I think it would be good if you could provide a link to this interpretation; for it speaks also to the question of the kosher laws, and the eating of meats unclean; and the statement Jesus makes:
John 5:16 Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them: My Father worketh until now; and I work.
For some Jews took the stance that eating meats unclean was reason enough to die; Some Jewish fighters refused to defend themselves on the Sabbath, receiving death. But I have heard from a Father Vincent Benoit (OP) that eating such meats did not render one sinful, but only momentarily unclean. And other Jews, for the sake of the existence of the promise of the tribes fought on Sabbaths to prevent the extinction of a promised tribe.
Anyone else know more detail?
During extreme occupation a Jewish family lead the revolt and it was determined to set aside the obligations of the Sabbath in order to survive not only the onslaught of the occupation but the forced worship of idols:
1 About then, Mattathias son of John, son of Simeon, a priest of the line of Joarib, left Jerusalem and settled in Modein.
2 He had five sons, John known as Gaddi,
3 Simon called Thassi,
4 Judas called Maccabaeus,
5 Eleazar, called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus.
6 When he saw the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem,
7 he said, 'Alas that I should have been born to witness the ruin of my people and the ruin of the Holy City, and to sit by while she is delivered over to her enemies, and the sanctuary into the hand of foreigners.
32 A strong detachment went after them, and when it came up with them ranged itself against them in battle formation, preparing to attack them on the Sabbath day,
33 and said, ‘Enough of this! Come out and do as the king orders and you will be spared.’
34 The others, however, replied, ‘We refuse to come out, and we will not obey the king’s orders and profane the Sabbath day.’
35 The royal forces at once went into action,
36 but the others offered no opposition; not a stone was thrown, there was no barricading of the hiding places.
37 They only said, ‘Let us all die innocent; let heaven and earth bear witness that you are massacring us with no pretence of justice.’
38 The attack was pressed home on the Sabbath itself, and they were slaughtered, with their wives and children and cattle, to the number of one thousand persons.
39 When the news reached Mattathias and his friends, they mourned them bitterly
40 and said to one another, ‘If we all do as our brothers have done, and refuse to fight the gentiles for our lives and institutions, they will only destroy us the sooner from the earth.’
41 So then and there they came to this decision, ‘If anyone attacks us on the Sabbath day, whoever he may be, we shall resist him; we must not all be killed, as our brothers were in the hiding places.’ (1 Maccabees 2:1-7, 32-41)
Mattathias and his sons became, in effect, the defenders of not only the Sabbath but of both Israel and its religious culture. They served Yahweh God inspite of seeming to trample over the Sabbath–however, in light of Jesus’ Teaching we know that the Maccabees were correct in saving both the lives of the people and the Worship to Yahweh God inspite of not adhering to the legalism of the text/command to observe the Sabbath!
Maran atha!
Angel
