The only two forbidden acts that the Torah specifies are kindling a fire (which means no electricity or cooking on Shabbat) and carrying in the public domain.

This is an excerpt from yesterday’s post concerning Sabbath Law. What struck me was the visual, an act performed in public. The implication might be that a Jew in his own house, away from the public view, might be allowed to carry items without violating Sabbath Law.

I am not trying to legislate Jewish law. I am not a Jewish Lawyer. It is one of those carryover attitudes within our Christian walk of faith that says what we do in public reflects on our Savior since we carry His name.

Doing right to be seen as right is wrong.

Matthew 6:5 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Doing the right thing just to be seen is called hypocrisy, not by me, by our Lord.

Now I have opened up yet another can of worms. Jesus introduces the word reward. The hypocrites received a reward. Do we obey by faith for a reward? Ouch. That is a personal ouch and not an accusation.

Matthew 6

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,”

Praise was their reward.

Again, we discover yet another excerpt. How can the left hand not know what the right hand is doing?

Here once again we find more and more questions that seem to deserve an answer. One thing that comes to mind about the different actions of the right and left hand is of a right handed warrior. The right hand wields the sword and the left carries a shield.

Ephesians 6:16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

The Torah mentions that one should refrain from doing any melachah (work) on the day of Shabbat. The word melachah refers to any creative activity and is not limited to difficult physical activity. By relinquishing all constructive, creative work on Shabbat, we acknowledge that G-d is the true and ultimate Master of the world, and we humans have limited creative abilities. 

The only two forbidden acts that the Torah specifies are kindling a fire (which means no electricity or cooking on Shabbat) and carrying in the public domain. Our Sages have explained that melachah refers to any activity that replicates or resembles the work that was done in preparation for building the Mishkan (the temporary Sanctuary) in the desert. Altogether, this makes up the 39 melachas (categories of forbidden acts on Shabbat).

The 39 melachas are grouped into different categories for the different activities that the Jews engaged in preparation for building the Mishkan. The first group of 11 melachas is based on the process of making bread, from plowing and sowing the land to kneading and baking. The next 13 melachas are the method of producing garments, from shearing and dying the wool to tearing thread. The third set of melachas is based on the process of using parchment to write, from trapping an animal to writing and erasing. The final set of melachas involves other creative activities such as building and destroying, burning and extinguishing, finishing a product and transporting objects in the public domain.

Source: https://ezrasnashim.org/what-are-the-laws-of-shabbat/

The Sabbath boundaries are sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. What we must respect is that these are Jewish laws and only apply to Jews. No one else is bound by them.

When a married relative came to visit we invited them to lunch. Her husband declined because it was Sunday and his justification was that Sunday was the Sabbath and dining out would cause others to break Sabbath Law.

This is just one example how religious institutions can and do misapply Torah laws in an effort to control their congregations in what I call legalism. Misapplying God’s word to manipulate and control others is not righteous.

John 4:23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

That hour came after sundown Sunday when Jesus returned after three days according to His promise. He was crucified Friday before sundown. By Jewish tradition Sunday after sundown was the third day. By Jewish traditions is the point.

As I look at John 4:23 I do not see boundaries. There are no restrictions about when and how to worship God in spirit and truth. Those two are good for all seasons, times and places, with no limits or restrictions applied.

If God changed the rules, why would we allow anyone to impose restrictions on us?