Of course the religious authorities got legalistic about it. They set up all kinds of limitations, such as how many steps you could take away from home. Then in legalistic fashion they decided that if you buried bits of dirt from your yard around town you could walk everywhere and not be breaking the law. You have to give them points on creativity. And what is the meaning of “work”?
One website labeled “Basic Sabbath Rules” tells us “the Sages specified 39 categories of endeavor which are not allowed on the Sabbath...” Some of these might be clearly given in scripture but most are extensions thought up by people who were overly enthusiastic about regulating others. This is similar to what you find in modern government regulatory agencies. They don’t know when to stop. When in doubt, make up a new rule.
Some of you may be old enough and well traveled enough to know about the modern Blue Laws. I ran into them in the Mid-West. Certain items, such as beer, could not be bought on Sunday. In some areas car dealers are still forced to close on Sunday. In England, in the time of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, you could be fined and put in jail for not being in church on Sunday.
My family had restrictions on activities we could do on Sunday. We took a Sunday paper but were not allowed to look at it until after church. My father used to tell about how, as a child, he was not allowed to run or play at all on Sunday.
What did Jesus have to say about this?
To be continued...
homo unius libri
I remember a book of old moralistic cartoons at my grandparents house that showed a couple picnicking with the word "Sunday" crossed out above them and the word "Funday" scrawled below them. Even as a ten-year-old, I considered such self-righteousness nearly blasphemous in its own right.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you have noticed that extremes come on both sides. I want to be extremely balanced.
ReplyDeleteGrace and peace.