Acts 20:7 has me wondering.
It's the story of the disciples meeting in an upper room for an all-nighter prior to Paul leaving their city. I'll skip over the miraculously wonderful part about Eutychus falling out of a 3rd story window after he fell asleep and then having Paul pray over his lifeless body and subsequently being restored to life. Wonderful story - - but it isn't what has me wondering. Conclusions made based on the time of their meeting is what has captured my attention.
If the meeting was the first day of the week and was at night, then it was Saturday night. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday evening, and concludes on Saturday at sundown. The first day of the week begins at sundown on Saturday and ends at Sundown on Sunday. In this passage it is very clear that they were meeting on the evening that began the first day of the week...i.e., Saturday night!
For years I have heard it explained that this verse was proof that the early disciples had already started worshipping on Sunday, in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus - but this verse does not corroborate that conclusion when you know Jewish culture.
That culture echoes back to creation: The evening and the morning were the first day...the second day...the third day.... The day started with evening first, then midnight, then morning, then afternoon - and changed to the succeeding day at sundown.
It is clear that we misread things sometimes because we don't know the culture upon which the writing was founded. It isn't the Bible that's wrong - it's us! It's important to pay attention!
