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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 2
they demand his special attention, they crave his choicest blessings,
they offer importunate prayers for special favors. God does not wait
for the Sabbath to pass before he grants those requests, but he deals to
the petitioners, with judicious wisdom, whatever is best for them to
have.
Heaven’s work never ceases for a moment, and men should never
rest from doing good. The Sabbath law forbids labor on the sanctified
rest-day of the Lord. The toil that gains a livelihood must cease; no
labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful upon the Lord’s day; but
the work of Christ in healing the sick did honor to the holy Sabbath.
Jesus claimed equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred and
of the same character with that which engaged his Father in Heaven.
But the Pharisees were still more incensed, because he had not only
broken the law, according to their understanding, but added to this
offense the heinous sin of declaring himself equal with God. Nothing
but the interference of the people prevented the Jewish authorities from
slaying him on the spot. “Then answered Jesus and said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but
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what he seeth the Father do; for what things soever he doeth, these also
doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth
him all things that himself doeth; and he will show him greater works
than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead,
and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”
Here Jesus elevated himself to his true station before the Jews,
and declared himself to be the the Son of God. He then, in mild and
dignified language, instructed them regarding the Sabbath. He told
them that the rest-day which Jehovah had sanctified and set apart for
a special purpose, after he had completed the work of creation, was
not intended to be a period of useless inactivity. As God ceased his
labor of creating, and rested upon that day and blessed it, so man was
to leave the occupation of his daily life, and devote those sacred hours
to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds.
The rulers of the people could not answer these elevated truths that
were brought home to their consciences. They had no arguments with
which to meet them; they could only cite their customs and traditions,
and these seemed weak and vapid compared with the strong arguments
that Jesus had drawn from the work of God and the unceasing round
of nature. Had they felt any desire to receive light, their hearts would