Today we’re going to look at a verse that is often used to defend that Sunday is the new Sabbath.
“But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days. On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”-Acts 20:6-7
In the English in verse 7 of Acts chapter 20, it states that the apostles came together on the first day of the week, thus seeming to imply that the Sabbath is now on the first day of the week.
Let’s take a look at the original Greek of the phrase “the first day”.
The original Greek is below followed by the English transliteration.
ΜΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΣΑΒΒΑΤΩΝ=mia ton Sabbaton
The Greek word “mia” means “one” NOT “first“.
Actually, the Greek word for “first” is “protos” which is not even present in this text.
If we were to properly render the above Greek into correct English it would read as follows:
“One of the Sabbaths”
How many pounds of marijuana does a Bible translator have to smoke to get to the translation “the first day“?
It is a colossal error to translate it into “first day of the week“.
The word “day“ in the Greek is nowhere to be found.
Actually, over the years many scholars have come to accept that this is a huge translation mistake.
So what does “one of the Sabbaths” actually mean?
This is where the context of the previous verse 6 is very crucial.
“But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.”-Acts 20:6
Unless one acknowledges the Biblical feast days that God gave us, passages like this can be easily glossed over.
So why is mention of this feast day so important?
4 These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: 5 The Lord’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.–Leviticus 23:4-5
Now let’s jump down to verses 15 and 16 of this same chapter of Leviticus.
15 “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath,and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord.-Leviticus 23:15-16
I know this is getting a bit complicated but stay with me. Notice in Acts 20:6, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is mentioned.
So what were they doing in Acts 20:7?
ANSWER: They were counting the Sabbath weeks as they were instructed as follows.
1st WEEK: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, SABBATH
2nd WEEK: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, SABBATH
3rd WEEK: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, SABBATH
4th WEEK: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, SABBATH
5th WEEK: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, SABBATH
6th WEEK: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, SABBATH
7th WEEK: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, SABBATH (49th day)
The 50th day refers to the verse “Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath”.
A proper translation of Acts 20:7 should be rendered as follows:
“On one of the Sabbaths we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”-Acts 20:7
CONCLUSION: In Acts chapter 20, the Apostles were actually keeping one of the Sabbaths listed above as the Sabbath while they were counting the weeks up to the day of Pentecost and NOT the first day of the week as many try to say.
Great clarification on Acts 20:7. I think we also need to note that Jews had (still do have) a relationship with God that is unique to them. This will help us understand why in Acts 15, the Jerusalem convocation said “let us not lay any more burden on those who turn to God from among the Gentiles… For it seems good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these NECESSARY things; abstain from food offered to idols, blood, strangled meat, and fornication..” Paul himself urged the Colossians “Let no man judge you … in respect of a holy day, new moon, or the SABBATH DAYS”
The apostleship (ministry) to the Jews is clearly NOT the same as that to the Gentiles Gal 2:8). So, if a Jewish Paul observed Sabbath, it does not mean it is required of Gentiles to do the same.
Romans 14:5 says “one man esteems one day above another, another esteems all days equally. He that regards the day does it to the Lord and him that does not, does not to the Lord” He added, “Let every man be fully convinced in his own mind.
Peter upheld circumcision, Paul denounced it, yet both were right in principle (Paul rebuked Peter for bad practice (Galatians 2), because their assigned audiences were different.
I am open to learning.
Shalom