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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 Just because we have an Old Testament, it does not mean that we call it the 'Outdated Testament'.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!

June 23rd, 2018

6/23/2018

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This Sunday is a very special Sunday; it also happened six years ago if you remember that far back. When June 24 is on a Sunday, we celebrate ‘The Nativity of St. John the Baptist’.

This does not happen every time there is a saint’s day or a day to remember someone in the Church’s history. And the newest hymnal, Lutheran Service Book, explains this distinction. On the page which lays out the feasts and festivals of the church year, there are several of them in bold print. The reason for this bold print is given below—in admittedly small print:

‘The observances listed in boldface are principal feasts of Christ and are normally observed when they occur on a Sunday. The other festivals may be observed according to local custom and preference (p. xi).’

Which are these ‘principal feasts of Christ’? They are the ones that primarily have to do with Jesus’ entrance into this world of sin. They are, in essentially chronological order, the following: ‘Circumcision and Name of Jesus, The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord, The Annunciation of Our Lord, The Visitation, The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, St. Michael and All Angels, All Saints’ Day’.

What makes a feast of Christ a so-called ‘principal’ one? It does not always involve Mary, the mother of Jesus. It does not always involve a disciple or one of the evangelists—one of the writers of the gospel accounts. It also does not always involve an apostle.

It involves being a messenger. A messenger brings important news. Sometimes it is good, and sometimes it is bad, but it is ALWAYS important. (Ask anyone who has run a marathon.) The news is important enough for someone to take time out of his or her busy day and run to another place, however far away (even 26.2 miles!), to deliver some very important information.

The angels of the Old Testament did that in their day. The Saints of the New Testament era are continuing to do that in our day. But we could probably call Jesus the messenger above all messengers.

His coming added a New Testament to the Old Testament! His coming redefined terms like ‘good news’ and ‘grace’. And you might say that he wrote the book on love.

I probably knew this before, but it was pointed out to me recently that part of the Old Testament text for this Sunday is quoted in ALL FOUR gospel accounts. That does not happen very often. ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’ is an important message. The voice of John the Baptist prepared the world for a new era—a world-wide Savior in Jesus Christ.
​

You would think that an important voice would be connected to the city of Jerusalem. This voice was, instead, connected to the wilderness; but this voice was discussing what Jerusalem was all about. This new message is a new way to have access to the Maker of heaven and earth. Go to Jesus, not to Jerusalem. Better yet, just wait. After all, he is the messenger.
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June 16th, 2018

6/16/2018

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​It can get frustrating when the same phrase in the original language is translated in a different way. That is what happens when the focus in the Gospel according to Mark turns toward parables. 

In Mark 3:21, you get the idea that Jesus' family is calling him crazy. It is actually, literally, those around him, and this is the same designation that is made in Mark 4:10. This is the group that asked Jesus about the parables. And Jesus talks to them for a while. And, so, we have the text for this Sunday (Mark 4:26-34).

It is not too far a stretch to think of ourselves as 'those around Jesus'. And it is not too far a stretch for us to think that sometimes God is crazy for not doing what WE think he should be doing. 

The growing seed and the mustard seed are good parables to remind us that God is at the heart of the growth. It is HIS kingdom. Unfortunately we can start to think that it is ours.

Sometimes the Gospel according to Mark ends a section on a negative note. The last verse of the account (Mark 16:8) does that in a way. The last verse of the text for this Sunday ends somewhat positively. The translation reads that Jesus 'explained everything' to his disciples privately. But one should not think that this solves all the problems the disciples had and that they had no difficulties for the rest of the account.

One might look at the word 'explained'. In one of the dictionaries (BDAG), the basic definition of the word is to release or set free. But its use in the New Testament is more knowledge related and means to explain, resolve, or settle. (It is essentially used only in 2 Pet 1:20, Mark 4:34, and Acts 19:39.) 

That physical emphasis seems to be what is often emphasized elsewhere in this account. This understanding also reminds us that it is not about understanding the situation, but it is about believing in the One who was sent. We trust that He is the One who frees us from sin.
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June 09th, 2018

6/9/2018

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​This Sunday starts our walk with the Gospel according to Mark for a long, long while. But at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, this Sunday is a VERY special Sunday. I am humbled to be a part of their 150th anniversary service. And there are special readings to be read on a Sunday like that.

But the Sabbath Day is also a very special day, and that is the focus for the normal texts for this Sunday. And the history of the Sabbath Day goes back, literally, to the beginning of time. People in the past were not amazed that God did not take millions of years to form the earth. They were amazed that he took SO LONG to create everything. He could have created things in a second. And it took basically an ENTIRE WEEK!

What is almost funny is that the text says God rested on the seventh day. Notice that it does NOT say God was tired. It DOES say that he blessed that day and made it holy. And that makes a difference in our lives. That also makes a difference in our perspective of God.

The Sabbath Day has never glowed.  It has never FELT holy. 

Holiness is not a feeling; it is a gift. For holiness to be a feeling, the focus of holiness would then have to be on ourselves. That is NOT the focus of holiness in the scriptures, and that is not the way in which God has chosen to work. 

The Fall into sin could have been on a Sabbath Day. That would make sense, since Adam and Eve were trying to be like God. A lot of people have that perspective.

The gift of holiness is actually given in a very loving way. In the language of the Lutheran Confessions (our perspective of the scriptures), the gift of faith happens 'where and when it pleases God (AC IV).' This is a helpful phrase to remember the primary way in which God has chosen to work--not as a powerful God, but as a loving One. 

This is the Jesus way. He, literally, is our Sabbath rest.
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June 02nd, 2018

6/2/2018

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​This Sunday starts our walk with the Gospel according to Mark for a long, long while. But at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, this Sunday is a VERY special Sunday. I am humbled to be a part of their 150th anniversary service. And there are special readings to be read on a Sunday like that.

But the Sabbath Day is also a very special day, and that is the focus for the normal texts for this Sunday. And the history of the Sabbath Day goes back, literally, to the beginning of time. People in the past were not amazed that God did not take millions of years to form the earth. They were amazed that he took SO LONG to create everything. He could have created things in a second. And it took basically an ENTIRE WEEK!

What is almost funny is that the text says God rested on the seventh day. Notice that it does NOT say God was tired. It DOES say that he blessed that day and made it holy. And that makes a difference in our lives. That also makes a difference in our perspective of God.

The Sabbath Day has never glowed.  It has never FELT holy. 

Holiness is not a feeling; it is a gift. For holiness to be a feeling, the focus of holiness would then have to be on ourselves. That is NOT the focus of holiness in the scriptures, and that is not the way in which God has chosen to work. 

The Fall into sin could have been on a Sabbath Day. That would make sense, since Adam and Eve were trying to be like God. A lot of people have that perspective.

The gift of holiness is actually given in a very loving way. In the language of the Lutheran Confessions (our perspective of the scriptures), the gift of faith happens 'where and when it pleases God (AC IV).' This is a helpful phrase to remember the primary way in which God has chosen to work--not as a powerful God, but as a loving One. 

This is the Jesus way. He, literally, is our Sabbath rest.
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