YESHUAANTD HIS SABBATH OBSERVANCE

Torah-observantlife is an understanding /^r entral to showingYeshua's of \-rof his observance the Sabbath(seeExod. 20:8;23:12-13; Lev. 23:3). Sabbath observancewas considered a prime duty and crucial mitzvah in the SecondTemple era.Whatever particular wing of |udaism a person may have adhered to in this period, all Jewry looked upon the keepingof the Sabbathas extremely important.

HowDidYeshuaKeepthe Sabbath?
The evidencefrom the New Covenant clearly indicates thatYeshuakept the Sabbath(seeMatt. 5zI7-20; Luke 4:16-22,3l).Therefore, the question to be consideredis not whether Yeshuakept the Sabbath,but rather, "In what manner did he keepit?" Our conclusions will uphold the main assertionof this book Yeshualived an undeniably Torah-observant lifestyle. How is it thatYeshuaactuallykept the Sabbathif he receivedso much opposition from religious teachersconcerning his Sabbathobservance? (Please referto Luke6: 1-l I ;lohn7:22-24; andJohn 9:16for examples of this opposition.) Jewish sourcesdiffer as to if and how Yeshuatransgressed themitzvah of Sabbathobservance. However,most sourcesagree that Yeshuahad differenceswith various movements of the Israeli Jewish world of his time. Four well known scholars-Klausner, Montefiore, Abrahams, and Cohen-have assertedthat Yeshuaviolated the mitzvah of keeping the Sabbath, while two other scholars-facobs and Schonfeld-asserted that he did not breakany scriptural rftitzvot regarding the Sabbath.Still four others-Kohleg Flusser,Lapide, and Vermes-asserted that he did not

l0

Yeshua and the Torah

Yeshuaand His SabbathObservance l1

argumentsof Rabbl Ftillbl with Rabbi Shammaicpnqer-lrng tr;Mo coriectly ftrlfill the Sabbathmitzvot. dTemple scholars ourtime. of ShmuelSafrai,noted that e

hgre_ga1lingYeshuacouldBETnderrto-rstoaf iligFiof ryh-olelabbathcglf the

violate scriptural mitzvot, nor did he have any major differenceswith accepted Pharisaicsabbathkeeping.tlndeed,Kohler suggested that the

S*{ p"t.""t= *?r= the Law.,,2 Vermesagreed :,":9:-'.Ij J00, ".g withhim:..[Yeshua's]basicatti@].'.arethesame asthoseof the rabbis."3 believe, I following Flusser, Lapide,andvermes,that Yeshuadid not break any scriptural mitzvot.on."rtti.rg the sabbath.His differences with variousreligiousleaders, outlined in the New covenanr. as should be understoodastypical of the world of first-century Iudaism. Historical Background on Sabbath Observance Many examplesof this type of hal"khic conflict are to be found in the rabbinic literatureof the first centuryn.c.r.Ei?ntioned above, relithe gious sghogls RabbiHillel and Rabbishammai-both well within the of ;--:--n-:r--%r-_.-.--i--_*
nr

@co*-

amongalliesin the first century.In part, this interpretationaldifferences involvedpolitical differences. is because interpretationaldifferences In the above situation, the Second Temple had already fallen (70 c.n.). The Israeli city of Yavnehhad absorbedmany refugeePharisees. Various Pharisaicschoolsof thought were jockeying for the head posipeoplethrough this difficult period of tion from which to leadthe Jewish Whomever you followed in terms of TorahinterpreRoman oppression. tation was the one whosemovementyou supportedin terms of political power.This was unavoidable.Certainly, there were genuinepoints of interpretational conflict. However,the motivation of the Yavnehrabbis was people. the to follow God and preserve Jewish Many other halakhic conflicts portrayed in the Thlmud, although too numerousto mention, can be seenin this light.aSuchdoctrinal and poargumentswith some litical differenceswere a definite part of Yeshua's political differences, in as Pharisees. will seethat the doctrinal and We yery much influencedthe severityof the conflict beRabbiThrfon'scase, tween Yeshuaand the authorities that argued with him. In fact, Safrai noted that in SecondTemple times verbal CpgfUg.g-ong_rabtis was a -putii.ulutl/ and Judeanreligiousauthorities.Safraicommeqtedthat Galilee,where Yeshua was educa of Yeshua's argumentswith the religious authorities in Judahwere comof mon to the rivalrybetweenGalileanand |udeanreligiousteachers this approachto the Toera. In fact, both Safrai and Young feel that Yeshua's rah wascloseto that of the "Hasidic" movementof his day.6 Case in Point T}ae Shabbat

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hbw the rn l-"Jy:. ly goncelriin"g tb.fulfilt To1ah.*h..,"orJl.gb"r; 'qquj',Ta,tTi',iy:r:.

,a

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said to have had over 300 points of contention

wrt oJherover the most importaniii: !h-q:ach sue in IilFto all of them-undirstanding ihe Torah.yeshuasimply took part in this struggle.often, thesedifferences opinion, as in yeshua's of c-ase, took on proportions of life and death.we havean exampleof these differencesin the Thlmud. Rabbi rhrfon was traveling and itopped to pray, praying after the manner taught by Rabbi Shammii. i-'l nuuul rarfon said,"I was travelling on the road and I reclined to recitethe shema [a specialprayerl,according the ruling of Bet to Shammai.Robberscame,endangering-. . . . [so I flej].,,His colleagues told him, "You would havedeserved what you would have gotten [death] for not adhering to Bet Hillel's ruling [on how to pray]." (MishnahBerakhotI:3) :i

eseh-e1hsre,Isgifi. Ill.:.1viLli

Those Pharisaicrabbis who adheredto Rabbi Hillel's teachingon no sympathyfor Thrfon in his near escape from deathai the ?ray?r!1d hand of bandits,sinceThrfon prayedaccordingto R;bbi shammai'scustom. This reactionto Thrfon'spredicamentillustratesthe seriousness of

Sabbathobservance Let us examine the scriptural evidenceof Yeshua's ( s e eM a t t . 1 2 : 9 ; a r k l : 2 1 ; 6 : 2 ;L u k e 4 : 1 6 ,3 l ; 6 : 6 ; 1 3 : 1 0 ;1 4 : l ; J o h n M Yeshua eitherin synagogue is 5:1-16;John 9). In all of thesenarratives on the Sabbathor is teachingon the Sabbath.Luke 4:16 and 4:31 indion custom to pray in synagogue everySabbath, catethat it wasYeshua's observing this day according to local custom. Luke 4:16 says,"On Shabbathe [Yeshua]went to the synagogueas usual." This shows us what he normally did on the Sabbath. Luke 4:31 confirms this: "IYeshua] made a practice of teaching themffffiiilFat." ' i<amp oTie snit s'sh, l., alibarib servance th at ffi as havebeen brought into question,both by his contemporaries well as by many interpretersdown through the centuries.

12

Yeshua and the Torah

Yeshuaand His SabbathObservance 13

Healing and Handling the Sick Mark mentions the timing of one of Yeshua's of healing:"That evening acts after sundown,they brought to Yeshua who wereill or held in the power all of demons"(I:32). The verseemphasizes Yeshua publicly healeddurthat i n gw h a t st e r m e d t u ' N s : h H e b r e w , o t z a ' e f f i e ( i n m

trudition. arogxd the Sabbathcont rffi ort o?ffiiffi ersons. Aftfri-ugh what customr * educatedguessabout the generalsentiment of the time. Lachs,commenting upon this verse,noted, "The peoplewaited until evening lmotza'ey Shabbat) carry out their sick to him [Yeshua], to and thus avoidingdesecratingthe Shabbatby carrying them, an act which was forbidden."T It is also true that at other times (and as a principle) Yeshua healed people on the Sabbath(seeMark l:29-3I). The issuewas not whether healingcould takeplace the Sabbath (see on |ohn 5:1-16;9:13-14).Inboth of theseinstances,s\g? lSgghllthat healing could takg plage_on Sabthe b.allr, according the ruling oiBevr Hil/e/. to The issue rusThEf,EEffild authorize and allow the transportation of sick peopleon the Sabbath.8 Put differently,the issueis whetherYeshua had the authority to teach anything other than the accepted custom concerningthe transportation of sickpeopleon the Sabbath. know the answerto this, the exactidenTo tity of Yeshua's opposition in fohn 5 and John 9 is crucial.Although we do not know who thesepeoplewere,they undoubtedlyheld to the opinion of Beyt Shammaion this issue. Yeshua not agree did with them. (It is possiblethat this opposition camefrom one or more of Shammai's second-generationyeshivas, which held much political power among the Pharisees theseyears.) in The Sabbathhealing texts of the New Testamentpresent a difficult problem concerningunderstandinghowYeshua observedthe Sabbath. Yet, one thing is certain: Yeshuais recordedas having observedit, and he entered into many argumentson how to correctly keep it. As Parkesnoted, "T.he.sphere. _disagreemenlgf$::pftf_rf qf tl: developmentof ofThe-sabbath itselfwhich is at issue."e Iqlachah. ... It is not the observance Halakhic Argumentation Regarding the Sabbath

opwhat infuriated Yeshua's Perhaps order of priorities on the Sabbath. wasthe claim he ponents,more than his actualhalakhicargumentation, made in verse6, "I tell you, there is in this placesomethinggreaterthan the Temple." argument.Theseparticular PhariThis point wascentralto Yeshua's almost ridiculous comment, it probablyperceived asan outrageous, sees of the argumentfrom howto keepthe Sabbath the but it changed essence true identity. The point to be made is that Yeshuaargued for to Yeshua's the setting of proper priorities on the Sabbath.His argumentation is halakhic and normal for first-century Judaism.A few yearsbefore Yeshua was an adult, Rabbis Hillel and Shammai argued fervently with each other for their understandingof the Torah,yet few would questiontheir loyaltyto it. Their studentsalsoarguedagainsteachother regardingtheir distinct interpretationsof the Torah, yet no responsiblescholar could question their loyalty to keepingit. Flere is an exampleof this type of halakhicargumentation. that haveturned hard, the schoolof Shammai Olivesand grapes but to declaresusceptible uncleanness, the school of Hillel deThe school of Shammaideclareblack clare them insusceptible. and the school of Hillel to cummin insusceptible uncleanness, So, declareit susceptible. too, do they differ concerningwhether it is liable to tithes.(Danby edition, Mishnah Uktzin 2:S) Beyt On the issueof ritual uncleanness, Hillel andBeyt Shammaidifthe categorizingof olives, grapes,and black cummin, as fered regarding well aswhat itemswereliable for tithing. More eW are arsumentations foundjn the Talmud.ln fact,this passionate Shammai of halakhic argumentation did, on occasion,lead to bhanges opinton regarding how to fulfiIIthe Torah. Suchargumentation wasvaluablein forHere is an exampleof sucha changeof opinion. mulating halakhah. If a woman returned from beyond the sea [abroad] and said, "My husband is dead," she may marry again; and if she said' "My husband died childless,"she may contract levirate marAnd the school of the schoolof Shammai. riage.So [teaches] Hillel say:we have heard no such tradition saveof a woman that returned from the harvest.The school of Shammai anwhether swered:It is all one (the same set of circumstances)' she returned from the harvest or from the olive-picking or from beyond the sea. . . the schoolof Hillel ghangg[!9i1opin(Da-nby ion and tairght u..o. l:l2a) Itlon,

Matthew l2:I-8 providesanother exampleof how Yeshua kept the SabIl verse2, Y3gbgglvgl3ggUpgt teachinghis studentsto breakthe of !"j!. fabb_q$. He-sguffercdthe atctrsatio! *ith @g r0 argument. He then b4gk.d his answer :nrnr:P ( Hebrew,kal vachomer) proofs. Bv doins this wrth two scriptural proots. By doinq this, he demonstrated vrth that the customsand avottt that hii accusers accepted had corrupted the correct

14

Yeshua and the Torah

Yeshuaand His SabbathObservance l5

In the aboveincident,the argumentationbetweentheyeshivas Hillel of and Shammailedto BeytHillel changing opinion, and changingthe way its theywould fulfill this aspect halakhah. of AfterBeytShammai's representatives argued their case to Beyt Hillel's representatives, both Pharisaic schools accepted opinion that a woman could remarry upon her own the testimony,either freely or accordingto the Deuteronomy25:5 levirate marriage law. The halakhic argumentation that took place servedto provide a way for the two schools get their teachings to and reasoning heard. Their goalwasto influence developinghalakhah. all of this halakhic the In disputation,the main motivationwasthe desire fulfill the Torah. to Similarly, Matthew 12,Yeshua arguingfor the correctmannerin in was which to keepthe Sabbath. is not reasonable think that he intended, It to in any way,to break the Sabbath-becausethen he would havehad to break the Torah.The type of argumentation found in Matthew l2 demonstrates the way in which the Jewish world of the first century taught the proper method of understandingand fulfilling the Torah.Clearly,Yeshua was doing just that, arguing fervently about how to fulfill the Torah and how to correctly understandthe Torah'srequirementsand priorities. Plucking Grain A few matters remain to be discussed concerningthis issue.Regarding the incident just cited, Rabbi Safrai noted, "Yeshua entered into a halakhic argument and gavehis reasoning.He did not break the Sabbath."r2 Rabbi Safraialsoobservedthat Yeshua and his studentsdid not ,.::. He reasoned that no group of peoplewould en@n. ter into or trample upon an uncut field of grain, asit was not legalto doso. However,Safrainoted. thut . cppllatere alreadlgl. Then, all who desire to do so, can enter,pick up grain lying on the ground, husk it in their hands,and eat. In fact, the Torahallowssucha practice. Now when you reapthe harvestof your land, you shall not reap to the very cornersofyour field, nor shall you gatherthe gleaningsof your harvest. Nor shallyou gleanyour vineyard,nor shall you gatherthe fallenfruit of your vineyard;you shall leave them for the needyand for the stranger. am the Lord your God. (Lev. I 19:9-10 Nesn) RabbiSafraiunderstood thatYeshua's students, instead pluckingthe of grain, picked up alreadycut grain off the ground. The Complete Jewish "Tbgy beganpicking headsof graiif,i?flatrS?Fm" Biblecorrectly states, (Matt. 12:1). Pickingheads graffoFtE@fnd, of or

in to wasprobablyon the ground) is what Safraiunderstood be happening Talmud recordsa situation wherewe can seethe the the text.r3Interestingly, this halakhicissue. held concerning differentpositionsJews The men of Jerichodid six things: for three they were reproved, did and for three,they were not reproved.. . . [The sages not reprove them when] they reapedand stacked[ripe barley] before the Omer. [The sagesdid reprove them when] they ate from (Pesachim 4:8) fallen fruit on the Sabbath. Here, we can see the difference in the interpretation of proper of the halakhahbetween Jewsof Iericho and the stricterrabbis.The Jews Iericho did not seeany halakhicfault with eatingfallen fruit on the Sabin bath, yet the rabbisdid. Here,the differences halakhic interpretation Valley,dependedupon fruit for sustein areregional.Jericho, the Jordan nance and economic life. Pesachim4:8 probably refers to incidents Therefore,the issuebeing brought up is around the time of Passover. the one in Matthew 12,J similar to What was permitted halakhicallyregardingeating produce on the It Sabbath? is important for us to seethat this kind of argumentationand regional understandingwas standardfor that day and age.First, who observing that were out on this Sabbath, weretheseparticular Pharisees Yeshuaand his studentsin the Matthew 12 text?Were they sent from to Jerusalem spy out the actionsof the Galileanrabbi?Were they' perin Yeshua debate? yeshivastudentseagerto engage haps,young, zealous Werethey sentto find promising Galileanstudentsto becometheir disciples and party members?Were they teachersand rabbis passing to through the region,en route from teachingin one synagogue the next? of Beyt Shammai? to Or, werethey strict adherents the teachings If we knew their identity, we could better understandthe nature of My their chargesagainstYeshua. guessis that they were zealousyoung sent academies, to asparty membersfrom one of the ferusalem Pharisee for sess ritual stateof Galileanfewsand to find promising candidates the who lived in instruction back in ]erusalem.Evenif they were Pharisees themAmong Galileansages the Galilee,this incident is very believable. as to what was permitted regardingthe selves, there was an argument husking,then eating,of grain on the Sabbath.'a Made for Man as havebeenunderstood conmadeanotherpoint that could easily Yeshua a but would hardly havebeen grounds on which to establish troversial, that asserted human In Matthew l2:8,Yeshua breaking. of charge Sabbath

16

Yeshuaand the Torah

Yeshuaand His SabbathObservance 17

In beingshaveauthority overthe Sabbath. addition, he inferred that he, as Messiah,had the right to teach the true meansof keepingthe Sabbath is pointed out that mankind, collectively, and defineits priorities.Yeshua Thereking over the Sabbath, and that this order should not be reversed. fore, the Sabbathshould serveman. Man should not be enslaved atby tempting to live according to various opinions concerning correct Sabbath observance. In Mark's version of this incident, Yeshuastated the same point: "Then he saidto them,'Shabbatwas madefor mankind, not mankind for -2 at"' Shabb Sothe Sonof Man is Lord evenof Shabb (2:27 8). Verse28 at. to expands upon the principle statedin verse27.I understandYeshua be saying that collectively,men rule over the Sabbath.Yeshua,as a special "son of man" denoted an "Son of Man" (in SecondTemple language, had authority from God to teachthe apocalypticfigure,or the Messiah), Jewishpeople about correct Sabbathpriorities. This incident demonstratesthat Yeshuahonored the Sabbathby defending it-by arguing for proper priority setits true meaning.He stoodup for what he considered ting for Sabbathobservance. Yeshua's understandingof man's relationship to the Sabbathwas consistent with that of many rabbis of his time. As Vermeswrote, " [The is idea that] the Sabbathwasmade for man, not man for the Sabbath, also in firmly rooted in rabbinic thought. . . . Sabbathobservance the second century,and probably also in the first, was subservientto the essential well-beingof a |ew."'s with proper scriptural A merciful, grace-fullkeepingof the Sabbath priorities was not a new conceptintroduced by Yeshua. This was God's original intention in giving the Sabbathto the Jewishpeople.Yeshua, however, heard,saw,and experienced wrong teachingas to how to keep the Sabbath. The Gospelnarrativesshow us that YBshu4asthe Messiah

passionatelv of Israel. taushtaboutcorrect Sabbatfr-ftEffiffiTE6f6bis of his one tifference is that Yeshua

Shabbak To Do Good of Matthew 12:9-15 is another passage Scripture where we can see Yeshua's attitude toward keepingthe Sabbath.Here, he was accusedof violating some unidentified group'scustomsof healing on the Sabbath. Again,with a rabbinic kal vachomer argument,16 debatedhis accusers, he giving them the correct understandingof Sabbathpriorities. Verse 12

standsout ashis "umbrella" teachinghere:"Therefore,what is permitted on Shabbat to do good." is wanted to may help us to seewhy the Pharisees A few observations "do away" with Yeshua(seev. 14). First, the accusers wanted to frame Yeshua some type of seriousTorah violation (seev. 10b for insight for into their aim). Their question regardinghealingmay havebeen a leadto them. It may alsohavebeendesigned in, or trap, to getYeshua debate to force Yeshuainto contradicting their understandingof permissible Whatevertheir motive,we should readthis situation as Sabbath healings. These a confrontation betweenYeshuaand theseparticular Pharisees. Pharisees not representthe viewpoint of all Israel.Verse15 shows did that Yeshua was popular with the common people,while he threatened As the popularity, mission,and authority of theseparticular Pharisees. much as he was a threat to their perception of proper Iewish Sabbath practice,he was an even greaterpolitical threat.This aspectof the conespecially it relatesto the as frontation should not be underestimated, role it playedin Yeshua's eventualdeath.Yeshuamade enemiesin high places, evidenced this particular group of Pharisees. as by In Mark's version of this incident (3:1-6), allies of King Herod (see Pharisees Antipas(son of Herod the First)joined with theseangered form a plot to killYeshua. Antipas ruled over a smallerarea Luke6:11)to the Mark 3:6 emphasizes political aspectof than his father did. Likewise, the conflict at hand. This conflict had more to do with the strugglebeperceivedinfluenceand role than it and Yeshua's tween thesePharisees Yeshua and wasto be observed. did with the questionof how the Sabbath of King Herod Antipaswere at oddsregardingtheir basicconcepts life. In foIj"pt. In Luke I 3:32, Yeshua -,-./-_:=.:.*-:---;--- calledAntipas afox.,-. rabbinic literatq{gra qp.ljfqd gl buffoors4q.llrin,kqll. hi.t greatpower (but.in lgglity 9"tr_q rn Antipaswould havetakin Yeshua's comment, slife of h;li-m"y). verse,Yeshui told iti-ffi_thllG'curious and hard insult. In this same Antipaswhat realpowerwas:the ability to defeatdeathand riseagainon the Roman the third day.For Antipas, power lay in his ability to please superpower and to spy on his people, controlling them by forceful means.This givesus some insight into a powerful enemy that Yeshua made,and why Antipas did not help Yeshuaas he was facing death by death Romanhands.In Luke 23:Ll-I2,we seethat Antipas usedYeshua's Yeshua wasa asa meansto befriendthe Romangovernor,PontiusPilate. political steppingstonefor Antipas. Luke statesthat Antipas treated Yeshua with contempt (seev. 1l). In standingup for the Torah,Yeshua madean enemyof the Herodian king, much ashis cousinJohnhad done beforehim.

18 Yeshua and the Torah

Yeshuaand His SabbathObservance 19

Unloosing Oxen Luke 13:10-17is anotherSabbathhealingnarrative.Here,Yeshua healed a handicapped woman,and was opposedby the chief synagogue official. But the preside$_-oftb:-seggogqe, indignant that Yeshuahad healedon the Shabbat, spokeup and said to the congregation, 'lTher-e gt 9-i4*dgllrn the week for working; so come during thosedayi'to ue rreat@l This official understood that one could only receivehealing on a weekdav(Hebrew,)tn Et', yoruhol). On the Sabbath, healingwasforbidroe Sb Uatn]h.e m em ber t hat-R;55iStr?T;nai-fo u nd ed on e of t he Pi ar i sai c E6ooti of thought in ferusalem, generationor so beforeYeshua. a Here, Yeshua was teachingagain on the proper priorities during the Sabbath. Probably, Yeshuais opposingthe Shammaiteschool'sunderstandingof the Sabbath. Commentingon Yeshua's healines the Sabbath, on Rabbi

s"rr"i rt"t"a,"lherewas affiafrililg;'r

that perhapsthe head synagogue official wasnot aslearnedin the SabbathhalakhahaswasYeshua. Safraiobserved that only if Yeshua had made medicine on the Sabbathwould healing have been forbidden. Yeshua, however,made no medicine on the Sabbath. Again, let us note Yeshua's presence the synagogue the Sabbath, in on worshippingwith local fewsaccordingto local custom. Verses15-16 portray Yeshua's teaching on proper Sabbathobservance.On this occasion, againusedthe rabbinic kal vachomer he style of argumentation stating: in "You hypocrites!Each one of you on Shabbat-don't you unloose your ox or your donkey from the stall and lead him off to drink? This woman is a daughter of Avraham, and the Adversary kept her tied up for eighteenyears.Shouldn't shebe freedfrom this bondageon Shabbat?" The reactionof the ]ewishworshippers wasone of joy and delight at "But the rest of the crowd were happy the Sabbathhealingsof Yeshua. about all the wonderful things that were taking place through him ac[Yeshua]"(v. 17). The common JewishcitizensembracedYeshua's tions and teachings. This should not surpriseus.The peoplewantedto be met by a God of graceand mercy on the Sabbath. This is precisely what they encountered Yeshua. in My conclusionfrom this sectionof Luke is that Yeshua did end up arguingwith someauthoritiesthat werein the synagogue. wasfound He

keepingthe Sabbath,however,and his arguments concernedhow to properlykeepthe Sabbath, not z/the Sabbathshould be kept. His teaching was that of a concerned,compassionate rabbi. Yeshuadid indeed transgress synagogue the ruler's understandingof what it meant to observethe Sabbath. However,this was a typical rabbinicalhalakhic argurnent,which occurred all the time in Israel.The argument should not affectour view of Yeshua's zealousness observethe Sabbath. to Yeshua contested synagogue the ruler'sinterpretationof how to observe Sabthe bath, a ruler most likely from the school of thought founded by Rabbi Shammai. In John 5:1-16,Yeshua healeda crippledman on the Sabbath. This occurred at the Beyt Zata pool by the SheepGate in Jerusalem. There was a particularly negativereaction to this Sabbathhealingby an unidentifiedgroup of Judeanreligiousauthorities(seew. 10, 16). Problems have arisen from oversimplif ing this text, and it is wrongly believedthat this opposition was on behalf of the entire Jewishpeople. This recordedopposition wasfrom a particular group of religiousleaders.Possibilities to their identification include a specificwing of proas ShammaiPharisees, certainSadducean or priests, a mixture of both. or The early portion of this text indicatesthat the point of contention was not necessarily that Yeshuahealed on the Sabbath.The problem was that because his healing, the once crippled man broke some group's of understandingof the avotlgof the Sabbathby carrying his rug or mattress. Fischer As noted,"Because [Yeshua] He might departfrom some of the competing or varying traditions they departedfrom God's purposein the Law."re Safraiobserved that evenhere,Yeshua broke none ofthe written Torah.In a closedplacesuchasthis particularsite,one could pick up a mattress and walk without actually transgressingthe Torah. Not everyone would do so,but it wasnot a transgression the Torah.20 of Vermessaid,"In sum,whether in the domain of the Sabbathlawsor in that of dietary regulations,it cannotbe maintainedthat fesusopposed their observance."2l Yeshua, then, was fiercely battling here for the correct observance of the Sabbath.It is in this light that we must seeall of his arguing regardingthe Sabbath. In conclusion,the evidenceshowsthat Yeshuafervently contended fbr the Sabbathto be observedcorrectly.In his teachingand practiceof the Sabbath, strovefor an understandingof the correctpriorities. He he observedthe Sabbathwith the samedesire to fulfill this mitzvah as any religious leaderof his time. In short,Yeshua's attitude towardkeepingthe Sabbathreflectshis attitude toward the Torah-one of respectand revercncewith a passionto fulfill it. This is entirely consistentwith what he taught in Matthew 5:I7-I8,to which I referthe reader.