THE NAZARENE AND THE SHABBATH

The Nazarene were the first believers, Jews and Gentiles, who embraced the Mashiach Yehoshua. They kept the Sabbath together with the twelve apostles and all the disciples. They were called Natzrim, (Nazarene), because they followed the Nazarene Yehoshua.

          They were also called followers of “The Way”. As you remember Yehoshua said: “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Chai)” (Yochanan/John 14:6)

Let us examine some examples from the Scriptures concerning the first believers keeping the Sabbath day Holy.

Luqas/Luke 23:56 “And having returned, they prepared spices and perfumes. And they rested on the Shabbath according to the Command.”

Mattithyahu/Matthew 28:1 “Now after the Shabbath, toward dawn on one of the shabbathoth, Miryam from Magdala and the other Miryam came to see the tomb.”

          The reason why they waited to go to the tomb was because they kept the Sabbath and they rested on that day according to the Command. They waited to go there until there was some light for they did not have street lights as we do now. They knew the Commandment and they kept it. The Sabbath was not abolished or transferred to the following day (Sunday)  after the death of the Mashiach Yehoshua!  

Religious groups misinterpret the following passage and say that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday.

Ma’aseh/Acts 20:7-8 “And on one of the shabbathoth, the talmidim having gathered together to break bread, Sha’ul, intending to depart the next day, was reasoning with them and was extending the Word till midnight. And there were many lamps in the upper room where they were assembled.”

          This verse is used by ignorant people to prove that Shaul/Paul and the apostles broke bread, or had a meeting on the first day of the week. Let us remember that it was night, the lights were on. This meeting was done after the Shabbath ended on sundown. The Biblical day begins at sundown, not after midnight.

          During the Shabbat the believers cannot cook, but soon after sundown they can have a fellowship and they can eat warm food because now they are allowed to cook. Cooking is forbidden on the Shabbat. You may remember the Israelites in the wilderness, even before Mount Sinai meeting, when the Commandments were given to us by Yehovah Himself, the Israelites could not go gather the manna on the Shabbat, but on Friday. Friday is the sixth day of the week, or the preparation day.  On that day they were blessed with a double portion. They had all they needed for two days, and they cooked what they needed to cook for the Sabbath and did not stink as it did previously when they took too much and left it for the following day. Yehovah gave the specific command through Moses.

Moses instructed the Israelite .

 “And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.” Not withstanding they did not heed  Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank.”   22 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 Then he said to them, “This is what Yehovah has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to Yehovah. Bake what you8 will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.” So they laid it till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it.- Shemoth/Exodus 16:19, 22-24/

          Some people worry about their income will decrease if they do not work on Saturday, however,  if they obey our Creator, they will have more than enough. Man suppose  to work six days every week,  not five days. If man would obey Yehovah he would never lack and would live in perfect health.

          The Sabbath belongs to Yehovah and He has chosen this day for us to rest and fellowship not only with our family, but with Him. The Sabbath is to remember us that Yehovah is Creator and that He created all that exists, including man. The Sabbath is a sign of the Covenant .

“You shall keep the Sabbath , therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to Yehovah. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yehovah made the heaven and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” - Shemoth 31:12-17

Yehovah does not lie.

Elohim is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent, has He said, and will he not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? - Bemidbar/Numbers 23:19

Yehovah does not change.

“For I am Yehovah, I do not change.”Mal’akhi/Malachi 3:6

I will end this message today, but will continue another day on this subject.

Shabbat shalom.