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 Just because we have an Old Testament, it does not mean that we call it the 'Outdated Testament'.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

October 28th, 2023

10/28/2023

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Some congregations will be celebrating this Sunday that it is the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost (and the gospel text is Matthew 22:34-46). Other congregations, like the ones I am currently serving, will be celebrating Reformation this Sunday. For this type of celebration, the gospel text is from John 8:31-36 (with a second option of Matthew 11:12-19). 

In the writings of this website, we are continuing our walk through the Gospel according to Matthew. And we have been going in the order in which the entire text was laid out. Last week we looked at basically what happened to Judas. This week we will be looking at basically what happened to Jesus.

There are three historical presents in this section. (The term ‘historical present’ is used when something like the past tense verb is usually expected, but a present tense verb shows up.) Interestingly enough, two of them deal with questions, the first one with the accusations of the religious leaders, and the second regarding the sentence of death. These two critical steps combine to lead the reader or listener to what could be called the greatest highpoint of history.

What follows is an attempt at a somewhat-literal translation of what is typically called Matthew 27:11-32; it is the section right before the crucifixion:

Now the Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, the governor, saying, “You, yourself, are the king of the Jews?”

Now the Jesus told, “You, yourself, have said.” And in the being accused, him, by the arch-priests and elders, nothing he answered. 

Then he says to him, the Pilate, “You hear, do you not, how many things, you, they witness against?” And not he answered him, to not even one word, so as to marvel, the governor, greatly. Now according to a feast, he was accustomed, the governor, to release one for the crowd, a prisoner whom they wanted. Now they had, then, a prisoner, outstanding, being called Jesus Barabbas. Therefore, having been assembled, they, he said to them, the Pilate, “Whom do you want I release to you, Jesus the Barabbas or Jesus, the one called Christ?” For he knew that because of envy they handed over him. 

Now sitting, he, upon the tribunal, she sent to him, the wife of him, saying, “Nothing with you and with the righteous one, that; for many things I suffered today in a dream because of him.”

Now the arch-priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they ask, the Barabbas, now the Jesus, they destroy.

Now having answered, the governor said to them, “Which do you want, from the two, I release to you?” 

Now they said, “The Barabbas.”

He says to them, the Pilate, “Therefore, what I will do, Jesus, the one called Christ?” 

They say, all, “Let him be crucified.”

Now he told, “For what evil he did?”

Now the ones, more, were crying out, saying, “Let him be crucified.”

Now having seen, the Pilate, that nothing is gained, but on the contrary, rather an uproar is happening, having taken water, he washed the hands before the crowd, saying, “Innocent I am from the blood of this one; you yourselves will see.”

And having answered, all the people said, “The blood of him, upon us and upon the children of us.”
Then he released for them the Barabbas, now the Jesus, having scourged, he handed over, that he might be crucified.

Then the soldiers of the governor, having taken along the Jesus into the praetorium, they assembled against him the whole, the cohort. And having taken off him, a cloak, scarlet, they placed around him, and having woven a crown of thorns, they placed upon the head of him, and a reed in the right of him, and having knelt before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” And having spit into him, they took the reed, and they were hitting into the head of him. And when they mocked him, they took off, him, the cloak, and they put on him the clothes of him, and they led away him, into, to crucify. Now going out, they found a man, Cyrenian, by name Simon, this one they forced that he carry the cross of him.
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