The Title Jesus Gave Himself: Lord of the Sabbath

EverAStudent

I have been reading and investigating Matthew 12:1-8. Jesus is accused of breaking the Law of the seventh day of rest, the Sabbath. He defends Himself and then caps the discussion by declaring Himself to be "the Lord of the Sabbath." Since only YHWH was ever known as the Lord of the Sabbath (the one who created, owned, and received worship on the Sabbath) I can find no other valid meaning for the title Jesus gave to Himself, except that He is calling Himself God.

What meaning does the WTS put on this title, since I know they are not willing to allow Jesus to call Himself YHWH?

PSacramento

AH the sabbath, according to Leviticus ( the law of God) anyone caught working/breaking the sabbath should be killed.

Well, if THAT is the word of God then only GOD can change it, no?

Only God can "break" that Law and NOT die for it, no?

EverAStudent

PSacramento wrote:

AH the sabbath, according to Leviticus ( the law of God) anyone caught working/breaking the sabbath should be killed.
Well, if THAT is the word of God then only GOD can change it, no?
Only God can "break" that Law and NOT die for it, no?

No. Jesus said "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath...it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:10-12 excerpt). So, Jesus said that healing and saving life was not the kind of work that is forbidden on the Sabbath. So no, Jesus did not break the Sabbath and needed no special title to do so. I do not think that is at all what He meant by calling Himself "Lord of the Sabbath."

Is what PSacramento said really the official WTS explanation? If so, did they really expect people to buy it?

PSacramento

EverAStudent,

I am not a JW so I doubt what I asked has anything to do with Wt teachings, LOL !

Leviticus is a joke of a "book", eating shrimp an abomination, selling a daughter into slavery is permissable, crap galore.

When Jesus accused the scribes along with the pharasiees and saudasees of misleading the people he had quite the grounds to stand on.

The Hebrews amde the sabbath greater than the love of God and Jesus was just putting back in its proper place.

They accused his followers of breaking the sabbath when they plucked and ate wheat from the fields ( or whatever it was they were eating).

snowbird

"Lord" means owner.

I believe Jesus of Nazareth meant He is the Owner (Creator) of the Sabbath, not the other way around!

Oh, I also believe that YHWH and Jesus of Nazareth are One and the Same.

Sylvia

sir82

Since only YHWH was ever known as the Lord of the Sabbath

Just curious...I don't ever recall an OT passage using that phrase "Lord of the Sabbath".

Is it in some verse that I don't recall?

Or is there a Jewish tradition of referring to God as "Lord of the Sabbath"?

Or is there something else that you are basing that on?

isaacaustin

thanks EverAStudent

EverAStudent

sir82, that is a good question. I did not mean that the exact wording was applied to YHWH in the OT, only that YHWH was the only Lord ever to have been said to be over the Sabbath, the creator of the Sabbath, and to whom the Sabbath was dedicated. All of a sudden Jesus is claiming HE is the one who created the Sabbath and that He is the Lord to whom the Sabbath is dedicated.

but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD [YHWH] your God ; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. (Exodus 20:10)

then he said to them, "This is what the LORD [YHWH] meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD . Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning." (Exodus 16:23)

Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD [YHWH]; today you will not find it in the field. (Exodus 16:25)

If Jesus did not mean to say that He was that same Lord over the Sabbath then what did He mean by calling Himself the Lord of the Sabbath?

sir82

All of a sudden Jesus is claiming HE is the one who created the Sabbath

I dunno, maybe, but that seems a bit of a stretch.

I don't see "Lord of the Sabbath" as being unequivocally the same as "creator of the Sabbath".

A bit of a frivolous example, but while Elvis was the "King" of rock & roll, he didn't "create" it.

and that He is the Lord to whom the Sabbath is dedicated.

Again, seems a bit of a stretch.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus made other statements which the Pharisees took to be blasphemous, and they were ready to kill him right then and there. In Matthew's account, if that's what Jesus meant, why didn't the Pharisees have a similar reaction?

EverAStudent

OK, sir82, fair questions. Let's use an analogy. Let's pretend we were back in the days of Napolean and a day to celebrate Napolean's reign was instituted. Let's call it "Emperor's Day." Napolean is late in arriving at the celebration of Emperor's Day in the town square and a guard stops him, stating, "Only those invited may attend the day of celebration to the Emperor." Napolean replies, "I am the emperor of Emperor's Day."

What other meaning can the word "Lord" have when used in the title, "Lord of the Sabbath," if not to say, "I am that same Lord of the Sabbath"?

The Title Jesus Gave Himself: Lord of the Sabbath

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