What’s So Special About Sunday?

TEXT: Matthew 12:1-13; Isaiah 58:13-14

OBJECTIVE

The students will be able to explain that the Lord’s Day is a day consecrated to Him. When we honor His day by setting it apart from other days of the week, we can expect God’s blessing.

REFERENCE INFORMATION

The term “Lord’s Day” is especially associated with the Lord Jesus Christ. It denotes a day consecrated to Him. The expression occurs only once in the Bible, in Revelation 1:10, where John clearly is dating his vision. The form of his expression marks a distinction between the prophetic “day of the Lord” and the first day of the week, on which Christ arose. The Gospel emphasis upon “the first day of the week” as the day of Resurrection stresses its distinctiveness. It was the Resurrection victory on that day that marked it as sacred to the Christian Church.

The seventh day following the six days of God’s Creation was the first instance where one day out of the week was set apart as a day of rest. The Sabbath Day, our Saturday, is still observed by the Jewish nation as their day of rest, and it is also remembered by them as a perpetual covenant. (See Exodus 31:16) The Lord’s Day, our Sunday, is the day set aside by Christians around the world as a day of rest and of honor to our Lord Jesus Christ. Though for some it is not always possible, the child of God looks forward to each Lord’s Day, when he can gather with fellow Christians and set aside worldly concerns, enter into the house of God and read the promised blessings of the Lord.

QUESTIONS

The basic principle of setting aside one day of the week to worship God and rest from work, is as old as Creation. It precedes even the Mosaic Law. During the time of Moses, God gave the Children of Israel specific rules to follow concerning that holy day. The Sabbath day, our Saturday, is still observed by the Jewish nation as their day of rest, and it is also remembered as a perpetual covenant. (See Exodus 31:16.) The Sabbath Day is not to be confused with the Lord’s Day. When Jesus arose from the grave on the first day of the week, a new era began—not that the Law was destroyed, but fulfilled. The Lord’s Day, our Sunday, is the day set aside by Christians around the world as a day of rest and of honor to our Lord Jesus Christ. The child of God looks forward to each Lord’s Day, when he can gather with fellow Christians and set aside worldly concerns, enter into the house of God and reap the promised blessings of the Lord.

1. In Genesis 2:2-3, we read that on the seventh day God rested from all His work, the creation of the world. The word sabbath means “to rest from labor.” What do you think is meant by the statement that tells us, God “blessed” and “sanctified” it?
   
   Response: Discussion should bring out that God spoke well of this day, declaring it a day to be set apart because it was the day on which He had rested after he finished His creation of the world. God wants us to recognize the fact that even today we need physical rest from our labor, as well as time set aside to “rest in the Lord.”
   
2. When God gave the Ten Commandments to the Children of Israel, what were they commanded to do on the Sabbath Day? (See Exodus 20:8-11.) Under the Law, what could happen to a person who worked on the Sabbath Day? See Exodus 35:2.
   
   Response: The Children of Israel were to remember to keep the Sabbath day holy, and to rest from their labor. When Moses delivered God’s Commandment to the people concerning the Sabbath Day, the harshest judgment was that, “whosoever doeth work therein [on the Sabbath] shall be put to death.”
   
3. To the Pharisees who complained because His disciples picked corn on the Sabbath, Jesus said, “the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day” (Matthew 12:8). Explain what you think is meant by that verse.
   
   Response: Allow students to share their responses. We can read in John 1:1-3 that Jesus, the Word, was here from the beginning. As Creator, He instituted the Sabbath Day as a day of rest, as a day to be set apart. Mark 2:27-28 includes Jesus’ statement that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (There is no intimation here that the need of a sabbath was abolished. Christ himself honored the Sabbath day while He was here on earth. However, it was only the letter of the Law, and not the spirit of the day that was being observed by the Jewish people. Jesus had earlier said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” [Matthew 5:17].)
   
4. Under the Law, the Israelites were instructed to bring the offering of the “firstfruits.” This offering was made “on the morrow after the sabbath” (Leviticus 23:9-12). Christ’s Resurrection took place on the first day of the week, which is “on the morrow after the sabbath.” Paul tells us that Christ became the first fruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). What significance does this have on the fact that Christians today observe Sunday as the “Lord’s Day”?
   
   Response: Christ’s resurrection is our hope of salvation! The giving of the firstfruits of the harvest was part of the celebration of Pentecost. It was when the “lamb without blemish” was given as a burnt offering to God. Jesus was the perfect Lamb of God. he died so that we might have everlasting life, and He arose on Sunday, the first day of the week, which is “the morrow after the sabbath.” It is our day of Resurrection victory.
   
5. Look up the following Scriptures and list the significant events that occurred on Sundays. Mark 16:9, Luke 24:13, Luke 24:36, John 20:26, Acts 2:1, Acts 20:7, Revelation 1:10.
   
   Response: Mark 16:9 — Christ arose from the grave.
   Luke 24:13 — Christ appears to the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
   Luke 24:36 — Christ’s first appearance to the disciples. Note that this appearance is still on Sunday, the day of His Resurrection. See verses 13,31,33,36.
   John 20:26 — Christ’s second appearance to the disciples (including Thomas) one week after the first appearance.
   Acts 2:1 — Holy Ghost poured out on the Day of Pentecost.
   Acts 20:7 — Disciples gathered to break bread.
   Revelation 1:10 — Beginning of Revelation to St. John.
   
6. The Lord’s Day is distinguished from the Sabbath Day of the Mosaic Law not only because it is on a different day, but because none of the Old Testament Sabbath regulations were transferred to the Lord’s Day. When the Apostles and elders met in Jerusalem to give rules for the Gentile Christians (Acts 15:1,2,19-29), why do you think they didn’t include a demand for Sabbath observance in the rules? See Romans 14:1-6; Galatians 4:9-11; Colossians 2:16-17.
   
   Response: No formula is spelled out in Scripture concerning the Lord’s Day. Some of the Jewish Christians continued to observe the Sabbath Day and Jewish festivals, while others made no distinctions between days. Paul declared that they were not to be judged for “esteeming one day above another.” It was to be a matter of liberty, as long as the observance of a special day was not regarded as necessary for salvation. Galatians 3:23-26 tells us that the Law was our “schoolmaster.” It was to bring us to Christ, “that we might be justified by faith.” The letter of the law has been replaced by the greater spirit of love which is the essence of both the Law and Gospel. “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17).
   
7. The Lord’s Day is in the possessive form and means, “belonging to the Lord.” Just as the Old Covenant related the Sabbath to God’s Creation of the World, under the New Covenant we relate Sunday, the Lord’s Day, to our new creation in Christ Jesus. Every Sunday, therefore, is a weekly memorial to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can see in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, and also in our key verse that the Early Church consecrated the day to worship and almsgiving (but not to earning). What are some of the things Christians today can do to show respect for the Lord’s Day?
   
   Response: Use your students’ responses to emphasize the importance of setting aside our normal responsibilities each Sunday. Remind them of the verses in mark 2:27-28, where Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man. That tells us that as long as we live and labor on this earth, man will need a day of rest. When we honor the Lord’s Day, by focusing on Him and giving our energy to do his will, He will honor us. As we read 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, and also our key verse, we can see that the Early Church set a good example for us to follow. When we gather with fellow Christians to hear God’s Word and to worship Him, we are left with a sweet peace that nothing can equal. Singing hymns of praise and worship will leave us joyful. As we tell others the Good News, we, too, will be blessed. If we busy ourselves on the Lord’s Day with things not needful for the day, we can’t receive the full benefit of time we should be giving to Him.
   
8. In Isaiah 58:13-14 we read the promise that God gave to the Jews if they would honor the Sabbath Day. List the things God required of the people in order to receive that promise. Can we also expect to receive such blessings if we honor the Lord’s Day?
   
   Response: The Jewish people were to turn from their own pleasure on the Sabbath. They were to call the Sabbath a delight, holy of the Lord, and a day to be honored. They were to delight themselves in the Lord and let Him be their source of joy. Though we are not bound by the Law, we have seen that the Christians of the Early Church, and those of today, have shown the same respect for God on the Lord’s Day. God’s great blessings are for all who do His will.

Thought Provoker: The legalistic burdens of the Sabbath Day have been removed by Jesus, but are we guilty of removing the blessing from our sabbath, the Lord’s Day? Are children today growing up without knowing what the Lord’s Day is really about: Are we taking full advantage of that Day to wait upon God in prayer, to delight in His Word, and to fellowship with other Christians? Is Sunday the happiest day of our week?

CLASS ACTIVITIES

To open your class, bring a calendar/planner that shows the days of the week, and write down the things that you usually do on each of those days. Leave Sunday completely blank. This illustrates how you are leaving Sunday for the Lord and His work.

To introduce the theme of setting Sundays aside for the Lord, bring in some things from home that you set aside for special guests or special occasions; for example, your best china or silverware, your best clothes, or best towels. Show how you are reserving these items for special guests and occasions just as you are reserving Sundays (the first day of the week) for the Lord.

Have the class make a list of things they would need for a picnic or party such as food, drinks, plates, and napkins. Discuss how they prepare for the event. Then discuss and make parallel lists of how to prepare for the Lord’s Day in the spirit and mind, as well as everyday activities: study lesson, learn key verse, meditate on the Lord, have clothes ready for church, groceries bought, gas in the car, etc.