ADVENTISTS AND THE SABBATH DAY CONUNDRUM

ADVENTISTS AND THE SABBATH DAY CONUNDRUM

The book of Matthew Chapter 12:1-14 reads:

At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.

But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered.

And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand.

And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

From the text, it clear the Pharasees were using the narrative of strict adherence to tenets of the Sabbath, not to enlighten Jesus, but rather, a wicked ploy of entrapment, to justify their plans to kill him.

As we speak, the Kingsmen of Jesus Christ, the Jews, are engaged in a 24/7 war on Gaza Strip, without recourse for any Sabbath day observation. But Africans with no ancestral connection to Israel, are bent on observing Sabbath, at the expense of civil responsibility to nation.

A such, this issue being raised by Ghanaian Adventists in respect of voting day, for me, is just a matter of choice and prerogative. After all, voting, by the laws of Ghana, is not obligatory.

Indeed, with over 17million registered voter population, it’s only a little over 12million that actually vote in all elections.

What I’ve seen about Ghana is that, at any point in time, there must be an issue to make people talk. So, whenever the media space is silent, then out of nowhere, boom, someone creates a topic!!

This Adventists matter, since yesterday and the whole of this morning, has captured the airwaves, and that’s exactly what Ghanaians want. Let’s be progressive in things we do.

Justice A. Newton-Offei
justnoff@yahoo.com