If you feel it's OK to cook on Sabbath, why?

A_Thinker said:

I have worked on Saturday/Sunday (as a newspaper deliveryman).

But, for most of my working career, I was spared from having to work much on the weekends. In this way, I have been blessed.

But, I note that there are many who work by necessity on the weekends, ... for instance doctors, nurses, firemen, policemen, etc. I once had to carry my wife to Emergency on Sunday afternoon. I was very grateful that there were doctors, nurses, and hospital staff working that day.

Jesus said that "The Sabbath was made for man, ... and not man for the Sabbath." I interpret this to mean that God has given the Sabbath to humanity as a time of rest and respite from labor and the sccompanying cares of this world. In other words, ... it is to be a benefit to us ... and not a burden or hindrance to doing that which is good.

The 4th commandment says "Remember the Sabbath, ... to keep it holy."

I believe that God desires that we not forget, ... or treat with disdain His Sabbath ... when He rested from His creative endeavors.

And I believe that God desires that we take time to REST and REFLECT, and to GATHER in His name. Though the weekend migh be a preferred time for this, ... it can also be accomplished on other days of the week.

It is the SPIRIT of the LAW that we attempt to meet, ... not necessarily the LETTER.

Paul taught God's desire that we pursue the SPIRIT of the LAW, as opposed to the LETTER, in the following passages ...

“Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

“But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God” (Romans 2:29).

... and Jesus illustrated this principle in the (2) examples I have previously offered.

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Heey Thinker, really sorry for the late reply! I couldn’t read about it and reflect on it enough in one or two days. And I was kind of busy the week too. But I did take time during the week to read about the incident and reflect on that. But I have only myself to blame for not doing enough to give a prompt reply in the days after that. So yeah, really sorry for the late reply.

Let me type out my response. I’ll type out what I think Jesus is conveying there and also my reply to your message. So you’ll know where I’m coming from.


Jesus points out the shewbread incident. It seems God didn’t find fault with what David did since he and his men were in desperate need of food. So God seems to have shown mercy on him in David’s decision to eat the bread which only priests can eat. He went against the rule but God showed mercy. He’s a merciful God. I think that’s why he’s reminding the Pharisees that God desires for us to show mercy on others more than he desires sacrifices from us.


From all of that I think even though we should follow the rules set by God, on some very rare incidents it’s OK to go against the rule --- probably we should base those decisions on priority and ideally on the Holy Spirit’s counsel. I think the priority here is that it’s OK to sometimes work on Sabbath for people’s well-being . I’m pretty sure God wouldn’t have been OK with it if David had eaten the shewbread even if he had other food available. So it’s more of an exception granted having David’s needs in mind rather than an allowance to disregard God’s commandments.

The Pharisees were notorious for turning the Sabbath keeping into a tedious affair by adding their own rules. Perhaps that’s why Jesus also mentioned the work being done on Sabbath in the temple. I think he wanted to show them that work by itself wasn’t wrong but the context in which it was done was what decided whether it’s OK or not.

Also, one more thing I’d like to mention is that I am not convinced that plucking the ears of corn and rubbing them in one’s hands to eat can even be considered work. Sure, one may argue that since the disciples used their hands to pluck and rub it can be considered work. In that case any action of the body can be called work --- drawing a glass of water from a pot to drink, for example. Or peeling the banana skin before eating it. It doesn’t look like God forbade anything like that. It seems the things he commanded us not to do on Sabbath are works which we do for our livelihoods (Ex 34:21; Ex 16:25-30) and chores (Ex 16:23. I think this verse is relevant to the topic of the thread since it talks about not cooking on Sabbath.) So I don't think his disciples were working in that incident. But it seems rather than arguing with the Pharisees about that Jesus pointed out how God expects mercy from us towards others and then pointed out it's actually OK to do certain works on Sabbath. Do you agree?

I agree with you about how work would be necessary in some professions. We even have an incident in the Bible don't we. The Israelites went around the walls of Jericho 7 days. One of those days must have been a Sabbath. And I'm sure the soldiers guarding the country worked on Sabbath. I think it's safe to say it's fine to do some kinds of work since it's necessary for the society rather than just because work is good. Because all work is good as long as it doesn't go against God. God did command us not to do work even though work is good.

So yeah, taking into account all that my view is that cooking on Sabbath is not an emergency situation like doctors taking care of patients in a hospital. We can easily prepare food the day before. If you have a visitor on Sabbath and they have no food then it's probably fine to cook something for them if you don't have any food to give. But I don't think cooking on Sabbath is OK if there's no emergency. I don't see why else God would have told the Israelites to cook everything in advance in Ex 16:23. That's how I see it.

A_Thinker said:

Jesus' disciples could have easily gathered food for the Sabbath on the day before, as well. In fact, that was the guidance from the Old Testament Law (particularly, in regard to the gathering of manna).

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My view is that what they did wasn't even work. The Pharisees considered it to be work because they had such a restrictive view on Sabbath. If the disciples had gone to harvest the fields then that would have been work. That would be something similar to gathering manna. The

So do you think plucking the ears of the corn is essentially same as going out to gather manna? So think a type work (such as gathering manna on Sabbath) was once forbidden but allowed now (as demonstrated by the corn incident)?

A_Thinker said:

I think that Jesus reminded us that "The Sabbath was made for man, ... and not man for the Sabbath." Again, I interpret this to mean that God has given the Sabbath to humanity as a time of rest and respite from labor and the accompanying cares of this world. In other words, ... it is to be a benefit to us ... and not a burden or hindrance to doing that which is good.

I think that we will be blessed for observing a time of rest and dedication to God (though this should also occur on a daily, as well as weekly, basis). In fact that the command to keep the Sabbath teaches a general truth that we need to "reserve room" in our lives for both God and rest/reflection.

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I totally agree with the points.

A_Thinker said:

I think that Jesus reminded us that "The Sabbath was made for man, ... and not man for the Sabbath." Again, I interpret this to mean that God has given the Sabbath to humanity as a time of rest and respite from labor and the accompanying cares of this world. In other words, ... it is to be a benefit to us ... and not a burden or hindrance to doing that which is good.

Again, Paul taught God's desire that we pursue the SPIRIT of the LAW, as opposed to the LETTER, in the following passages ...

“Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

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So if you interpret that it's OK to cook on Sabbath because of those reasons, would you say the act of cooking manna on Sabbath would have been OK back in the day?

Oh and hey thanks for giving nice clear replies. I don't think I could have such a discussion at any churches. People get emotional but this is cool. I know I need to work on replying sooner. I'll definitely try harder! Thanks

A_Thinker said:

No ... but we are partakers of a BETTER COVENANT than those of that time ...

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So if I understand correctly, your view is that it was unlawful to cook on Sabbaths under the old covenant but not under the new covenant which we are under now. Correct?

A_Thinker said:

Hebrews 8

6 But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have looked for a second one.

8 But showing its fault, God says to them, “Look, the days are coming, says the Lord,when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 9 “It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers,on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord. 10 “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people.11 “And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 “For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.”

13 When he speaks of a new covenant, he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear.1

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That's true. So based on which part of the new covenant do you think the rules like not cooking on the Sabbath doesn't apply any more?

Dave-W said:

Remember our Lord and the disciples were all male Jews who were under the Law. If our Lord would have sinned and broken the Law, in even the slightest degree, it would have invalidated Him as the Sinless sacrifice for us.

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True. My view is that the disciples didn't break the law.

bloodygrace said:

Jesus broke the Sabbath on so many occasions that the Pharisees had a parable concerning it - Jesus is to the Sabbath what the broken is to the record.

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Of course, the Pharisees would have said that about their primary opponent. Didn't they also call him a glutton and a drunkard?

Which incidents do you think are examples of Jesus breaking the law?