One can look at the manual that God put forth, called the law, in the book of Leviticus, and see it as incredibly intricate. This is true, but God was the author of it, so it was indeed good. The intricacy of it necessitated those under the law to continually seek it in order to follow it. God gave strict instructions about the behavior and actions of the priests in Leviticus 21-22. The function of the priest was twofold: to represent the people before God and to represent God to the people. These laws were put together approximately 1300 years before Jesus began ministering and teaching. Over these years through the Mishnah (the oral law passed down which was compiled and written down) and the Talmud (the Mishnah along with its expert commentaries), the relative simplicity of the Torah (the first 5 books of Scripture) and the Tanakh ( the Hebrew Scriptures), was transformed into something very different than what was originally written. We read in Leviticus 23:3, "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings."

As such, the Sabbath was a beautiful gift given to the people. Since that original, simple command, entire volumes have been compiled as to what exact activities, etc can be done on that day. Jesus clearly stated in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." We read one of many encounters with the religious leaders concerning the Sabbath in Luke 13:10-17. In it as Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath, he saw a woman who had been suffering for eighteen years, and He miraculously healed her. To this, the ruler of the synagogue stated, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." To which Jesus responded, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound-think of it-for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" Jesus upheld the law, He simply disagreed and did not submit to the Mishnah and Talmud as these were from men, not God.

We read in 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him...". Like the priests of old, we must represent the people before God in prayer, and we must accurately represent God before the people. This representation can only come from the truth outlined in God's Word. Throughout the generations, just like how the simplicity of the law was rendered complex through all of the layers added on by the rabbis and Jewish experts, Christianity has unfortunately gone through the same transition. Experts, denominational leaders have added layer upon layer of extra-biblical teachings which have moved people further and further from the original teachings of our Savior. We must submit to Him and His authority if we are to accurately reflect Him to the world at large. If our leaders and authoritative texts outside of Scripture have complicated or altered the original meaning we must all decide who we answer to man or God. We are holy, or set apart. Which means that we have been called into His service. We cannot go along with groups that teach otherwise. We must each take our stance.