The Last Scribe
Story scene · The Sabbath · Luke 4, Mark 2, Mark 3, Matthew 12
Lord of the Sabbath as a game: how Jesus kept the day
Go with Jesus into the synagogue at Nazareth, “as his custom was”, then through the grainfields and into a synagogue where men watch to see whether He will heal. Hear Him say why “The sabbath was made for man”.
No download. Plays in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Revelation 1 and the Baptism of Jesus are free to try first.
What you will see
Three Sabbaths in the Gospels, told in order
You arrive as a Scribe, sent to witness the story and write it down. The scene is one map you can walk end to end, told from Luke 4, Mark 2, Mark 3 and Matthew 12. Jesus is met three times, at Nazareth, in the grainfields and in the synagogue. He is spoken with, never played. Beside Him stand the attendant who handed Him the book, a disciple, a Pharisee and the man with the withered hand. Each speaks from their own verses.
Seven things wait to be found and read. One tells of His custom of worship on the Sabbath, and another of the scroll of Isaiah He read from. Then come the heads of grain the disciples plucked, the showbread David ate when he was hungry, the words that the Sabbath was made for man, the sheep lifted out of a pit, and the hardness of heart of those who spent the day taking counsel “how they might destroy him”.
The quest has seven steps and follows the three Sabbaths in order, from the reading at Nazareth to the man whose hand was restored and what Jesus said is lawful on the Sabbath. When you have seen it all, step into the quiz zone and seventeen questions ask what you saw.
The story, in order
The quest, How Jesus Kept the Sabbath, has seven steps, and they follow the passages in order. Nothing is added to the text; the steps are a way of making sure you miss none of it.
- Learn what Jesus’ custom was on the Sabbath.
- Hear what Jesus read at Nazareth.
- Hear what the Pharisees asked.
- Hear Jesus answer in the grainfields.
- Learn for whom the Sabbath was made.
- Meet the man whose hand was restored.
- Hear what Jesus said is lawful on the Sabbath.
Who you meet
Seven people and voices stand in the scene. Each speaks only from their own place in the passages.
- The Attendant of the Synagogue — the minister at Nazareth who handed Jesus the book of the prophet and took it back when He sat down.
- Jesus at Nazareth — Jesus reading from Isaiah in His home synagogue and saying the scripture is fulfilled. Spoken with, never played.
- A Disciple — one of His disciples, who tells you how they plucked the grain as they walked and how Jesus answered for them.
- A Pharisee — one who asks why the disciples do what is not lawful, and whether it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath.
- Jesus in the Grainfields — Jesus answering with David and the shewbread, and saying the Son of man “is Lord also of the sabbath”. Spoken with, never played.
- The Man with the Withered Hand — the man in the synagogue whose hand was “restored whole as the other”.
- Jesus in the Synagogue — Jesus asking whether it is lawful “to do good on the sabbath days”, and telling of the sheep in the pit. Spoken with, never played.
What you find
Walk up to any of these and the game reads you the verses it comes from, in the King James Version.
- As His Custom Was (Luke 4:16)
- The Scroll of Isaiah (Luke 4:17–21)
- Heads of Grain (Mark 2:23–24)
- The Showbread (Mark 2:25–26)
- Made for Man (Mark 2:27–28)
- A Sheep in a Pit (Matthew 12:11–12)
- The Hardness of Their Hearts (Mark 3:4–6)
The verses of the Lord of the Sabbath
“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” Mark 2:27–28, King James Version
Every verse the game quotes is the KJV. Where a character speaks in their own words, the dialogue is written from the passages and checked against our doctrinal rules before release. The about page says plainly how we read the Bible.
Try five of the seventeen
Lord of the Sabbath quiz questions, with answers
Five real questions from the Lord of the Sabbath quiz, in the game's own words. In the game the options are shuffled every time, and you need 70% to pass.
1. What was Jesus’ custom on the Sabbath day?
- To travel to Jerusalem
- To stay at home alone
- To work in the carpenter’s shop
- To go into the synagogue
Show the answer
D. To go into the synagogue “As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”
2. Whose example did Jesus give to the Pharisees in the grainfields?
- David, who ate the showbread when he was hungry
- Moses, who struck the rock
- Elijah, who was fed by ravens
- Daniel, who refused the king’s food
Show the answer
A. David, who ate the showbread when he was hungry David, in need and hungry, ate the showbread in the house of God and gave it to those with him.
3. What did Jesus call Himself in Mark 2:28?
- Keeper of the temple
- Lord of the Sabbath
- Son of David
- Servant of the Sabbath
Show the answer
B. Lord of the Sabbath “Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” The day is His.
4. What was wrong with the man in the synagogue?
- He could not hear
- He could not walk
- He was blind
- He had a withered hand
Show the answer
D. He had a withered hand There was a man there which had a withered hand.
5. What example did Jesus give in Matthew 12:11?
- A sheep that falls into a pit on the Sabbath
- A lamp put under a basket
- A coin lost in a house
- An ox that is loosed to drink
Show the answer
A. A sheep that falls into a pit on the Sabbath Anyone would lift his sheep out of a pit. “How much then is a man better than a sheep?”
Right answers pay 10 XP each and a perfect score pays 50 more. In a room, everyone answers the same quiz and sees how the others did. More on how the quiz works.
Story facts
- 24
- verses from Luke 4, Mark 2, Mark 3, Matthew 12, every one covered by something you see, hear or read
- 17
- quiz questions, each tied to a verse
- 7
- people and voices to speak with
- 7
- things to find and read
- 1–6
- players in a room; solo play is fine too
- KJV
- every verse quoted from the King James Version
How to play it
- Open the game in your browser and make an account. A child under 13 gives a parent's email instead of their own, and the parent confirms before the child can play with anyone else; see the page for parents.
- Play the short intro story in the Archivery, the library where the Scribe finds the Book. It is free and takes a few minutes.
- Open the world map and choose Lord of the Sabbath. To play with others, start a room and share its code, which looks like SCRIBE-7K4P2Q; up to six people can join from their own devices.
- Walk the map, speak with everyone, read everything, then step into the quiz zone.
Free, and with a subscription
Lord of the Sabbath is one of the 14 story scenes, in the series The Sabbath. It is part of the subscription ($9.99 a month or $79.99 a year), and the story scenes are open from the first day of it: they do not wait on the road through the books. See pricing.
Free forever, for every player: the intro story, Revelation 1, the story scene The Baptism of Jesus, and four open lands to walk with other players: the City of the Last Days, the Garden of Eden, Judea in the days of Jesus, and Patmos and the Seven Churches. Revelation 1 is a good first chapter to try before you subscribe.
More to play
- Before: The Sabbath Delight — Hear Isaiah “lift up thy voice like a trumpet” to a people who worshipped every day and still did not care for the poor.
- After: The Sabbath Rest — Hear the writer to the Hebrews say “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” Then hear three angels carry “the everlasting gospel” to every nation, and call them to worship the One who made all things.
- Every chapter and story with a page: the list of what you can play.
Walk with Him on the Sabbath.
Lord of the Sabbath takes about twenty minutes alone, a little longer with friends in a room.
Start with the free chapters