Jesus and the Sabbath
Who is the author of the Sabbath?
Hebrews 1:1-2 – God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds …
Genesis 2:3 – And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Exodus 20:8-11 – Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Remark: The Sabbath day was part of the creation week and was instituted—together with the bond of marriage—for Adam and Eve and their descendants. Jesus Himself, as the agent through whom the Father created the world, “rested” on this day and set it apart as holy. Jesus is the author and Creator of the Sabbath.
Did Jesus keep the Sabbath when he was on earth?
Luke 4:16 – And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Remark: Yes! Jesus did not enter the synagogue on the Sabbath merely because it was the Jews’ custom, but because it was His own custom—His personal habit. Even after His death, Jesus rested on the Sabbath (from Friday sundown after His crucifixion through Saturday until Sunday morning) from His work of redemption.
Does it matter that Jesus kept the Sabbath?
1 John 2:6 – He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
John 13:15 – For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
1 Peter 2:21 – For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps …
Doesn’t the Bible say that Jesus is above the Sabbath?
Mark 2:27-28 – 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.
Remark: See also Luke 6:1–11. Yes, the Bible says that Jesus is “Lord also of the sabbath” (remember the earlier verses showing that Jesus is the Creator of the Sabbath), but this does not abolish it. Rather, it emphasizes that addressing genuine needs (emergencies; essential duties such as those of doctors, ambulance workers, etc.) takes precedence, while still honoring the sanctity of the day. In fact, the verse affirms that “the sabbath was made for man.” Wouldn’t this have been the perfect moment to say, “It was made for man, but now I abolish it, and it is no longer needed”? Yet He did not.
Did Jesus directly say that we should keep the Sabbath?
Matthew 12:12 – How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
Remark: He did not explicitly say, “Thou shalt still keep the sabbath,” but He did explain how it should be kept—by doing good on that day. If He did not abolish the Sabbath but instead clarified how to observe it, is this not clear evidence that He intended for us to continue keeping it?
Does Jesus mention the Sabbath in connection to future believers?
Matthew 24:20 – But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day …
Remark: Yes! In His end-time discourse beginning in Matthew 24, Jesus urges us to pray that our flight does not occur on the Sabbath—a day of rest, when we might be less alert to unfolding events in the wider world.
Since the Sabbath is part of the Ten Commandments, what does Jesus say about them?
Matthew 5:17-18 – Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil {plērōsai}. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Remark: The law Jesus is referring to can only be the Moral Law—the Ten Commandments. This is evident from the context of the following verses in Matthew 5:21 and 27.
What does it mean, that Jesus came to “fulfil” the law?
Matthew 3:15 – And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil {plērōsai} all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
Remark: Jesus and John the Baptist did not abolish “all righteousness”. Fulfilling something does not mean finishing or abolishing it; it means bringing it to perfection—bringing it to what it was truly meant to be. Jesus fulfilled “the law and the prophets” not only by being the fulfillment of prophecy, but also by revealing the true meaning of the law’s principles (i.e., the spirit rather than the letter of the law; see Matthew 5:21–32; Romans 7:6; and 2 Corinthians 3:6), condemning the superficial and formalistic observance of rules and ceremonies by the Pharisees.
Disciples and the Sabbath
Did the disciples keep the Sabbath?
Luke 23:56 – And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
Remark: Instead of treating Jesus’ body immediately after the crucifixion on Friday evening, they kept the Sabbath—from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown—and only came to the tomb on Sunday morning (Luke 24:1). If the Sabbath had been abolished or replaced by Sunday observance due to the crucifixion, why didn’t they continue their work on Friday night or Saturday? Luke 23:56 clearly states they “rested the sabbath day according to the commandment,” showing that even after 3.5 years with Jesus, they still observed the Sabbath.
Did they have church gatherings on Sabbath?
Acts 17:2 – And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures …
Acts 18:4 – And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
Acts 16:13 – And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Remark: The words “as his manner was” indicate that Paul joined the Jews interested in Christianity to study the Scriptures on the Sabbath not merely because they gathered on that day, but because it was his regular practice. The second verse shows that the Christian believers met on the Sabbath not merely due to continuing Jewish customs connected to synagogue attendance, but because they chose to worship God and fellowship on this day.
Didn’t this still apply only to the Jewish Christians?
Acts 13:42-44 – And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
Remark: The above passage clearly shows that Sabbath observance was not limited to Christians with a Jewish background. Paul and Barnabas could have chosen any other day to present their message about Jesus, yet they consistently did so on the Sabbath.
Didn’t the disciples meet every day? Shouldn’t every day be devoted to God?
Acts 5:42 – And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
Remark: Yes, we should seek to connect with God through prayer and His Word every day. However, the Sabbath remains a distinct day of rest and devotion to God, as demonstrated by the passages already cited and those that follow.
Conclusive evidence
Is the Sabbath explicitly supported in the New Testament?
Hebrews 4:9 – There remaineth therefore a {sabbath} rest to the people of God.
Remark: Yes! The Greek word “sabbatismos” in this verse is translated simply as “rest,” whereas a more precise translation would be “sabbath rest,” because it specifically includes the word “sabbath” in Greek. In the context of the passage (see verses 4 and 10), Paul refers to the Jewish practice of weekly Sabbath rest and contrasts it with the rest never fully attained in the promised land and the rest that Christian believers will find in Jesus.
Wasn’t the Sabbath just for the Old Testament believers?
Isaiah 66:22-23 – For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
Remark: The Sabbath was observed in Old Testament times, kept by Jesus Himself, by His disciples, and will be kept in Heaven. Is it really reasonable to assume that it has been temporarily set aside in our time?
Isn’t the Sabbath an additional burden for believers today?
Isaiah 58:13-14 – If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Remark: Sabbath is a delight, not a burden.
What significance does the Sabbath have, apart from being the seventh day on which God rested?
Exodus 31:13 – Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
Revelation 14:12 – Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Remark: See also Ezekiel 20:12, 20.
