You can watch Episode 2 of Season 1 by clicking the link below and going to Episode two. Thank you to The Chosen for this film. Enjoy and be Blessed.
blob:https://watch.angelstudios.com/5fbf5f09-d4d7-48d3-9148-131bc29c3a2a
Shabbat is the title of chapter two of The Chosen and the Hebrew translation of the word Sabbath, which means to cease from work, because as the fourth commandment states:
Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Exodus 16:29-30 See! the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” So the people rested on the seventh day.
Notice the difference how the Shabbats were celebrated in the different homes with each of the Characters.
Nicodemus, especially his wife, surrounded themselves with people who wanted to be with the best, served in the best surroundings with the best food. It was all about prestige and status in the community. Shabbat seemed all for show. His wife was all about impressing her guests with what an honor it was to be invited to have dinner with her husband in their home. She was full of PRIDE, explaining to her guests that they were eating on special plates, surrounded by exquisite items…(and they should be grateful they had been invited). On entering the home for Shabbat, a guest, one of Nicodemus’ students, told his wife to find a seat close to the head of the table to be close to Nicodemus. This dinner seemed to be all about keeping tradition, being important and keeping the commandment to earn God’s favor.
Simon was so engulfed in his scheme to get out of debt, that celebrating Shabbat wasn’t important. (It was important to his wife and brother, however.) Shabbat was a reminder that God had rescued the Jews from Egypt. Simon was possibly disappointed, frustrated and even angry that God did not care about him and his situation and/or that God didn’t care enough to rescue him and his fellow Jews from Roman rule and taxation. He had become swallowed up in and blinded by his worldly needs and circumstances and had forgotten about his SPIRITUAL NEEDS.
He didn’t necessarily need God. He needed FISH.
Matthew was such an outcast he had no where to go for Shabbat. He was hated by the Jews, so no one would invite him into their home. He was not even welcome in his father’s house. He ended up eating on the street alone, sharing his Shabbat meal with a stray dog that was not welcome anywhere either. He tried to fill his loneliness with money and working for the Romans gave him a false sense of being needed and accepted, which is what he wanted the most. Not being accepted by anyone, possibly led him to believe that God did not, or could not accept him either, leaving him with no hope of gaining God’s favor by keeping the Shabbat commandment. That is truly a lonely place to be.
Mary, on the other hand, had not celebrated Shabbat in quite a while. Her home and table setting was extremely modest compared to Nicodemus’. She was not trying to impress anyone. Her door was open to anyone, even strangers. She wasn’t celebrating Shabbat to keep a commandment or to try to gain favor with God. She already had it. She was simply trying to honor God and the one who had redeemed her and called her by name.
What does “keeping the Sabbath” mean to you?
Is simply going to church for an hour on Sunday, obeying God’s commandment?
Why do you go to church on Sunday? Is it because you were brought up that way? Is Church just an obligation you need to keep? Are you afraid of what people or GOD would think if you don’t go to church on Sunday? Is the reason more spiritual?
Which character, if any, do you relate to when it comes to keeping the Lord’s day holy?
Is there anything you would, could or should change about how you “Keep holy the Lord’s Day”?
Believing Outside the Box 