need to know is - what constitutes proper and improper "eating out" in God's eyes.  Our heart's desire is to please God – not to want to feel more "righteous" than others, or to overcompensate for some hidden sin by going overboard with manmade precepts (Colossians 2:20-23).

Jesus did not exactly answer that question to everyone's satisfaction, because He wants us to grow in spiritual understanding.  He wants us to have the mind of Christ.  How should the Sabbath be kept?  It is to be kept "Holy."

In the Scriptures, Jesus also gave us two examples - like the two extremes above.  You know the story:  The Jews accused Jesus of  "harvesting, or working" on the Sabbath.  But, from the disciples point of view, it was like eating a few peanuts while having Bible study with the Master.  Some people think the disciples were wrong for "eating out" like that.

There is a school of thought in God's Church today that says it is "safer" to side with the Pharisees' extreme position, in order not to break the Sabbath.  God does not want us to be like the Pharisees.  Please keep in mind that Jesus is Master of the Sabbath, and He certainly was not breaking the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).  Jesus kept the Sabbath "Holy" better than anyone.

The Pharisees of Jesus' day kept the Sabbath in a more stringent manner than anyone in the Church of God does today.  They had hundreds of difficult rules for the sake of keeping the Sabbath perfectly.  They judged every situation in its most extreme interpretation.  They kept the Sabbath perfectly in their own eyes – but what did Jesus say?   "I say unto you, That unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 5:20)  If we want to be in God's kingdom – and we do – we will not keep the Sabbath as the Pharisees did.  The Pharisees were missing the intent of God's Law and God does not want us to keep the Sabbath like the Pharisees.

The Pharisees were missing the intent of God's Law.  God does not want us to keep the Sabbath like the Pharisees did. Do you know that some of them kept the Sabbath "so perfectly in their own eyes" that they wouldn't even go to the restroom because of the "work" involved.  In God's eyes, that was foolishness.

God did expect that some work would be done in serving up food on Sabbath days.  Notice what God says (and these are Feast Days here) "In the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you."  (Exodus 12:16)  God said that there was to be no planting, nor harvesting, nor butchering cattle or hauling loads to market, but it is proper to serve up meals on the Sabbath.

God says that there are some other situations when it is right to work on the Sabbath.

In a perfect world everyone would use the preparation day in order to have nice potlucks after Sabbath services with many like-minded brethren.  But, in the real world there are people who are elderly, sick, or otherwise in need – who need a ride, need a meal, need a visit, or need a friend on the Sabbath.  Everyone does not have the luxury of sitting down to a well prepared home cooked meal just waiting for them on the Sabbath.  As a matter of fact, Jesus would view that as being selfish – if others are excluded.  There is not a single example in the Scriptures of Jesus sitting back on the Sabbath at home eating a prepared meal.  In every case, He was about His Father's business on the Sabbath! (Luke 2:49)

Some people, through no fault of their own, barely make it home from work on Friday evening - it is proper for them to eat on the Sabbath.  In the real world, there are funerals and emergencies that encroach on the Sabbath.  There are accounts of those who are able to use the preparation day to get their food all ready for themselves and their families.  But if those people, who are able to take such good care of themselves would look around, they would find opportunity to serve others on the Sabbath - and it would be right to do so - not wrong.

Let me specifically address the matter of "doing business or commerce."  God calls these livelihoods, "thine own ways."  God says that we are to do what He desires be done – so it is not a day for fishing, baseball games, etc... "...doing thine own ways" in the Hebrew is 'derek' and it means your "own course of life, or custom of doing things"  - we would say, "what you do for a living the rest of the week."

"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words."  (Isaiah 58:13)

Let me also specifically address the matter of "paying for food."  Using our electricity or city water on the Sabbath is not "commerce" or "business," but it does cost money.  Some people have erroneously gotten the idea that since they "pay" for those services on another day of the week - that makes it okay.  That kind of reasoning is legalistic and superficial - it is not based in Christianity.  It is not wrong to use those public utilities on the Sabbath.

There is not one single place in the Holy Scriptures that defines business or commerce as the exchange of money.  That is the world's definition of "business" - not God's.  God tells us to save our money and spend it on the Feast Days - every one of them a Sabbath (Deut 14:26).  God says cease from your labors.  I often burn more than a tank of gas on the Sabbath to speak in distant areas - and it is not wrong to pay for it.

If a member travels a great distance to provide a ride for another member to get to Sabbath services - it is not wrong for him to purchase gas on the Sabbath either.  Jesus doesn't intend for us to haul twenty gallons of gasoline in our car, thereby endangering others.  That is not what Jesus expects of us on the Sabbath - that has nothing to do with keeping the Sabbath Holy.  "Holy" is a "spiritual" component of the Sabbath, if we can understand that.  In fact, Jesus said that when serving, it is okay to "profane" the Sabbath, and be blameless! (Matthew 12:5).

"Thine own ways," or "Business" means the week long commerce in which we are engaged for our livelihood.  What would Nehemiah think if he were resurrected and saw a number of brethren "breaking bread" in public on the Sabbath?  As a Godly man, he would have the exact same response Jesus had when the apostles eating the grain.  Jesus explained to the Pharisees that they were wrong in applying the law in the exact opposite way from that which God intended.  Yes, technically you could say that the disciples were harvesting, and the Pharisees tried to make something sinister out of it.  But the spirit of the law intends that we do good on the Sabbath.

"Jesus saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?  But they held their peace." (Mark 3:4)  In the same way, Nehemiah would distinguish between trade that is big business as usual for the purpose of commerce, or having a meal with brethren.

Please do not read something into this Scripture that is not there.  This next verse is all about the economy, manufacturing and harvesting - not about a meal.  The movies call a cowboy's meal, "victuals or vittals," but the scriptural meaning of  "victuals" is an entire processed deer, or beef.

"In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals."  (Nehemiah 13:15)  Victuals in the Hebrew is 'tsayid' and it means provisions, slaughtered beef or venison.

Notice, "sold victuals" is not a plate of food - it is a wagon load of produce.  Nehemiah was talking about big business - not someone's lunch.

Nehemiah 13:16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Big shopping, big commerce - work - was going on.

Nehemiah  13:17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day?  Business and commerce that is usual during the week is prohibited on the Sabbath, and it is wrong - God intends a day of rest from our physical labors - so that we may do good (spiritual) works.  "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works."  (Hebrews 10:24)

When Jesus Christ healed on the Sabbath He was not "breaking" the Sabbath.  But He was certainly accused of it by those who had no understanding.  We are supposed to follow Christ's example - not make hard and fast rules that go beyond what God meant.

You see, I can make a rule like, "It's wrong to eat out on the Sabbath."  Then I can say, I don't eat out on the Sabbath - I'm righteous, and everybody else doesn't measure up to my righteousness."

Some say it is "safer" to keep the letter of the law on the Sabbath.  Jesus doesn't think that way - that is why we have been given examples like David and the shewbread.  "Playing it safe" on the Sabbath rather than serving the brethren is the same as burying our talents.

The Sabbath is a Feast day - first a spiritual feast.  But it is not wrong to bring food to someone in a nursing home; nor is it wrong for a hospital or a nursing home to prepare hot meals for its patients; nor is it wrong to take an elderly person to a buffet on the Sabbath.  It is not wrong to fellowship with scattered brethren on the Sabbath - even breaking bread together.  We are not making people work for our pleasure.  We cannot look down on those who do not keep the Sabbath, like we are better than they are.  It will be wonderful when everyone keeps the Sabbath - and we all have those big potlucks on the Sabbath?  That's the millennium!

It is easy to stay home eating our own well prepared meal, feeling smug about how well we are keeping the Sabbath.   The Jews don't know all the New Testament scriptures which speak of loving and serving the brethren.  Our Christianity is supposed to be service oriented.  "Jesus said, I am among you as He that serves."  (Luke 22:27)

It is not right for Christians to only take care of their own needs.  In our world today, there are many brethren that need to be served.   We need to be more concerned about others than ourselves.  The apostle John said that talk about love is cheap -but that we need to be doing something with them.  "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."  (1John 3:18)

God is not looking for an occasion to smite us, or find us guilty of some vague technical infraction.  He wants us to grow and develop as Christians in the care, concern and service that we show to one another.  It is always proper and right to "do good" on the Holy Sabbath day.

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Sermon:

"Barefoot Sabbath"