Should Hospitals send everyone home on Saturdays?

if we're speaking on the issue of the Sabbath, act's of mercy and necessity are allowed on the Sabbath.

Isaiah 58
matthew 12:1-14

Jesus healed folk on the Sabbath. When challenged by the Pharisees, He said, "What farmer doesn't pull his cow out of a bog on the Sabbath to save its life (my paraphrase)? So, if a farmer will do that and not be condemned for it, why not bring healing on the Sabbath?

Daniel Marsh said:

Should Police, Fire Departments, Nursing Homes and Hospitals send everyone home on Saturdays? or what?

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No.

I think there is a difference between necessity and everyday workload. As an example, does the premise of the Sabbath apply if a doctor or a nurse is doing elective surgeries? Or a policeman that is doing administrative paperwork... basically, things that could be done on another day. That is what my wife and I ask our selves when confronted by this. Can it wait til after Sabbath. She has continuing care workers that come in everyday and bathe her and help her with lunch and some small household chores. But we agreed that this was not necessary for them to come in on Sabbath as it wasn't for life or limb.

Daniel Marsh said:

Should Police, Fire Departments, Nursing Homes and Hospitals send everyone home on Saturdays? or what?

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Not sure in what setting you are asking this question.
Is this speaking of society in general? Then of course the answer is "no". I do not believe it is society's responsibility to enforce a day of worship upon the citizens in general. It should respect individual convictions, but not legislate a day when all "work" (other than absolute necessities) must cease.
We don't want Sunday laws, forcing us to stop work, nor should we impose Saturday laws to force others to stop work on Saturdays. Sabbath keeping is a personal appointment with God, not something society is to legislate.

On the other hand, if a nursing home, or hospital is owned and operated by a religious group who believe the Sabbath day is the day God blessed, sanctified and asked us to remember by refraining from all unnecessary work, there will be a difference on that day. No, not sending everyone home, for the sick and elderly must be cared for on the Sabbath, in fact there may even be MORE caring of a different nature -- a personal caring to bring cheer and courage to the patients. The week is planned so most of the routine work is done in the six days, and on the Sabbath the day is a "delight" for the seniors and patients to look forward to.

A last thought --
a Sabbath keeper who has a job in a hospital or nursing home and feels caring for people on the Sabbath is a good thing to do, still faces problems. The atmosphere at work in most of these places is NOT on worship and it's easy to slip into a routine that is just like all other days and thus miss the Sabbath blessing.

here is the commandment:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

so if we are to follow this commandment we do no work. our children under our care do no work. People we have authority over do no work, our animals we own does not work, we should not cause anyone outside of our faith or community to also do work. Basically our entire direct and indirect interactions should not cause work on the sabbath.

We are simply unable to function in our society based on sabbath commands because many things we do indirectly creates a demand for work. You're phone/tv/internet all function on the sabbath and because they function this requires people to work on the sabbath to allow these things to function.

You may not use your phone/tv/internet during the sabbath, or even go to the lengths of unplugging them, but it doesn't matter because you pay to use it on the sabbath even if you don't use it and paying for these services pays for people to work on the sabbath. The very fact you turn your phone on and see a signal creates "work" or that you can turn on lights creates work.

You may think this is going to far but it is not according to the law. Whether we want to admit it or not we can in fact survive by completely going off the grid and there are Christian communities that have done this. These communities may be honoring the sabbath and keeping it holy in the best way possible however what they also do is segregate themselves from their mission. Their mission never hears the gospel (from them) because these communities can't engage them intimately as they would compromise these value systems that allows them to honor the sabbath as per the law.

Jesus tells us "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." it is more important to engage our mission, even if it compromises the Sabbath, than it is to keep the Sabbath. Rather than worry about whose working why not engage these people for the sake of the gospel even if it requires you do work. Is not showing God's rest much more important than disengaging from those around us? Jesus also tells us "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" the sabbath gives us rest through God and it's not something we can obtain ourselves; the sabbath points to a rest that is far greater than any day. We have access to that rest and we can spread that rest to others and we can do it on the Sabbath working at a gas station.

When Yeshua's disciples were picking grains to eat on Shabbat, and David taking the bread from the Temple when he and his buddies were hungry... all examples of the concept that the preservation of life supersedes the commandments.

And working in care giving, medical, etc is not working for gain. What one is paid is compensation for their time and labor. That is a concept that is lost on most people. Wages are compensation for one's time, which is a commodity. They are not gains like investments. One is trading one (time) for another (money, material item, or service). It is an agreed barter situation. Only the government, specifically the IRS, sees this as a gain or income.

No, No, and just No. The Sabbath was given to the nation of Israel only. Jesus also says saving one's life is permitted on the Sabbath [Matthew 12:9-13]

Rubiks said:

No, No, and just No. The Sabbath was given to the nation of Israel only. Jesus also says saving one's life is permitted on the Sabbath [Matthew 12:9-13]

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I agree Rubiks, the Sabbath WAS for Israel only. Christians are not under the Sinai covenant, so the OP is mute, a strawman.

Years ago I was a SDA and a respiratory therapist in a SDA owned hospital. I worked on the old defunct Israelite Sabbath that SDAs espouse because I was part of the healing team. The unnecessary things I saw done, by the orders of the management, was very disheartening. It was like any other day of the week in many departments. If SDAs really believe that have to turn their foot from doing their own pleasures on the old Israelite Holy day then many things at their hospitals would stop.

This thread is really bizarre. I would be amazed to find out that the doctors and nurses at SDA hospitals (and yes, there are SDA hospitals) don't work on Saturday.