To what extent, if any, do you believe that we should follow Jewish tradition in our Sabbath observance?
Biblically, God’s people are told that the Sabbath day is to be a time of rest for their bodies, and that they are to make it holy (Exodus 20:11; Deuteronomy 5:12). The Scriptures state that Shabbat is to be “a holy convocation” (Leviticus 23:3). How any of us “fill in the details” of doing this, requires us to examine instances in the Scriptures where the Sabbath was being kept, and determine with accuracy the halachah which was practiced in the First Century community of faith. Jewish studies in the New Testament are revealing more and more that Yeshua and the Apostles indeed kept many of the traditions of their time. We do not believe it is wise for us to simply dismiss tradition, as many do, but once accurately determining what the Apostles would have done in the First Century, we must then ask what they would probably do today. Would they have gone to the synagogue on Shabbat? Would they light Shabbat candles? Would they flip on a light switch?
The Sabbath is one of the most important elements of Torah observance in the Jewish community today, and there are many wonderful traditions we can practice as Messianic Believers, in making Shabbat a holy time. The Sabbath table of the candle lighting, the challah bread, the kiddush wine, and the Shabbat meal, are all elements which can be partaken of today. Attending Shabbat services, where Hebrew liturgy is used and the Torah is honored, can be partaken of. These are all elements of Jewish practice which are quite commonplace in the Messianic community we encourage everyone to participate in, as they can all trace their origin back to the First Century period of the Messiah, and immediately before and immediately after. Of course, there are many variants among these basic elements of Shabbat practice among the Jewish community today, both in Israel and the Diaspora, and we certainly expect that you would adapt as is appropriate.
The alternative to not following any mainline Jewish custom to make the Sabbath a special time, is sitting in the dark and eating cold bread—as was the errant practice of many Karaites during the Medieval period. Some in the independent Hebrew/Hebraic Roots movement insist that if something is not explicitly in the Written Torah, then it should not be followed. Unfortunately, for many of those who hold this view, following edifying traditions was commonplace among the First Century world of Yeshua, and in the Apostolic halachah seen in the Messianic Scriptures. Yeshua and His Disciples were by no means “Karaites,” and we believe that if they were living among us today, they would adhere to the basic elements of Sabbath tradition, even though probably not to the extent of the Orthodox Jewish community. We believe that they would make allowances for the development of technology in their Sabbath application.[1]
NOTES
[1] For a further discussion of these, and related issues, consult the Messianic Sabbath Helper by Messianic Apologetics.
