Preparations lawful on sabbaths

Preparations lawful on sabbaths?

Joe Viel answered

Delivery Two

By Gerhard Ebersöhn

Joe Viel:

The Night He Died

The Scriptures seem to tell us that Y'shua (Jesus) died on Thursday afternoon, Aviv 14th, and rose just before dawn on Sunday morning, Aviv 17. While there was a Sabbath day each week, several holidays were also called "Sabbaths" (See Lev 23 and Talmud m.Eduyyot 2:10 H) and Yeshua is said to have been crucified - not on the week Preparation Day - but on...

"It was the day of Preparation of Passover " (John/Yoch 19:14)

....not the weekly Preparation Day. So this was Aviv 14, not necessarily a Friday.

So both Friday Aviv 15 and Saturday Aviv 16 were Sabbath days, which meant that the only day to have prepared for EITHER Sabbath - the annual Sabbath of Aviv 15 or the weekly Sabbath - would have been Thursday Aviv 14.

Preparations for the sabbaths

Joe Viel:

“The Night He Died

"It was the day of Preparation of Passover " (John/Yoch 19:14)

....not the weekly Preparation Day. So this was Aviv 14, not necessarily a Friday.”

GE:

Re: “the only day to have prepared for EITHER”

Joe Viel, You and I are in agreement as to on which day of the week the Lord Jesus was crucified.

The ‘necessity’ of “It was the day of Preparation of Passover " (John/Yoch 19:14)” is absolute. It cannot be denied as it is by just about everybody who has had something to say about it. You may with confidence, I believe, defend the truth, our Lord was crucified and died ‘necessarily’ ‘not (on) a Friday’, but necessarily, that means, “according to the Scriptures” – the passover Scriptures – on a Thursday. Which we both are trying to show and establish. Sela.

May I also suggest that one should rather speak of ‘holy days’ than of ‘holidays’.

Also perhaps, that one may safely ignore Jewish sources altogether. Who is conversed with them? Very few. Is it necessary to know them unto salvation? No. Are they infallible like the Scriptures is? No. Do they (sometimes) contradict the Bible and the New Testament specifically? They must, because they all originated after the lifetime of our Lord Jesus Christ, and must have been written by people who to some degree must have been inimical to the Fulfiller of Messianic Promise and Prophecy.

I therefore am sure, and no moment doubt, the Scriptures – the passover Scriptures, Old AND New Testaments – clearly tell us that Jesus died on Thursday afternoon, Aviv 14th.

Joe Viel:

“So both Friday Aviv 15 and Saturday Aviv 16 were Sabbath days, which meant that the only day to have prepared for EITHER Sabbath - the annual Sabbath of Aviv 15 or the weekly Sabbath - would have been Thursday Aviv 14.”

GE:

Yes, “both Friday Aviv 15 and Saturday Aviv 16 were Sabbath days”. But “meant” that, “that the only day to have prepared for EITHER Sabbath - the annual Sabbath of Aviv 15 or the weekly Sabbath - would have been Thursday Aviv 14.”? Certainly, and necessarily, not. Not “according to the Scriptures” – the passover Scriptures!

The Law of the passover, Exodus 12-14 and Leviticus 23 commanded, and the nature of the passover demanded, that ‘preparations’ for Abib 14 must be made on Abib 14. For no reason than the ‘Old Testament’ Law does John in 19:14 in the New Testament Scriptures use the name of “The Preparation of the Passover” for Abib 14.

Nowhere is it suggested though on “The Preparation of the Passover” Abib 14 (Thursday), preparations were being made for the next two days after, Friday Abib 15 and Saturday Abib 16, because they were ‘sabbaths’, as Joe Viel wants it. Nowhere either was it required that preparations for any ‘sabbath’ after, should be made on the day before. The fourteenth day of the First Month and the ninth day of the Seventh Month were ‘passover’ and ‘atonement’ days in own right and in themselves provided for ‘preparations’. The ‘passover’ and ‘atonement’ ‘feast day-‘sabbaths’ of the fifteenth day of the First Month and tenth day of the Seventh Month, the same, provided in themselves for necessary and mandatory ‘preparations’.

John uses the Possessive: “The Preparation OF Passover”; not the Preposition, ‘the preparation FOR the passover’. ‘Preparation’ was part and characteristic of the day as such. Preparations needed no day before the actual ‘day-of-preparations’; the ‘preparations’ as such were the aim and purpose and content, essence and meaning of the particular ‘feast-day’ itself.

Three times I have noticed, the Jews insisted on certain precautionary or preparatory measures to be taken, yes, four times:

1) They asked Pilate for the bones of the crucified to be broken so that they could die sooner and their bodies and crosses could be removed from embarrassing public sight on the pending ‘great day sabbath’.

2) The Jews the morning of Abib 14 insisted to have Jesus crucified, but they would not enter into the house of Pilate “lest they should be defiled but that they might eat the passover” the following night. They had no scruples to enter Pilate’s house later on, meaning the Jews have had eaten their passover meal before they went to see Pilate.

3) “The morning after their preparations”, says Mt27:62 – on the Sabbath day indeed – the Jews asked a guard of Pilate to prevent Jesus’ disciples steal the body before the third day would have expired.

4) John 19:42 mentions “the preparations of the Jews” that still had to be made before the Sabbath; Mark called this day The Preparation (Day) which is the Fore-Sabbath (Day), meaning Friday the Sixth Day of the week.

These were “the Jews’ preparations”; they were not the Law’s! They were “the traditions of men”; not the Scripture’s. Like a ‘Sabbath Day’s journey’ they were ‘religion’; they were not ‘obedience’.

Not that “the Jews’ preparations” were damnable. They were allowed and even respected. The Gospel writers do not condemn them; the Law did not condemn them. They were acceptable. Which things clearly show and confirm that ‘preparations’ in actual fact were allowed and were made on the ‘great day sabbaths’ of the Old Covenant without objection from the Gospel writers.

‘Preparations’ therefore cannot be ‘argued’ to prove Joseph could not have buried Jesus on the ‘great day sabbath’ of passover. “According to the Scriptures” – the passover-Scriptures – Jesus had to be, buried on Abib 15 the passover’s “sabbath day”: Ex12:10. Cf. 12:34-39,51. (Abib 14 ending night time in Exodus, is Abib 15 beginning night time in all other Books that mention the eating or feasting of passover and Unleavened bread.)

I have shown this many times. And shall now again show it.

1) “The first day” (Ex12:15b):—

Abib 14, “The PREPARATION of Passover” Jn19:14,

THURSDAY BEGINNING:—

“Even the first day” Ex12:8:—

Jn13:1a; Mk14:12a, Mt26:17,

“the day to de-leaven” Lk22:7,

“before the Feast” :

BEGINNING, was its very

“night”, “The Preparation—Night—of Passover”:—

1a) “It was NIGHT”:—

“The Night” (WEDNESDAY NIGHT):—

The first NIGHT of the “three nights and three days” Mt12:40)

Mk14:12/17 to 15:15 / Mt26:17/20 to 27:26b / Lk22:7/14 to 23:25 / Jn13:1 to 19:16a

Mark 14:12/17 to 15:15:—

“Where wilt Thou that we go and prepare .... that Thou mayest eat .... The Son of Man indeed goeth as it is written of Him .... this day in this night”;

Matthew 26:17/20 to 27:26b:—

“The first day to unleaven had begun .... where willest Thou that we may prepare, for Thee, to eat .... my time is at hand .... The Son of Man goeth as it written of Him .... this night”;

Luke 22:7/14 to 25:—

“Then came the day to unleaven when the passover had to be killed .... prepare the passover .... where wilt Thou that we prepare?”;

John 13:1/30 to 19:16a:—

“Before the Feast of Passover came the hour that He should pass over out of .... Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him .... for the Feast .... It was night .... before it come to pass .... the hour is come”;

Jesus and his disciples “PREPARED”,

“The Preparation—Night—of Passover”—

for, the coming ‘passover-day’, the SAME day “when”,

“between the two nights”, “daylight” (‘behn ha arbayim’),

“they had to kill the Passover” of God, on.

Mk15:16-41, Mt27:27-61, Lk23:26-49, Jn13:1-19:16a.

1b) “The Preparation of Passover” Abib 14

“the first day” of passover, was its very

“DAY”, “The Preparation—DAY—of Passover”,

Thursday DAY on which the Passover Lamb was crucified and killed “according to the Scriptures” – the passover Scriptures –

14 Abib, everywhere in the Scriptures.

The day in itself of Abib 14 consisted of both its own ‘preparation’ and fulfilled event, the Suffering of dying death, and the Sacrifice by dying and death of Our Passover Lamb.

Nowhere is mention being made of, “to have prepared for EITHER Sabbath - the annual Sabbath of Aviv 15 or the weekly Sabbath”. (Emphasis GE)

Most conspicuously NO ‘preparations’ are being made mention of or alluded to on “The Preparation of the Passover”— not anywhere, and not specifically where “The Preparation of the Passover” is being mentioned in Jn19:14— right in the middle of the day! Because everything that happened on “Thursday Aviv 14” WAS, ‘preparation’— was, preparation for and of and on, the Passover of God— Christ in his goings in, and through, and out of the “heart of the earth” figuratively (for prophetically and ‘spiritually’) as well as ‘literally’ (for physically), “three days and three nights”. And the mention of THIS Divine ‘Preparation’ is specifically being mentioned at, or rather on and in, the beginnings of “Thursday Aviv 14”, Mk14:12/17 and further, Mt26:17/20 and further, and Lk22:7/14 and further, and Jn13:1 and further.

Here, and this, were the ‘preparations’ of the Passover’s Sacrifice of God— the preparations of “The Preparation of the Passover” “according to the Scriptures”— John 19:14 = Mk14:12/17 and further = Mt26:17/20 and further = Lk22:7/14 and further — NO ‘preparations of the “Feast”, “great day sabbath” of Jn19:31 the day after, or preparations for the Sabbath of Lk23:54 two days after were made on this day, ‘Thursday Aviv 14’.

2) “The day after” (Joshua 5:11a):—

Mark 15:42 and John 19:31 describe

the actual eventuality when in the year of our Lord’s death

“Friday Aviv 15” coincided with “The Preparation” –

“The Preparation that is The Fore-Sabbath”.

John’s definitive statement declares “that day” or “the day of that sabbath” as having become the reason for the Jews’ request, “Because was great the day of that sabbath the Jews asked”. The Jews did not before, mind the crucified or the crosses; in fact they before – on the very day before, Abib 14 – have asked for it! Why did they not ‘prepare’ for this eventuality if ‘preparation’ were the institutional requirement?

John indicates

“That day” (‘ekeineh hehmera’)

“because it was” (‘epei ehn’)

“The Preparation” (‘paraskeyeh’)

“on/in the sabbath .....” (‘en tohi sabbatohi’)

“because was great” (‘ehn gar megaleh’)

“the day of that sabbath” (‘heh hehmera ekeinou tou sabbatou’)

“the Jews therefore asked .....” (‘hoi oun Ioudaioi ehrohtehsan”)

“The Preparation”, here in Mk15:42, Mt27:57, Jn19:31 and Lk23:50 was in, its beginning stage or hours

2a) “The Night” of “The Preparation which is The Fore-Sabbath” of

Abib 15— “of that great day sabbath”, Jn19:31

(Thursday night) :

John’s statement presupposes “The Preparation’s”-a-while-ago-beginning, just like Mark’s Constative as well as Ingressive Aorist statement describes “The Preparation” as having started a while ago “already” but still that same evening (after sunset).

John and Mark presuppose, this day’s largely remaining night and day. “Evening having come because / now The Preparation it was”— was the yet prospective “great day sabbath” itself .... “when suddenly a man named Joseph .....” Lk23:50.

Later that day – in the end of it – Luke records that the women went home and prepared spices and ointments – and of course also their other usual “preparations of the Jews” (Jn19:42) for the weekly Sabbath.

2a1) This day “was” –in its beginnings “evening having come”–

‘Friday Aviv 15’

in all of its passover-significance “according to the Scriptures”,

Mk15:42/Mt27:57, Jn19:31/38, Lk23:50 ---

until in its endings – Lk23:54-56a / Jn19:42.

2a2) In between, “it was” – in its night and day –

‘Friday Aviv 15’

in all of its passover-significance “according to the Scriptures”,

Mk15:42 to 46a, Mt27:57 to 60, Lk23:50 to 53a, Jn19:31 to 40.

2b) “It was” – in its endings “mid-afternoon” until sunset –

Friday Aviv 15’

in all of its passover-significance “according to the Scriptures”,

Mk15:46b-47 / Mt27:57-61 / Lk23:53b-56a / Jn19:41-42.

2b1) It was on this day still, therefore, that John declared that “They, by the time of the Jews’ preparations, there laid Jesus”

(‘ethehkan’ Constative Aorist statement of a past event), with

three hours before sunset left – not past! (Nuwe Afrikaanse Bybel)

2b2) “It was” – in its endings – ‘Friday Aviv 15’ in all of its passover-significance “according to the Scriptures”,

Mk15:46b-47 / Jn19:41-42 / Lk23:53b-56a / Jn 19:41-42 --- until sunset and the Sabbath would have begun, and the women “had begun to rest the Sabbath”, Lk23:56b.

The day in itself of Abib 15 consisted of both its own ‘preparation’ and fulfilled event, Joseph’s undertaking and preparing of the body of Jesus for burial, and his eventual entombing the body and closing of the grave.

As noted before, John in 19:42 tells us, at the closing of this same ‘Fore-Sabbath Preparation Day’, that “the preparations of the Jews” still had to be made between after Joseph had closed the grave and before sunset on this very day, still.

Luke says no different in 23:54-56.

FACT IS, all preparations for the weekly Sabbath day were being made on “Friday Aviv 15” the “great day sabbath of the passover” in four out of four Gospels, no matter how any may argue against it.

Yet another aspect of this information given by the New Testament – besides it having been given without a semblance of doubt about its eventuality – is that all the Gospels regard its eventuality as having been the fulfilment of the Scriptures and of God’s own Promises and Laws and as the confirmation of His Eternal Will.

The two things of it having been “The Preparation” and “Fore-Sabbath” and the obvious “great day sabbath” of Passover’s holy “Feast Day”– the week’s Sixth Day and the First Month’s fifteenth day at once on the same day – these two things having happened together particularly – the eventuality of it – is of utmost significance.

Just as important is the way in which the Gospels are not obscure about it but endorses these events as truth in itself, and for, the truth contained in it and implied by it. Preparations were made on “great day sabbath” and “Holy Feast Day Of Passover”, “Friday Aviv 15”. Such was the Messiah’s fulfilment of, and as, the Passover of God, of “great day sabbath” and “Holy Feast Day Of Passover”, “Friday Aviv 15”.

Do not forget the Law’s clear instructions as to all the holy DUTIES commanded FOR and ON the ‘holy’ and ‘feast’ day ‘sabbath’ of the passover, “Friday Aviv 15”.

“With all your power you must go out!” “On the fifteenth day of the First Month they went out”, “Carrying on their shoulders unleavened dough”, and bringing spoils, gold and other, and driving livestock, bringing out also “that which remain(ed)” of the sacrifice – until at Succoth (at mid-afternoon only) they encamped – on order of God through Moses –, encamped and burned the remains so returning it to the earth – ‘interring’ it – as the type of the promised Messiah’s ‘remains’ whose body was interred ON “great day sabbath” and “Holy Feast Day Of Passover”, “Friday Aviv 15” : “Friday Aviv 15” from that “evening it had become” , Mk15:42, until “mid-afternoon and the Sabbath was approaching”, Lk23:54.

And so are neutralised and demolished all arguments Christ could not have been buried – in fulfilment of the Law of God – ON “great day sabbath” and “Holy Feast Day Of Passover”, “Friday Aviv 15”.

Ironic, is it not, that the ‘argument’, ‘work such as preparations for sabbaths was not allowed on sabbaths’, is as old and hackneyed as the ‘argument’ that Jesus was crucified and buried on Friday. The whole of both ‘arguments’ boils down to but one thing, that Jesus must have been buried on the same day that He was crucified. Which is contrary all the Scriptures!

So four points of difference emerge,

1) That preparations and other works were not only allowed on this particular ‘great day sabbath’ but were customary, stated for having been done.

2) That preparations and other works were not only allowed on this particular ‘great day sabbath’ but were customary, stated for having been done, and in fact were contingencies of the Law’s.

3) That preparations and other works were not only allowed on any ‘sabbath’, but were customary, stated for having been done, and in fact were contingencies of the Law’s and, intrinsic of the days as such.

4) That “The Preparation” has been given account of in all four Gospels from its beginning, after sunset, until its last three hours and after, up to sunset. The Gospels don’t make mention of either only the beginning or only the ending of day. They make mention of 1) both the beginning and 2) the ending of ‘Friday’, and they make clear mention of 3) the evolution of that day in between its beginning and ending, and further imply 4) the last three hours on Friday of “the Jews’ preparations” between when Joseph had closed the grave “when mid-afternoon the Sabbath started approaching” until “the women had begun to rest the Sabbath” from Friday sunset on— the three hours on Friday still, implied in also John 19:42.

3) “According to the Scriptures the third day ....”

‘Saturday Aviv 16’ “First Sheaf Wave Offering Before the LORD”

The Sabbath “on the day after the Sabbath” Lv23:11,15,

in all of its passover-significance “according to the Scriptures”,

beginning:—

Lk23:56b / (Jn19:42).

Where usually people insert a day between two assumed ‘sabbaths’ to provide so that preparations should not be made on the Feast-sabbath or on the weekly Sabbath, Joe Viel simply placed the preparations for both “back to back sabbaths”, together on the “Preparation of the Passover”, Abib 14.

But Joe Viel was self-assured when he insisted that the Plural in Mt28:1, ‘sabbatohn’ must be literal. He is slow to see ‘sabbaton’ in both Lk23:54 and Jn19:31 is Singular, and that it is nowhere written that preparations were being made for “both Friday Aviv 15 and Saturday Aviv 16 ..... Sabbath days”, Plural.

“Sabbath” in its middle of the day,

“in the morning after the preparations” of Friday the day before,

Mt27:62.

“Sabbath” in “Sabbath’s-time in fullness of day mid-afternoon before / towards the First Day of the week”,

Mt28:1-4.

4) “Sunday Aviv 17”

in its beginnings—

“When the Sabbath had gone through ....”

Mk16:1, Jn20:1 further.