Works of Necessity & Mercy

WORKS OF NECESSITY & MERCY

WCF 21.8. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.

WLC Q. 117. How is the sabbath or the Lord’s day to be sanctified?
A. The sabbath or Lord’s day is to be sanctified by an holy resting all the day, not only from such works as are at all times sinful, but even from such worldly employments and recreations as are on other days lawful; and making it our delight to spend the whole time (except so much of it as is to be taken up in works of necessity and mercy) in the public and private exercises of God’s worship: and, to that end, we are to prepare our hearts, and with such foresight, diligence, and moderation, to dispose and seasonably dispatch our worldly business, that we may be the more free and fit for the duties of that day.

What "works" qualify as necessary or merciful?

Necessity: “First of all, such bodily labors are permitted as do immediately and directly concern the worship of God, and without the which He cannot be served of us according to His Word” (Bownd, 213).

Travel to the place of public worship, indeed, “they may not under the color of a long journey tarry at home idly taking their ease. . . but to take pains to preach or to hear the Word, makes it a holy work, and is warranted by the scripture” (Bownd, 215–216).

Example: the priests’ work in the Old Testament. There was a special sacrifice on the Sabbath, but Jesus said they were blameless (Matt. 12:5).

And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; how he entered the house of God around the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” And Jesus was saying to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Consequently the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
—Mark 2:23–28 (LSB)

And of course, preparing food so that we might eat during the day. What is enough for our families, to relieve our poor neighbors, and to entertain honestly and comelily such of our friends as we shall invite (206).

Cows need to be milked, plants need to be watered.
The family needs to eat, so food needs to be prepared.
Coffee needs to be brewed.
Family needs bathing at some point. Diapers need to be changed.

These are works of necessity. They are the daily needs that cannot be put off. In other words, not optional.

Solemn feasts and sumptuous banquets, however, are unlawful. Such as weddings, which is why we strongly discourage solemnization of matrimony on the Lord's Day.

What may masquerade as necessity, but is not? Obviously, being absent from public worship in order to prepare a meal is sinful. Such is any feasting that is not in line with the purposes of the day (I can think of a class reunion, or mere bonding). The day is not for socializing.

Here's a helpful parameter: what can't be done early on Saturday, and what cannot wait until Monday. Those works that are essential for daily life.

Be honest. Playing games and sports isn’t a necessity. Preparing such an elaborate meal as to exhaust yourself is not a necessity.

What about "such works of mercy as cannot be put off to another day, and such as hinder not the duties of the day"? (Baxter)

Fetch the animal that fell in the ditch, change the tire that went flat that day, heal the sick, feed the hungry. Jesus himself set the example of works of mercy:

And He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there with a withered hand. And they were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
—Mark 3:1–5 (LSB)

Some professions fall into the categories of necessity and mercy: emergency services, first responders; police, firemen, doctors and nurses.

The work itself qualifies, though all schooling, studying, and training for them is not necessary on the Lord's Day. It's the difference between studying to perform surgery (which doesn't have to be on Sunday) and needing to perform emergency surgery on Sunday.

Restaurants are certainly not necessary, gas stations probably not. Many Christians today cannot imagine living without restaurants on thr Lord’s Day. Try it. You won’t die. Trust me.

Get this: God even forbade harvesting on the Sabbath Day during harvest season:
“You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest." (Exod. 34:21)

But it's harvest time! Doesn't matter. God did not consider that necessary on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is for rest.

Mere convenience is not necessity. And in this modern age Christians have a very difficult time recognizing the difference.

What if your work schedule falls on the Lord’s Day? You should make every lawful effort to be free from it so you may keep the day holy. At minimum, you should try to get time to attend public worship, if you can’t take the whole day.

But if you can’t, and your work is necessary or merciful, you should not feel guilty. But even then, if your job requires you to miss so much of the Lord’s Day, you might want to consider a change.

And when you are off work, your first priority should be some private worship.

As John Gerstner said, you exempt yourself from work on Sunday because you are a Christian. The only exceptions are works that are necessary, or mercy. Not "necessary" for profit.

I’ll conclude with J.C. Ryle:
The principle which our Lord lays down about Sabbath observance needs carefully fencing with cautions. The right to do works of necessity and mercy is fearfully abused in these latter days. Thousands of Christians appear to have trampled down the hedge, and burst the bounds entirely with respect to this holy day. They seem to forget that though our Lord repeatedly explains the requirements of the fourth commandment, He never struck it out of the law of God, or said that it was not binding on Christians at all.
Can any one say that Sunday traveling, except on very rare emergencies, is a work of mercy? Will any one tell us that Sunday trading, Sunday dinner parties, Sunday excursion-trains on railways, Sunday deliveries of letters and newspapers, are works of mercy? Have servants, and shop-men, and engine-drivers, and coachmen, and clerks, and porters, no souls? Do they not need rest for their bodies and time for their souls, like other men? These are serious questions, and ought to make many people think.
—J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Luke (loc. 14305)