Matthew 24:20 (ESV)
"Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath."
SDA Arguments:
1.) The Sabbath continues to be observed by Christians even after Jesus ascended to heaven.
2.) If the commandment about the Sabbath was nailed to the cross, why did he still instruct his disciples to pray that their escape would not happen on the Sabbath day?
3.) The background of this instruction from Jesus is about the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened roughly 40 years after he said these words. This means that the Lord Jesus still expects his true followers to continue observing the seventh day of the Sabbath.
Response:
It’s important to note that only Matthew among the four gospel writers mentioned “pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.” On the other hand, Mark only reported “Pray that it may not happen in winter. (Mark 13:18, ESV) and did not mention anything about the Sabbath. Luke also did not mention these. According to Bible scholars, Matthew’s Gospel was written for Jewish Christians, so he was the only one who recorded the details about the Sabbath, while Mark and Luke, who wrote for Gentile Christians and Greek-speaking Jews, did not add any statement about the Sabbath. This means Gentile Christians do not need to worry about the warning about escaping on the Sabbath day. Gentile Christians do not need this advice because they are not from Jerusalem so they do not worry about escaping from Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
Jesus expected that Jewish Christians, along with unbelieving Jews, would continue to observe the Sabbath when Jerusalem began to be attacked by Roman soldiers in 70 AD. So it’s clear that this warning does not cover Gentile Christians, so it’s a big mistake to say that all Christians still observe the Sabbath at this time. Christ’s warning is really only appropriate for Jewish Christians who are not yet mature in their faith to leave the observance of the weekly Sabbath. They are really the only ones affected by winter and escaping on the Sabbath day. This is because on the Sabbath day in winter, there is heavy rain in Judea, it is difficult or impossible to escape to the mountains due to floods on the roads and ravines. And also escaping on the Sabbath day is difficult because they can only travel up to 1 kilometer (Ex 16:29; Nu 35:5; Jos 3:4), which is not enough for them to escape from the danger of death.
In Acts 15 and 21, it is shown that thousands of Jewish Christians are still zealous in the law and continue to follow these commandments, including observing the Sabbath.
Acts 15:5 (ESV) "But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
Acts 21:20 (ESV) "And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, all zealous for the law."
Regarding our analysis of the background and context of Matthew 24:20, we realize that it is incorrect to use this verse as strong evidence that Christians today are still obligated to observe the Sabbath. The continuation of Sabbath observance by Jewish Christians after Jesus ascended to heaven is not a compelling argument for convincing anyone that we should still observe the Sabbath today. As we discovered earlier in our examination of the background of Matthew 24:20, not all Christians continued to observe the Sabbath after Jesus’ ascension. If any did, it was only the Jewish Christians or even Jews who opposed Jesus. This was evident because only Matthew among the four Gospel writers mentioned the need to flee on the Sabbath, whereas Mark and Luke did not. Matthew’s Gospel was specifically written for Jewish Christians, while Mark and Luke wrote for Gentile Christians and Greek-speaking Jews. Thus, it is clear that the weekly Sabbath was given only to the Jews and not to the Gentiles. Paul also confirmed this in his letter to the Ephesians:
Ephesians 2:11-12 (ESV) "Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.It is better to explain to Seventh-day Adventists that during that time, there were two groups of Christians: Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians (Acts 6:1). It is a mistake to assume that “all” Christians continued to observe the Sabbath during the apostolic era. After Jesus’ death on the cross and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, it became clear to them that the Old Testament laws, including Sabbath observance, were only shadows fulfilled in Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17 (NLT) "So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality."
The Jerusalem Council 50 AD
Additionally, let’s explore the context of early Christian discussions about the observance of the Sabbath and other Old Testament laws:
In the year 50 AD, the apostles and elders gathered at the Jerusalem Council to address issues related to Old Testament regulations. The faith of Jewish Christians was still maturing, and they insisted that Gentile Christians should be circumcised and follow Moses’ laws, as recorded in Acts 15.
Acts 15:1, 5 (ESV) "But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
However, after much discussion, the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, decided not to burden Gentile believers with the requirements of the Mosaic law. They sided with the Gentile Christians more than those Jewish Christians, emphasizing that they were no longer obligated to follow these laws, including the observance of the weekly Sabbath.
Acts 15:7-11 (ESV) "And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days, God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”"For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell."
The salvation of the Gentiles comes through grace, as they have believed in the Lord Jesus and been cleansed by faith, no longer bound by adherence to the laws of the Old Testament, including Sabbath observance. The keeping of the Sabbath was not included in the decision regarding necessary matters. This testifies that Christians are no longer obliged to follow the laws of Moses, including the Sabbath, as they have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus alone. The official decision of the Jerusalem Council in 50 AD aligns with the belief of present-day believers that there is no requirement to observe the weekly Sabbath!
SDAs often use Acts 13 to show that Christians during the time of the apostles continued to celebrate the Sabbath.
Acts 13:42-44 (ESV) "As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
However, their use of this passage is still incorrect. First, this is Acts 13, and the united decision of the apostles at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, stating that it is not required for Jesus' followers to continue following the laws of the Old Testament for salvation, including Sabbath observance, had not yet occurred. Secondly, if there were Jewish Christians in the Synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia, it's because this was a transition period and the apostles in Jerusalem hadn't made an official decision yet. If SDAs insist that we should still follow what they did in Acts 13, then they should worship in the synagogues of the Jews who opposed Christ rather than in the SDA church on Saturdays.
When Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, many Jewish Christians continued to observe the Sabbath, even though the Jerusalem Council had decided in 50 AD that it was no longer necessary for Christians. These Jewish Christians should not be emulated by Christians because we know that their faith was not yet fully matured, and they did not accept the official decision of the Jerusalem Council to no longer adhere to the laws of the Old Testament, including the weekly Sabbath. It is sad to think that Seventh-day Adventists are imitating these Jewish Christians who were not yet mature in faith.
Today, we as Christians truly follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, along with the apostles at the Jerusalem Council, who decided that we are no longer obligated to observe the Sabbath day.
According to the account of the Jewish historian Josephus, who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem along with the Temple, not a single Jewish Christian perished there. This is because as early as 66 AD, they followed Jesus' warning to flee to the mountains when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by Roman soldiers (Luke 21:20-21). According to early church historians like Eusebius and Epiphanius in the 4th century, the Jewish Christians who escaped went to Pella (modern Jordan) and settled there, while some returned to Jerusalem, and most migrated elsewhere.
There are reports that some descendants of Jewish Christians who escaped from Jerusalem in 70 AD, such as the Ebionites and Nazarenes, are considered heretics by early church apologists because of their continued adherence to the laws of Moses, such as circumcision, the weekly Sabbath, and other Jewish rituals. One sect of the Ebionites, for example, did not believe in the Virgin Birth, so for them, Jesus was only a prophet and not divine. Therefore, it is not a guarantee that early Sabbath keepers were true Christians, especially those who did not live according to the decision of the Jerusalem church Council.
Conclusion:
To summarize, it is clear that Jesus encouraged Jewish Christians (not Gentile Christians) in Matthew 24:20 to pray for their well-being as they fled the impending destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Jesus considered both practical (winter) and religious issues (Sabbath). Therefore, we can say that Matthew 24:20 suggests that many still many Jewish Christians observed the Sabbath at the time of Jerusalem's destruction, but this cannot be used as evidence that all Christians observed or should observe the weekly Sabbath afterward.
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