776. Sabbath Feasting

Luke 14:1  •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 8
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Luke 14:1. He went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day.
The strictness with which the Jewish Sabbath was kept did not prevent the Pharisees, as well as other Jews, from having a better provision of food on that day than on ordinary days. They did this as a religious duty in honor of the day. Lightfoot gives several curious instances of this custom from the rabbins, of which this is one: “Rabba Bar Rabh Houna went to the house of Rabba Bar Rabh Nachman. He set before him three measures of rich cake; to whom he, How did you know of my coming? The other answered, ‘Is there anything more valuable to us than the Sabbath?’ The Gloss is: ‘We do by no means prefer thee before the Sabbath; we got these things ready in honor of the Sabbath, not knowing anything of thy coming’” (Horae Hebraicae).