A Sunday assembly and the breaking of bread are apparently sufficient to explain the introduction of Sunday worship and the abolition of the Sabbath. This is an arbitrary interpretation without any foundation.
The apostles gathered on the first day of the week, “Sunday,” and broke bread together, thus introducing Sunday worship and “naturally” abolishing the Sabbath on the 7th day of the week. The scene described in Acts 20 is among the “favorites” of those who, on the one hand, assert that they live according to the commandments in any case, but that the Fourth Commandment (the Sabbath commandment, Exodus 20:8-11) is invalid.
It is immediately striking that the attempts at explanation and supposed justifications for not “having to” observe one of God’s commandments almost exclusively concern the Sabbath commandment. Who would justify murder and manslaughter, theft, adultery, envy, fraud, and false idols? But the only commandment that doesn’t begin with “shall” but with “remember” is the (strange) exception here.
The strangest excuses come from those who claim that every day is “God’s day” and that the Sabbath is in Jesus. He is the rest, and we rest in him. But it doesn’t usually stop there; attacks even follow against those who emphasize “Saturday” as the Sabbath according to the Fourth Commandment. So why not simply accept that if every day is the same, it simply chose Saturday? But no, the attack follows at a rapid pace, following the motto that “all days except Saturday are permitted.”
Acts 20:7-12
Cut today, broken in the past
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.“
They met on the first day of the week, the day after the Sabbath. Paul wanted to talk with the other apostles because he planned to leave the next day. There were numerous lamps in the upper room.
When does the first day of the week begin? According to our calendar, on Saturday evening after sunset. They therefore met in the evening hours, when the sun sets and it gets dark, and therefore numerous lamps are necessary. It is therefore very likely that they specifically observed the Sabbath, waited for its end, and then met in the upper room.
Paul spoke until midnight and left at the next sunrise. So, according to our current calendar, Sunday morning.
The times of day alone do not allow any conclusions at all that any kind of (new) worship service took place during the course of Sunday in daylight. Paul had indeed already left.
“Breaking Bread” – An Everyday Term
The term “breaking bread” is automatically interpreted as the ritual of the Lord’s Supper. Why, exactly? Jesus Christ broke the bread at the Last Supper and distributed it among His disciples. A process similar to any other mealtime. Today, it is cut, if necessary at all; back then, it was simply broken. Breaking bread was common practice in the Middle East at almost every meal.
For example, what does it say in Lamentations 4:4?
“The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them..“
An example from the Old Testament, specifically centuries before the “breaking of bread” by Jesus Christ.
No biblical justification whatsoever
Sabbath commandment is not up for debate
Where is it written that the Sabbath was abolished or moved to the first day of the week? Nowhere. Adhering to the first day (“Sunday”) of the week is always accompanied by idiosyncratic interpretations of biblical statements that do not provide such information at all.
It remains as it is. Nowhere is there a justification for observing Sunday instead of Saturday, specifically Friday after sunset to Saturday after sunset, as a replacement or alternative to the Fourth Commandment. The change of the Sabbath to Sunday is arbitrary. (Info). The author of this “change in the law” is also known by name (Info).
A real campaign against the Sabbath was launched at the very beginning of the church in Rome (Info).
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Daniel 7:25
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