Part IV

    T he following is the fourth of nine arguments advanced by David C. Pack of the Restored Church of God when refuting A Sabbath Test. Each argument is responded to by Blow the Trumpet.

Argument IV:
Jesus Did It

    In a section of his essay, Mr. Pack invokes the story of Jesus and His disciples picking corn on the Sabbath to prove that it is appropriate to go to restaurants on this day. Furthermore, he asserts that anyone who questions such a practice is tantamount to a Pharisee. Under the heading “A Misunderstood Teaching,” Mr. Pack wages the following argument:

In Matthew 12, Christ and His disciples were immediately accused of breaking the Sabbath when they acquired some grain: “At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat” (vs. 1).

 

Critics of those who dine out on the Sabbath might suggest that Jesus and His disciples should have prepared their food on the day of preparation. After all, the critics might argue, was it not their lack of diligent planning that led to them becoming hungry in the first place? As the following verses show, there is never a lack of detractors to point out where others appear to fall short.

 

Now read verse 2: “But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto Him, Behold, Your disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day.”

 

The Pharisees condemned them for merely gleaning on the Sabbath. But gleaning was not (and still is not) wrong, unless the quantity that was harvested was so much that it had to be stored in crates or hampers. Gleaning food on the Sabbath was permissible as long as the person gathered enough food to be eaten on the spot, and therefore did not break the spirit of God’s Law.

Our Response: 

    When invoking this wonderful lesson in the life of the Messiah, Mr. Pack makes two monumental mistakes: first, he suggests that what Jesus’ disciples were doing was the moral equivalent of going to a restaurant on the Sabbath. This is nothing short of intellectually silly, and he knows it. However, despite this fact, he is brazen in offering this bit of “scholarship.” Here is how the authors of A Sabbath Test accurately describe this moment in the life of the Messiah.

It is true that Jesus’ apostles picked corn on the Sabbath (Mt.12: 1-8), but noticeably absent from this act was any attempt by Jesus or the apostles to buy it. Furthermore, at no time did they try to hire others to pick it for them and prepare it. What the disciples were doing was tantamount to plucking an apple from a tree and enjoying a piece of fruit during a Sabbath walk. This act may have offended the Pharisees but it did not offend the scriptures. To compare this to going to a restaurant on the Sabbath is like comparing it to harvesting crops on the Sabbath. It simply is not what happened. (A Sabbath Test p. 87)

    The authors of A Sabbath Test are right on target with this assessment. For Mr. Pack to raise this story as defense of him going to fine restaurants on God’s Sabbath is reprehensible and makes a mockery of scripture. What he has done with his representation of this act is an attempt to manipulate a great lesson about mercy and twist it into a license to profane what God has called HOLY!

    Mr. Pack then implies that those who question his Sabbath dining practices would have actually accused Jesus of not adequately preparing for the Sabbath. Notice again Mr. Pack’s own words:

After all, the critics might argue, was it not their (Jesus and His disciples) lack of diligent planning that led to them becoming hungry in the first place?

 

    Mr. Pack’s suggestion is dishonest to the core and is born out of desperation to prove a point that is indefensible. He is now resorting to putting words in people’s mouths and then condemning those words. This approach reeks with hypocrisy. However, if he genuinely believes that people who refrain from going to restaurants on God’s Sabbath would actually suggest that Jesus did not properly prepare for this day, here is something he can do to test his theory. Find someone who refuses to dine out on the Sabbath and ask them if they have ever, even for a second, thought Jesus was guilty of not diligently preparing for God’s Sabbath. As a matter of fact ask any professing Christian on the face of the earth this question and see how many answer it in the affirmative. Here’s a clue. The only one we have ever heard suggest such a thing is Mr. Pack.

Argument V
It Enhances the Sabbath

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