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A Sabbath Day's Journey

By: Rev. Paul Landgraf
What is a Sabbath day's journey? First of all, it is a Jewish expression. We measure distances in meters or yards. The Jews had a certain distance that they could walk on Saturday before it would be considered work. So their synagogues that they went to on Saturday could not be very far away. The word appears only in Acts 1:12 and indicates a distance of about three-quarters of a mile.

With that in mind, I think it is important to remember the origins of Christianity. Just because we have an Old Testament, it does not mean that we call it the 'Outdated Testament'. Much of the Old Testament has a literary structure that we are not aware of because of our modern emphasis on chapter and verse divisions. Within many of these blogs, I try to get the reader to see a bigger picture, a larger perspective that often includes the Old Testament and the environment that was present when the New Testament was seeing the Light of the day.

Second, a Sabbath day's journey is intentionally short. These 'journeys' with a text, almost always one of the three readings for that Sunday, are deliberately brief discussions. This blog was never designed to be a comprehensive look at any text. Sometimes a specific word is studied in detail. But, as a whole, a blog entry, by itself, is meant to be quite brief.

Finally, since the term 'Sabbath day's journey' appears in Acts, it is meant to appeal to a wide variety of people. This blog is meant for those who cannot come on Sunday mornings. And it is also for those who do come on Sunday mornings but would also like a further study of the text. It is also for those who live somewhere else in the world (besides Drake and Freedom, Missouri, USA) and would simply like a further study of the text. It was meant to get these different groups of people to start thinking about the biblical texts. Part of the reason for this blog is that I am not able to have a bible class on Sunday mornings with either congregation, and so, to have a blog like this seemed like a good idea. I hope it is helpful for you, in whatever situation you may be.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. And thank you for taking the time to read this!

April 21st, 2018

4/21/2018

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The theme for many on the Fourth Sunday in Easter is well-loved, that of the Good Shepherd. The Gospel reading for the three-year series is always some part of John 10. And it is certainly helpful to have a context for that chapter.
 
Sometimes in these writings I like to focus on a particular word. This time I am focusing on a particular account.
 
Like other sections of the bible that have duplication, many have suggested sources for such a unique perspective. One of the theoretical sources for the Gospel according to John is the so-called ‘Signs Gospel’. People have counted seven signs in the Gospel according to John.
 
Now I am certainly not against seeing the importance of that number in the scriptures. There are seven words in the first statement of the bible and fourteen in the next one. And the seven-day week was entirely God’s idea, not ours.
 
Given the literary evidence, I would like to make a slightly different emphasis. Taking into account the similarity of the first three accounts and the great difference of the fourth, I would like to suggest a sort of ‘blessing’ structure to that fourth account, similar to a benediction at the end of a church service. After the first three accounts are laid out before a person—all of them ultimately pointing to Christ, that person is (hopefully) ready to receive a blessing.
 
The typical position for blessing contains two basic parts: hands are raised and, then, words are given out. And so, as there are two signs clearly designated within the text (at 2:1-11 and 4:46-54), these may correspond to two hands being raised. And then, for most of the rest of the account, you have Jesus giving out his words of blessing.
 
As the figurative hands are raised, the blessings that are given out are that certain people now believe. This is emphasized at the end of both signs (2:11 and 4:53). And, at the very end of the entire account, the writer speaks to the reader and states that ‘these are written that YOU may believe….(20:31)’ In a way, the hands are still raised.
 
Certainly blessings are given out in the rest of the account, but it does not seem like the words of Jesus and the words of the writer point to signs as much as the writer did in the beginning. The writer seems to make a deliberate switch to focusing on a year of Jewish festivals.
 
He starts by mentioning a ‘feast’, without any specifics (5:1). And, at that festival, Jesus gets into serious trouble with ‘the Jews’, and they want to kill him (5:18). Then, in spring, there is Passover (6:4). In autumn, there is the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (7:2), and, in the winter, there is the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukah; 10:22). Jesus continues to run into some serious (and, eventually, deadly) trouble.
 
The Jewish festivals are an opportunity for the Lord’s words to be spoken in a variety of settings, for further blessings to be given. Jesus obviously handles each festival—and each person he meets—differently.  And, at each festival, there are those who go in another direction than the way of Jesus. And, then, there are those who continue to follow Jesus.
 
It is interesting that the topic of Jesus as the shepherd appears, in the seasonal year, right before winter. That is when you can tell that a shepherd is serious about his work. It is easy to stay with the flock during the warm summer months. But sticking it out during the cold winter months shows some commitment.
 
Jesus, therefore, speaks about laying down his life, not once, but twice within the text (v. 11 and 15). He is a serious shepherd for us, an EXTREMELY good shepherd.

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