13. Sabbath In Acts

Books, Dale Ratzlaff, Doctrine, Feature, Sabbath In Christ, The Sabbath

On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue

This chapter will examine all the Sabbath incidents in the book of Acts to discover what, if anything, is taught regarding the Sabbath and what can be learned by the Sabbath behavior of the early believers. It is important to look carefully at each Sabbath episode.

Acts 13:13–52

But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” And Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, he said…(Acts 13:14 –16).

At this point Paul begins a sermon which continues through verse 41. It becomes immediately evident that Paul’s subject matter is not the Sabbath, but the good news of Christ. Paul does, however, make an incidental reference to the Sabbath.

For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath,fulfilled these by condemning Him (Acts 13:27).

At the conclusion of Paul’s exhortation Luke records,

And as Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God. And the next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:42–46).

At this word the Gentiles rejoiced (Acts 13:48), and the gospel spread through the whole region (Acts 13:49). The Jews then instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district (Acts 13:50).

This event was early in Paul’s ministry. These Sabbath meetings were held in a Jewish synagogue, for the benefit of a Jewish congregation; they were not meetings of Christian believers.

Summary of Acts 13:13–52

  1. Nothing is taught regarding the seventh-day Sabbath.
  2. These two Sabbath meetings were held in a Jewishsynagogue.
  3. Paul and Barnabas went to this synagogue to preach thegospel of Christ because they felt the Jews should hear itfirst.
  4. The only mention of the Sabbath in Paul’s sermon is inconnection with the Jews at Jerusalem who rejected the very Christ whom they read about in the Prophets each Sabbath.

Acts 16:11–40

Paul and his companions came to Philippi, where they stayed for some days.

And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a river side, where we were supposing that there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled. And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshipper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay” (Acts 16:12– 15).

Following this the narrative tells of Paul casting out a spirit of divination from a certain slave girl. The masters of this girl, having now lost their source of monetary profit, complained to the authorities regarding Paul and his companions. This in turn led to their beating, arrest and incarceration. While in jail, there was an earthquake which resulted in the jailer’s conversion. After the jailer and his house were baptized, Paul was freed, spoke briefly with the new converts in the home of Lydia, and then left town.

Summary of Acts 16:11– 40

  1. Nothing is taught regarding the Sabbath.
  2. On the Sabbath day Paul and his companions sought out agathering of Jewish proselytes (God worshippers) who met for prayer by a river side. (Apparently there was no synagogue in Philippi at that time.)
  3. Paul’s message was the gospel of Christ.
  4. Paul preached the gospel to the jailer and baptized his wholehousehold.

Acts 17:1–9

Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ” (Acts. 17:1–3).

A few of the Jews, a “great multitude of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women” accepted the gospel. The Jews created such a disturbance that Paul and his companions had to leave town.

Summary of Acts 17:1–9

  1. Nothing is taught regarding the Sabbath.
  2. The message of Paul was the gospel of Jesus.
  3. It was Paul’s custom to go to the Jewish synagogue on theSabbath and from the Scriptures seek to persuade thosepresent that Jesus was the Christ.
  4. Paul “reasoned” with the Jews here for three Sabbaths.

Acts 18:1–11

In this section we find Paul coming to the city of Corinth.

And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks (Acts 18:4).

Soon, however, the Jews began to resist his efforts.

And when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads, I am clean; from now on I shall go to the Gentiles.” And he departed from there and went to the house of a certain man named Titus Justus, a worshipper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. And Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized (Acts 18:6 − 8).

God gave Paul a vision encouraging him to keep on speaking about Christ, so Paul

…settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them (Acts 18:11).

Some have used this passage to prove Paul “kept” seventy-eight Sabbaths while in Corinth. To do this they read verse 4, which says that Paul was in the synagogue “every” Sabbath. Then they read verse 11, which states Paul stayed in Corinth a year and six months. Every Sabbath for a year and six months equals seventy-eight Sabbaths that Paul kept.

However, a careful study of this passage makes it clear that this argument and resulting conclusion are in error. First, “every Sabbath”, cannot refer to the whole time Paul was in Corinth since verse 7 shows that Paul was forced to leave the synagogue and go to a house next door. So he reasoned with the Jews in their synagogue only three weeks. He did stay there a year and six months, but these facts alone neither support nor deny his Sabbath keeping.

In Acts 19 we have a similar account of Paul’s ministry both in and out of the synagogue.

And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:8,9).

When Paul was forced to leave the Jewish synagogue, where it is assumed he met on Sabbath, he then had daily meetings in the School of Tyrannus.

Summary of Acts 18:1–11

  1. Nothing is taught regarding the Sabbath.
  2. Paul’s message was to convince those present that Jesus wasthe Christ.
  3. We know that Paul was “reasoning in the synagogue everySabbath,” but the fact that he was forced to leave the synagogue, apparently quite early in his stay in Corinth, shows that this “synagogue” practice did not necessarily continue for the full year and a half.

Incidental References to the Sabbath in Acts

Acts 1:12

Then they [the disciples] returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

Here, Luke, the writer of Acts, is describing how far the mount of Olives is from Jerusalem by the use of the term “a Sabbath day’s journey.”

Acts 15:21

This verse mentions the Sabbath in connection with the Jerusalem Council. The context of this verse is the final decision of the Council, which stated that the Gentiles did not have to keep the law of Moses, rather they were only required to

…abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood (Acts 15:20).

Then follows this verse,

For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath (Acts 15:21).

It is clear these Sabbath meetings where Moses was read were Jewish meetings. Note that (1) they are places which have been established “from ancient generations,” (2) they are “synagogues,” (3) they are “in every city.” These characteristics would not fit the early Christian assemblies, many of which met in homes (cf. Rom. 16:5, 1 Cor. 16:19, Col. 4:15, Phile. 1:2). Of greater interest to our study is the fact that it is in these Jewish synagogues where Moses is read every Sabbath.

Chapter Summary

  1. In all the Sabbath meetings recorded in the Book of Acts, not once is the Sabbath the point of discussion. Nothing is taught regarding the Sabbath.
  2. In every Sabbath incident recorded in the Book of Acts Paul is seeking to persuade the Jews, and others, that Jesus is the Christ. The subject of the teaching is always the gospel.
  3. Every Sabbath incident recorded in the Book of Acts is in connection with a Jewish meeting. All but one are in a Jewish synagogue, the one exception being the meeting by a river side in Philippi where there was no synagogue. Here again, it was a meeting place for “God-worshippers”a name used to describe converts to Judaism.
  4. When going to a new city it was Paul’s custom, or method of approach, to first go to the Jewish synagogue and “reason with them from the Scriptures.” He would do this every Sabbath until the Jews threw him out, usually only two or three weeks, then he would direct his ministry to the Gentiles.
  5. It is in the Jewish synagogues where Moses is read every Sabbath.

 

Dale Ratzlaff
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