Sabbathkeeping
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To those who claimed that He came to set aside the law, He said,
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“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
Matthew 5:17
.
To fulfill means to keep, or perform. (
James 2:8
.) So when He
came to be baptized by John the Baptist, He said, “Thus it becometh
us to fulfil all righteousness.”
Matthew 3:15
. To fulfill the law is to
obey it perfectly.
God’s law can never be changed; for Christ said, “Till heaven and
earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled.”
Matthew 5:18
.
When He asked the question, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to
do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?” Christ showed
that He could read the hearts of the wicked Pharisees who accused
Him.
While He was trying to save life by healing the sick, they were
trying to destroy life by putting Him to death. Was it better to slay upon
the Sabbath, as they were planning to do, than to cure the suffering
ones, as He had done?
Was it better to have murder in the heart on God’s holy day than to
have love toward all men—love which is shown in kindness and deeds
of mercy?
Many times the Jews charged Christ with breaking the Sabbath.
Often they tried to kill Him because He did not keep it according to
their traditions. But this made no difference with Him. He kept the
Sabbath as God wanted it to be kept.
In Jerusalem there was a large pool of water called Bethesda. At
certain times this pool was troubled; the people believed that an angel
of the Lord went down into it, and stirred the waters, and that the first
one who stepped in after the waters were stirred would be cured of
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whatever disease he had.
Great numbers of people came to the place, hoping to be cured;
but most of them were disappointed. At the moving of the waters there
was such a crowd, that many could not even get to the edge of the pool.
One Sabbath day Jesus came to Bethesda. His heart was filled with
pity as He saw the poor sufferers there.
One man seemed more wretched than the others. For thirty-eight
years he had been a helpless cripple. No doctor could cure him. Many