Working on Sunday

[JacksBratt]

Hello!,

I need some help on a topic that has been making me go back and forth. Can Christians work on sunday? Please do provide scripture for either answer. I really do appreciate it! I also put up a poll too!

I believe that it is healthy to have at least one day where you can stop and relax... Sure you will have to get meals and such but... no payed employment, no house work... Definitely spend time in the word and prayer... and do things that bring you joy.

Not necessarily on a Sunday...

 

[Ken Rank]

I was careful not to refer to Sunday as the Sabbath. Apostolic Christianity has always understood the seventh day to be the Sabbath, as it has always been. However, the first Christians and subsequent generations have met on the first/eighth day in commemoration of Christ rising from the dead on that day. Saturday is the Sabbath, and Sunday is the Lord's Day.

The first Christians did not. The first Christians were Jews and they continued to meet in the synagogues on Shabbat. We do have a historical record of some Jews who began to set Sunday aside but they were a minority and remained so until after the bar Khokba revolt in 134AD.

Listen... I am not trying to get you to change your beliefs. I shared my view, you shared yours, that's it. But if you want to take 5-10 minutes and get some historical background you might not be familiar with, here it is.

Why did Christianity Stop Looking so Jewish?
By Ken Rank

I would like to share a progression of history that is not taught in many churches today. In fact, there are teachers and leaders in many churches that have never learned of this history; yet this history sheds light on the soil in which the early church grew and was nurtured. Yeshua, or as most of us in the West know him, Jesus, is believed by many to be Messiah and is Jewish. His message was about repentance (turning/returning) and was directed toward a particular people.[3] What he was not doing was attempting to steer people toward another god, nor was he attempting to install a new religious system or set of practices. Those who believed Yeshua was Messiah simply saw him fulfilling prophesies and expectations that were taught and understood within an existing religion. So, until the time of the destruction of the second Temple, and perhaps for a short while longer, Christianity by and large was seen as a sect of Judaism.[4] And not only was the leader of this sect Jewish, his 12 apostles were all Jewish, and his message, for the most part, went forward in and around Judea. On top of this, the Book of Acts contains examples where the disciples retained access to synagogues despite their theological differences with other Jews at that time, and we even see Paul going into synagogues week after week reasoning with both Jews and Greeks.[5] It is actually difficult to ignore the fact that the face of early Christianity was Jewish. So what happened?

There are 3 events that began to reshape the face of what we now call Christianity. Two of them happened so close in time that it is hard to differentiate the effect that each of these events had on the body. The first is the death of James, the brother of Yeshua. There are some early historical references and hints within the NT that James was the head of the Church of Jerusalem.[6] One might consider this congregation to be the first mega-church as it appears to have had over 20,000 members out of a population of 80,000 that lived in Jerusalem at that time[7]; so much for the teaching that all Jews rejected Yeshua![8]

James is said to have died before the destruction of the second Temple. Early Christian tradition states that James was invited to speak at Passover before many Jews who did not believe Yeshua was Messiah. When James began to speak of the Passover and its relation to the work of Yeshua, he was killed. Shortly thereafter, the Temple was destroyed and many Christians (read: Jews and non-Jews who followed Yeshua) saw this as an abomination, and thus used the warning in Matthew 24:16 to flee to the mountains. It is estimated that about half of the Jews who believed that Yeshua was Messiah left and did not return.[9] The remaining half stayed and began to expand in numbers again until the Bar Kokhba Revolt of 132-135AD. Simon Bar Kosiba was a Jewish military leader who led the final revolt against Roman occupation, which ultimately failed. A Rabbi by the name of Akiva, in an attempt to rally support behind the effort, gave him the name Bar Kokhba (a Messianic title) and the remaining Jewish believers in Yeshua would not fight for the sovereignty of Jerusalem under the banner of one whom they believed to be a false Messiah. They too left and did not return to the area.[10]

As this sect of Judaism began to spread geographically, and as those from areas outside of Judea became part of this movement, animosity beyond what already existed between the two groups began to grow. It wouldn’t be long before both sides, but perhaps mainly the Christians, began to pass decrees to make themselves appear less Jewish in appearance. For example, at the Council of Elvira[11] decrees were passed that tried to keep Jews and Christians apart by ordering the latter never to share a meal with Jews, never to marry Jews, never to use Jews to bless their fields, and that Christians were never to observe the Jewish Sabbath (of course, these decrees also serve to substantiate that Christians had been doing these things up until this point).[12] Slowly, over time, more decrees and similar teachings began to come together in such a way that there would eventually be no mistaking Judaism and Christianity. What was once a sect of Judaism became, at least in outward form, a new religion. And within that religion, the view that the Jews were “Christ Killers” was already gaining momentum. For example, in the homily Peri Pascha, Melito of Sardis (circa middle of the second century) wrote “The God has been murdered; the king of Israel has been put to death by an Israelite right hand.”[13] Another example, Justin Martyr (also circa middle of the second century), in his Dialogue with Trypho, A Jew, explains why the Jews have suffered exile and the destruction of the Temple, saying to his Jewish interlocutor “tribulations were justly imposed on you since you have murdered the Just One [Jesus].”[14]

I do want to state, however, that this is not the view of many or even most Christians today. I am simply stating that over the course of history, there have been times where Jews were wholly blamed for Yeshua’s death. For the purposes of this article, I am looking at the general view of early Christians which informed the views of many who would come later.[15]

[3] See Matthew 4:17, Luke 5:32, and Matthew 15:24

[4] See Acts 24:1-6, also verse 14, and Acts 28:22

[5] Acts 18:4

[6] Fragment X of Papias, Eusebius Ecclesiastical History 2:1:2, 3:5:2, Acts 15:13, etc.

[7] Estimating the Population of Ancient Jerusalem, Magen Broshi, BAR 4:02, Jun 1978

[8] See Acts 21:20 and look at the underlying word for “many thousands.”

[9] Eusebius Ecclesiastical History 3:5:3, de Mens. et Pond., 15, Haer 29:7, etc.

[10] Justin, “Apologia”, ii.71, Eusebius 4:6:2-3, Orosius “Hist.” vii.13

[11] Generally accepted to be 306AD

[12] The Council of Elvira. CUA.EDU. Text of 81 Canons in English. Web. Accessed 22 Aug 2014. http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/Canon Law/ElviraCanons.htm

[13] On the Pascha, 68; Melito of Sardis. On Pascha and fragments, ed. S.G. Hall (1979), p. 55.

[14] Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 16

[15] For a more in-depth historical treatment of this topic, see Jeremy Cohen’s Christ Killers: The Jews and the Passion from the Bible to the Big Screen (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007).

 

[Strong in Him]

Hello!,

I need some help on a topic that has been making me go back and forth. Can Christians work on sunday? Please do provide scripture for either answer. I really do appreciate it! I also put up a poll too!

IMO, yes.
Nurses, Doctors, the police, paramedics etc work on Sundays - because people don't plan when to have heart attacks, get burgled or become ill. When I was a care worker, I had shifts on Sundays and days off during the week.
Meeting together with other Christians is important, and I would go to church before/after, if appropriate. But if work does not allow this, there are ways of having fellowships other than going to a Sunday service.

 

[BNR32FAN]

Hello!,

I need some help on a topic that has been making me go back and forth. Can Christians work on sunday? Please do provide scripture for either answer. I really do appreciate it! I also put up a poll too!

Your title is asking two different questions. Should we work on Sunday? Probably not if we can afford not to. We are told to meet together regularly with other Christians.

“and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:24-25‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Can we work on Sunday? Yes, but I would still suggest setting aside a day of rest for The Lord.

“One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14:5-6‬ ‭NASB‬‬

 

[ChicanaRose]

IMO, yes.
Nurses, Doctors, the police, paramedics etc work on Sundays - because people don't plan when to have heart attacks, get burgled or become ill. When I was a care worker, I had shifts on Sundays and days off during the week.

Great point! I'd like to add suicide hotline counselor to that list.

Also, even in a long-term care, medical staff cannot abandon patients in ICU or neo-natal units to go to church. Someone has to be monitoring them.

Good thing many large hospitals offer chapel services by chaplains. Hopefully Christian co-workers can divide up the shifts so each can attend.

 

[friend of]

Keeping Sabbath not in effect

 

[Knee V]

The first Christians did not. The first Christians were Jews and they continued to meet in the synagogues on Shabbat. We do have a historical record of some Jews who began to set Sunday aside but they were a minority and remained so until after the bar Khokba revolt in 134AD.

Listen... I am not trying to get you to change your beliefs. I shared my view, you shared yours, that's it. But if you want to take 5-10 minutes and get some historical background you might not be familiar with, here it is.

Why did Christianity Stop Looking so Jewish?
By Ken Rank

I would like to share a progression of history that is not taught in many churches today. In fact, there are teachers and leaders in many churches that have never learned of this history; yet this history sheds light on the soil in which the early church grew and was nurtured. Yeshua, or as most of us in the West know him, Jesus, is believed by many to be Messiah and is Jewish. His message was about repentance (turning/returning) and was directed toward a particular people.[3] What he was not doing was attempting to steer people toward another god, nor was he attempting to install a new religious system or set of practices. Those who believed Yeshua was Messiah simply saw him fulfilling prophesies and expectations that were taught and understood within an existing religion. So, until the time of the destruction of the second Temple, and perhaps for a short while longer, Christianity by and large was seen as a sect of Judaism.[4] And not only was the leader of this sect Jewish, his 12 apostles were all Jewish, and his message, for the most part, went forward in and around Judea. On top of this, the Book of Acts contains examples where the disciples retained access to synagogues despite their theological differences with other Jews at that time, and we even see Paul going into synagogues week after week reasoning with both Jews and Greeks.[5] It is actually difficult to ignore the fact that the face of early Christianity was Jewish. So what happened?

There are 3 events that began to reshape the face of what we now call Christianity. Two of them happened so close in time that it is hard to differentiate the effect that each of these events had on the body. The first is the death of James, the brother of Yeshua. There are some early historical references and hints within the NT that James was the head of the Church of Jerusalem.[6] One might consider this congregation to be the first mega-church as it appears to have had over 20,000 members out of a population of 80,000 that lived in Jerusalem at that time[7]; so much for the teaching that all Jews rejected Yeshua![8]

James is said to have died before the destruction of the second Temple. Early Christian tradition states that James was invited to speak at Passover before many Jews who did not believe Yeshua was Messiah. When James began to speak of the Passover and its relation to the work of Yeshua, he was killed. Shortly thereafter, the Temple was destroyed and many Christians (read: Jews and non-Jews who followed Yeshua) saw this as an abomination, and thus used the warning in Matthew 24:16 to flee to the mountains. It is estimated that about half of the Jews who believed that Yeshua was Messiah left and did not return.[9] The remaining half stayed and began to expand in numbers again until the Bar Kokhba Revolt of 132-135AD. Simon Bar Kosiba was a Jewish military leader who led the final revolt against Roman occupation, which ultimately failed. A Rabbi by the name of Akiva, in an attempt to rally support behind the effort, gave him the name Bar Kokhba (a Messianic title) and the remaining Jewish believers in Yeshua would not fight for the sovereignty of Jerusalem under the banner of one whom they believed to be a false Messiah. They too left and did not return to the area.[10]

As this sect of Judaism began to spread geographically, and as those from areas outside of Judea became part of this movement, animosity beyond what already existed between the two groups began to grow. It wouldn’t be long before both sides, but perhaps mainly the Christians, began to pass decrees to make themselves appear less Jewish in appearance. For example, at the Council of Elvira[11] decrees were passed that tried to keep Jews and Christians apart by ordering the latter never to share a meal with Jews, never to marry Jews, never to use Jews to bless their fields, and that Christians were never to observe the Jewish Sabbath (of course, these decrees also serve to substantiate that Christians had been doing these things up until this point).[12] Slowly, over time, more decrees and similar teachings began to come together in such a way that there would eventually be no mistaking Judaism and Christianity. What was once a sect of Judaism became, at least in outward form, a new religion. And within that religion, the view that the Jews were “Christ Killers” was already gaining momentum. For example, in the homily Peri Pascha, Melito of Sardis (circa middle of the second century) wrote “The God has been murdered; the king of Israel has been put to death by an Israelite right hand.”[13] Another example, Justin Martyr (also circa middle of the second century), in his Dialogue with Trypho, A Jew, explains why the Jews have suffered exile and the destruction of the Temple, saying to his Jewish interlocutor “tribulations were justly imposed on you since you have murdered the Just One [Jesus].”[14]

I do want to state, however, that this is not the view of many or even most Christians today. I am simply stating that over the course of history, there have been times where Jews were wholly blamed for Yeshua’s death. For the purposes of this article, I am looking at the general view of early Christians which informed the views of many who would come later.[15]

[3] See Matthew 4:17, Luke 5:32, and Matthew 15:24

[4] See Acts 24:1-6, also verse 14, and Acts 28:22

[5] Acts 18:4

[6] Fragment X of Papias, Eusebius Ecclesiastical History 2:1:2, 3:5:2, Acts 15:13, etc.

[7] Estimating the Population of Ancient Jerusalem, Magen Broshi, BAR 4:02, Jun 1978

[8] See Acts 21:20 and look at the underlying word for “many thousands.”

[9] Eusebius Ecclesiastical History 3:5:3, de Mens. et Pond., 15, Haer 29:7, etc.

[10] Justin, “Apologia”, ii.71, Eusebius 4:6:2-3, Orosius “Hist.” vii.13

[11] Generally accepted to be 306AD

[12] The Council of Elvira. CUA.EDU. Text of 81 Canons in English. Web. Accessed 22 Aug 2014. http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/Canon Law/ElviraCanons.htm

[13] On the Pascha, 68; Melito of Sardis. On Pascha and fragments, ed. S.G. Hall (1979), p. 55.

[14] Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 16

[15] For a more in-depth historical treatment of this topic, see Jeremy Cohen’s Christ Killers: The Jews and the Passion from the Bible to the Big Screen (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007).

I agree. They did indeed meet on the Sabbath. They also met on the Lord's Day. They did both, at least for a while. They gathered on Saturday for the prayers, hymns and Scripture readings, and then met the next day for the Eucharist. Not too long later they were booted from the Synagogues, and added the Synagogue elements to their Sunday Eucharistic worship, which is the structure that churches still use today.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Of course he did but he had a valid reason to break it.

No He NEVER broke Shabbat!

 

[S.O.J.I.A.]

Yeah, go to work

The day of rest is the 7th day ... Saturday.

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

Jesus and his disciples gleaned grain on the Sabbath. Jesus healed and taught in synagogues on the Sabbath.

Which is OK to do in Torah

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

is there any scripture verses I could look at?

Colossians 2:16:
"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day."

 

[ewq1938]

There is absolutely no passage in the New Testament that contradicts or abrogates this commandment in any way.

The commandment is given in Judaism not in Christianity. You are confusing things from one religion and forcing it into a different religion.

 

[Redwingfan9]

The commandment is given in Judaism not in Christianity. You are confusing things from one religion and forcing it into a different religion.

The 10 Commandments apply for all time. They are not abrogated by Jesus.

 

[carp614]

Galatians 5:18 is my guide for questions of law.

I am blessed with a Monday to Friday job. Over time I have been able to make it clear to my colleagues and leadership that I don't do my regular job on the weekends except on rare occasions. They have been gracious enough to respect this boundary.

We focus our time together on weekends on volunteering and taking care of things around the house. On Saturdays we volunteer at a horse rescue and on Sundays we volunteer at the church.

 

[ChicanaRose]

Hello!,

I need some help on a topic that has been making me go back and forth. Can Christians work on sunday? Please do provide scripture for either answer. I really do appreciate it! I also put up a poll too!

I am wondering how many people feel Christians can work on Sunday if it is after they have attended worship service (for example, they go to the 8:00AM service and then work a PM shift) rather than skip worship service altogether to work.

 

[dqhall]

I

Which is OK to do in Torah

In the Torah they stoned people for picking up sticks on the Sabbath.

 

[ewq1938]

I

In the Torah they stoned people for picking up sticks on the Sabbath.

Yep. That's because any working/any gathering was breaking the Sabbath yet Christ and his disciples gathered food on the Sabbath. They were supposed to gather all food the day before but they had an important mission/ministry that did not take days off so the Sabbath rules did not apply to them.

 

[Ken Rank]

I agree. They did indeed meet on the Sabbath. They also met on the Lord's Day. They did both, at least for a while. They gathered on Saturday for the prayers, hymns and Scripture readings, and then met the next day for the Eucharist. Not too long later they were booted from the Synagogues, and added the Synagogue elements to their Sunday Eucharistic worship, which is the structure that churches still use today.

See, even the term "Lord's day" is in dispute. While I would agree that we have some pretty early Christians using that term on the day he resurrected, I don't believe that John saw what he saw in Revelation on a Sunday. In that case, I think "Lord's Day" and "Day of the Lord" are the same thing... an end time vision is what he had. Regardless... I posted a work with sourcing on when and why Christianity ceased being Jewish. Most any answer I would give here I already posted there.

Blessings.
Ken

 

[Ken Rank]

No He NEVER broke Shabbat!

This is an important thing to understand... sin is the breaking of the law (1 John 3:4). If Yeshua broke the Sabbath, he sinned and isn't our messiah. The only thing he broke, ladies and gentlemen, was the Pharisaical traditions ADDED to the Sabbath. For example... there is >>NO<< verse in the bible that says you can't pick a piece of fruit and eat it on Sabbath. It DOES SAY you can't pick it and sell it or pick it and store it to sell later as either is "work." But to pick and eat... not a sin... not in the bible! So when the Pharisees make the claim that disciples sinned by picking and eating grain on Sabbath, it was THEIR LAW that was broken, not God's! But since we don't study the OT, as Christians, to any great detail... we don't know that and assume he actually broke the Sabbath.

 

[Charles Kanyuga]

If the Moses represented the old covenant that is the law (works for redemption), then there must be a new covenant through Jesus Christ even grace- the LORD's REST.
Sabbath has a spiritual significant over mere observance of the day. Important to note is that Sunday is not the sabbath day.
Jesus said that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the son of man is the Lord even of the sabbath. The spiritual significant of the sabbath is meant to deliver us from toils and eating the sweat of our blows to coming into the rest of God that is Grace through faith. literally, you cannot at all do away with work as we now understand work.
Do you remember Genesis 3: 19, God meant to deliver us from this 'curse' so that we can come into his rest by introducing the law of sabbath. The works of our flesh leads us to sin and what we harvest from the flesh is death. The law made us conscious of sin (I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law, Romans 7:7); it made nothing perfect... nevertheless Christ came full of grace and truth, that which when we become aware of we are set free indeed... for this reason Jesus called all who are heavy laden to come to him for rest. He also said that the only work that now remains in God is for us to believe in the one He sent even Christ. We enter the Sabbath of God by grace through faith in His Christ and not by refraining from physical activities.