CHAPTER 5 – The First Day of the Week

QUESTION: In the time of the Old Covenant, did Israel have special events that regularly took place on the first day of the week?

Yes, but limited to the Feast of First Fruits and Feast of Weeks^[1].

Even though these events occurred on the first day of the week, and they occurred every year, they were not events that occurred every week of the year.

Feast of First Fruits: Wave the sheaf of the first fruits

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf^[2] of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. ‘He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Leviticus 23:9–11)

“On the day after the sabbath” is the first day of the week, also known as Sunday.

Feast of Weeks: Count seven complete Sabbaths

‘You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. (Leviticus 23:15)

“From the day after the sabbath” is the first day of the week, also known as Sunday.

Feast of Weeks: Present a new grain offering

‘You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. (Leviticus 23:16; Deuteronomy 16:9–10)

“To the day after the seventh sabbath” is the first day of the week, also known as Sunday.

Feast of Weeks: Make a proclamation, have a holy convocation, do no laborious work

‘On this same day you shall make a proclamation^[3] as well; you are to have a holy convocation^[4]. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations. (Leviticus 23:21)

“On this same day” is the day after the sabbath, as was mentioned in Leviticus 23:16 as “the day after the seventh sabbath.” This is the first day of the week, also known as Sunday, and is the day mentioned in Acts 2:1 as the “day of Pentecost.”

QUESTION: Did the early church have special events designated to occur on the seventh day of the week?

No.

In the early church, the seventh day of the week was not prescribed as a day to gather to worship the Lord; the book of Acts records that Paul and Barnabas entered synagogues on the Sabbath day, as well as other days for the purpose of evangelism of the Jews. (Acts 13:14–15, 42–44; 14:1; 17:1–3, 10, 17; 18:4; 19:8)

The non-believing Jews were still functioning according to the Old Covenant Sabbath command, but the apostles did not go to the synagogue on the Sabbath for the purpose of fulfilling Old Covenant obligations. They went there because that was where the Jews were gathered, which then gave the apostles an established time and place each Sabbath to share the gospel of the kingdom of God. Consider what Paul said to the Jews and others, on the Sabbath day, in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch:

“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. (Acts 13:38–39)

These verses show that Paul was not advocating the Law of Moses, which included commands to observe the Sabbath; instead, he was preaching freedom in and through Jesus Christ (Galatians 5:1).

QUESTION: Was it a coincidence that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week?

No.

It was not a random act of the Jews and Romans that Jesus was killed on a Friday, rested on a Sabbath, and rose from the dead on a Sunday—the first day of the week. Neither was it a random act that the church began on the first day of the week. God chose the time for the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and for the birth of the church. Peter made it very clear that it was God’s plan for Jesus to die, on the day He died, in the manner in which He died.

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” (Acts 2:22–24, emphasis mine; see also Luke 22:22; Acts 4:27–28)

God predetermined the days

God predetermined the year in which the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus would coincide with the Passover on a Friday, first day of Unleavened Bread on a Sabbath, and, the sheaf of First Fruits waved on the first day of the week.

God predetermined Passover to be the day Jesus died; that day was a Friday (Matthew 26:1–2, 17–20; Mark 14:12–17; Luke 22:7–14; John 13:1; Leviticus 23:5). For an explanation of which day of the week Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples, and on which day He died, please see the article on the Grace to You Website entitled, “God’s preparation for the final Passover“. (MacArthur 2008)

God predetermined that the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the day after Passover, for Jesus’ body to rest in the grave. That day occurred on a weekly seventh day Sabbath, and was a high day (Matthew 27:57–66; Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:31–42; Exodus 12:14–17; Leviticus 23:6–7).

God predetermined that the day after the Sabbath, the day that the “sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest“ was to be waved, for Jesus to rise from the dead. This was the first day of the week, and always occurred on the first day of the week—which is called Sunday, but the church of Jesus Christ calls it, “the Lord’s Day” (Matthew 28:1–7; Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:1–12; John 20:1–19; Leviticus 23:9–14).

God predetermined the day of Pentecost—fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, and the day after the seventh Sabbath of the Feast of Weeks to be the day for the birth of the church (Acts 2; Leviticus 23:15–22). This was the first day of the week, and always occurred on the first day of the week.

These scriptures show that God does not leave anything to chance, but has planned the redemption of man from before the foundation of the earth (Matthew 25:34; compare with John 17:24; Acts 2:23; 3:18; 13:26–39; Romans 8:28–30; Ephesians 1:3–14).

QUESTION: In the early church, did anything special occur on the first day of the week?

Jesus rose from the dead

Jesus had predicted He would be killed and that He would rise from the dead on the third day (Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22; John 2:19–22). That third day was the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1–7; Mark 16:1–6; Luke 24:1–7; John 20:1–19).

Jesus appeared to different people

After His resurrection on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared to His disciples at different times on that same day. He appeared to:

Jesus, the first fruits

The day of Jesus’ resurrection coincided with the day that had been appointed in the law for the sheaf of the first fruits to be waved. The purpose and procedure of the Feast of First Fruits and Feast of Weeks is covered in Leviticus 23:9–21. Here is an excerpt:

“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.'” (Leviticus 23:10–11)

The “day after the Sabbath” refers to the day after the weekly seventh day Sabbath which occurred during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This day after the Sabbath was the first day of the week, and is referred to as “first fruits” (Numbers 28:26). In the New Testament, some of the apostles drew a comparison to the symbolism of this Old Covenant Feast of First Fruits:

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:20–23; compare with Romans 8:23; James 1:18)

In the same way that the first fruits of the harvest were representative of the entire crop to be harvested, Jesus was the first fruits of those to be raised from the dead. The Feast of First Fruits pictured the time when the life, sacrificial death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ would be “waved before God to be accepted” (compare with Leviticus 23:11). And because He was accepted, everyone who places their faith in Jesus will be accepted by God, and will be raised from the dead, to eternal life (Acts 26:16–18; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 15:20–23; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Hebrews 10:10, 14).

The first Sunday worship service

Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week (Sunday). When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb, they did not know Jesus had already risen from the dead. When they finally understood what the angel of the Lord had told them, that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, they went to tell Jesus’ disciples as they had been instructed to do.

On the way, Jesus met them, “And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him” (Matthew 28:1–9). This was the first recorded act of worship of our Lord Jesus after His resurrection, and it happened on the first day of the week.

The first Sunday expository sermon

After His resurrection from the dead, Jesus joined two of His disciples who were walking home to Emmaus, but they did not recognize Him. Jesus asked them what they were discussing and they told Him about the man Jesus, whom the chief priests and rulers delivered to the Romans to be crucified. These two men explained that they had hoped Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel. They were perplexed because it was the third day since His death, and His body was not found in the grave where it had been placed (Luke 24:13–24). Finally, Jesus spoke up and delivered a sermon to remember. Here is an excerpt:

And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. (Luke24:25–27)

The church began on the day of Pentecost

After His resurrection, Jesus instructed His apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism with the Holy Spirit. There were about 120 persons including the apostles who were gathered together in the upper room where they were staying (Acts 1:4–8, 15).

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. (Acts 2:1–4)

Acts 2 also contains the content of the first sermon preached in this new church, a sermon that was delivered by Peter. After the sermon, about 3,000 persons were added to the church on that day. Acts 2:1 states this was the “day of Pentecost,” a feast which always occurred on the first day of the week.

The Greek word pentecost means “fiftieth.” In this case it means, “fiftieth day.” This fiftieth day is the feast recorded in Leviticus 23:15–21 and Deuteronomy 16:9–12 known as the “Feast of Weeks,” which ended on the fiftieth day with a proclamation and a holy convocation. Concerning this day, the Israelites were commanded, “You shall do no laborious work.”

The day to begin counting was very specific:

‘You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths.’ (Leviticus 23:15)

“From the day after the sabbath” refers to the first day of the week, also known as Sunday. The day to end counting was also specific:

‘You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD. (Leviticus 23:16)

“To the day after the seventh sabbath” refers to the first day of the week, also known as Sunday. The day of Pentecost always fell on the first day of the week.

The church had meetings

In the writings of the New Testament, there is evidence of church activity on the first day of the week.

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. (Acts 20:7)

On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. (1 Corinthians 16:2)

John received the Revelation on The Lord’s Day

The apostle John had been banished because of his testimony about the Lord Jesus, but was still able to write down what the Lord revealed to him concerning the church, and the future of the world.

I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:9–11)

This scripture introduces us to the term “the Lord’s day.” This is not a random thought by John. To read commentary about the Lord’s day, see “APPENDIX F – The Lord’s Day“.

Other significant events

To see a list of these and other significant events that occurred on the first day of the week after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, see “APPENDIX E – Significant New Testament events on the First Day of the Week“.

QUESTION: Was regular worship on the first day of the week commanded by the Lord, or any of His apostles?

There is no record of a command

There is no record of Jesus commanding Sabbath or Sunday worship for the church. The closest evidence in the New Testament of a command to meet regularly on a particular day was when Paul gave the following instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:1–2:

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed^[5] the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.

Earlier in this same letter Paul made the following statement:

If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. (1 Corinthians 14:37)

These two scriptures (1 Corinthians 14:37 and 16:1–2) are the closest to a command for regular Sunday meetings for the church that we see in the New Testament.

CONCLUSION

During the time of the Old Covenant, Israel was required to take part in certain feasts that occurred on the first day of the week—the Feast of First Fruits and the Feast of Weeks.

On the Feast of First Fruits, the waving the sheaf of the first fruits by the priest occurred on the first day of the week. For the Feast of Weeks, there were two events that occurred on the first day of the week: (1) They were to start counting from the day after the weekly Sabbath of Unleavened Bread, and count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. (2) On that fiftieth day they were to present a new grain offering to the Lord, make a proclamation, have a holy convocation, and do no laborious work. This was commanded to be a perpetual statute in all of Israel throughout all their generations.

God predetermined Passover to be the day Jesus died, and was buried. God predetermined the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread to be the day Jesus rested in the tomb, which, in this case was the seventh day of the week—Sabbath. When Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, He did so because God had predetermined it to happen on that day of the week. His resurrection corresponded with the day that the sheaf of the first fruits of the harvest was to be waved.

There were other notable events that occurred on the first day of the week such as the first worship of Jesus after His resurrection, which was done by Mary Magdalene, and “the other Mary”; the first expository sermon, which was taught by Jesus to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus; the church began on Pentecost; the Apostle John received the Revelation.

There is no indication that the early Christian church had any events designated to occur on the seventh day of the week. They understood that Sabbath observance is not required under the New Covenant. The Bible does not show if there was a command to the church to meet on the first day of the week for the purpose of worshiping God, but there are references in Scripture indicating the church did meet on the first day of the week, now known by the church as the Lord’s Day.

Some people believe and teach that it was the Catholic Church that mandated worship on the first day of the week; however, The Catechism of the Council of Trent which is a document produced by the Catholic Church says that the apostles of Jesus were the ones who implemented the change.

CHAPTER 5 – The First Day of the Week

From The Sabbath Was Made For Man by Meshach Baptiste. Copyright 2021. RBGDevotional.org

RBGDev 82–0–108

24-Jun-21, 05:52