From http://www.lds.org:
During His mortal ministry, the Savior took opportunities to teach about the Sabbath day. Ask members to read the following accounts and make a list of things that Jesus did on the Sabbath and the principles that He taught: Luke 6:1–11; 13:11–17; John 5:1–20; 9:1–16. What other principles about the Sabbath do we learn from the following verses? Exodus 20:8–11; 31:12–18; Isaiah 58:13–14; and D&C 59:9–19. Invite members to share what they can do to follow the Savior’s example.
See also Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 129–32.
Luke 6:1-11 Jesus heals on the Sabbath
“How contorted and distorted the thinking was of those who were critical of Jesus for violating the Sabbath day! After all, He was Lord of the Sabbath, and they clearly misunderstood the purpose of the Sabbath. Jesus’ critics were, in effect, denying the value of a miracle just performed. However, should not man be entitled to do ‘good’ on the Sabbath as well as on any other day?” (Neal A Maxwell, Sermons Not Spoken [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1985], 87.)
Luke 13:11-17 Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath
‘After the Savior healed the woman who had suffered a physical affliction for 18 years (see Luke 13:10–17), the leader of the synagogue where the healing occurred complained because the miracle had been performed on the Sabbath day. The Savior’s response taught that it is lawful to do good things on the Sabbath day and that those who teach otherwise are hypocrites. From this response, we learn the importance of looking for good things we can do on the Sabbath day rather than becoming overly concerned with what we cannot do.’ (Institute New Testament Manual)
John 5:1-20 Jesus heals an invalid on the Sabbath
‘But why did our Lord command this man to carry his bed on the sabbath, as the law prohibited all servile work, and especially the carrying of burthens? See Exodus 20:8; Jeremiah 17:21; Nehemiah 13:15. To this it may be answered,
- The man was a poor man, and if he had left his bed he might have lost it; and he could not have conveniently watched it till the next morning.
- Christ showed by this that he was Lord of the sabbath: see Matthew 12:8.
- This was not contrary to the spirit of the law: the sabbath was made to honor God in, and this was a public monument of his power and goodness.
4. It was consistent with the wisdom of Christ to do his miracles so that they might be seen and known by a multitude of people, and especially in Jerusalem, which was the capital of the country, and the center of the Jewish religion; and this very circumstance of the healed man carrying his bed on the sabbath day must call the attention of many to this matter, and cause the miracle to be more generally known.’ (Clarke’s Bible Commentary)
John 9:1-16 Jesus, on the Sabbath, heals a man born blind
“‘The Rabbis had forbidden any man to smear even one of his eyes with spittle on the Sabbath, except in cases of mortal danger. Jesus had not only smeared both the man’s eyes, but had actually mingled the saliva with clay!…The Sabbath of Rabbinism, with all its petty servility, was in no respect the Sabbath of God’s loving and holy law. It had degenerated into that which St. Paul calls it, a ‘beggarly element.’ And these Jews were so imbued with this utter littleness, that a unique miracle of mercy awoke in them less of astonishment and gratitude than the horror kindled by a neglect of their Sabbatical superstition.’ (Farrar, p. 439. Gal. 4:9.)” (Bruce R McConkie, The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979-1981], 3: 202.)
Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day
‘In Hebrew the term Sabbath means “rest.” It contemplates quiet tranquility, peace of mind and spirit. It is a day to get rid of selfish interests and absorbing activities.
The Sabbath day is given throughout the generations of man for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between the Lord and his children forever. It is a day in which to worship and to express our gratitude and appreciation to the Lord. It is a day on which to surrender every worldly interest and to praise the Lord humbly, for humility is the beginning of exaltation. It is a day not for affliction and burden but for rest and righteous enjoyment. It is a day not for lavish banqueting, but a day of simple meals and spiritual feasting; not a day of abstinence from food, except fast day, but a day when maid and mistress might be relieved from the preparation. It is a day graciously given us by our Heavenly Father. It is a day when animals may be turned out to graze and rest; when the plow may be stored in the barn and other machinery cooled down; a day when employer and employee, master and servant may be free from plowing, digging, toiling. It is a day when the office may be locked and business postponed, and troubles forgotten; a day when man may be temporarily released from that first injunction, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.” (Genesis 3:19.) It is a day when bodies may rest, minds relax, and spirits grow. It is a day when songs may be sung, prayers offered, sermons preached, and testimonies borne, and when man may climb high, almost annihilating time, space, and distance between himself and his Creator.
The Sabbath is a day on which to take inventory—to analyze our weaknesses, to confess our sins to our associates and our Lord. It is a day on which to fast in “sackcloth and ashes.” It is a day on which to read good books, a day to contemplate and ponder, a day to study lessons for priesthood and auxiliary organizations, a day to study the scriptures and to prepare sermons, a day to nap and rest and relax, a day to visit the sick, a day to preach the gospel, a day to proselyte, a day to visit quietly with the family and get acquainted with our children, a day for proper courting, a day to do good, a day to drink at the fountain of knowledge and of instruction, a day to seek forgiveness of our sins, a day for the enrichment of our spirit and our soul, a day to restore us to our spiritual stature, a day to partake of the emblems of his sacrifice and atonement, a day to contemplate the glories of the gospel and of the eternal realms, a day to climb high on the upward path toward our Heavenly Father. ‘ (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, edited by Edward L. Kimball [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982], 216)
Latter-day Bloke 