remember the sabbath

We continue this week working our way up the Ten Commandments. If you have been with us in previous weeks through this series then you may remember that we began this discussion of the Ten Commandments by starting at the end and we have been working our way backwards—counting down to the first commandment. And today we are at the fourth commandment: remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

But before we dive into a discussion of what the Bible says about this commandment we should at least make some initial observations about the way our historical traditions have placed meaning on this commandment. Or to say it another way, before we get into considering what the Bible says, we better remember that you and I may have grown up with many understandings of keeping the Sabbath that are not in the Bible.

So let me say right off the bat here that it is not our intention to cast judgment or criticism on all the different ways that I am sure many of you have been accustomed to observing Sabbath. It would certainly not be fair for me to criticize the many quirks and habits we all have in connection with Sabbath. Let’s face it, the Bible does not specifically say whether or not on Sunday you should watch TV, or ride a bike, or go swimming, or go out to eat, or get the newspaper. But I imagine that some among us either grew up with some rules like these, or maybe still practice rules like these. I cannot stand up here and talk about rules like that because the Bible does not specifically tell us about such details within our own culture and setting. We are here this morning to hear from the Word of God; so that is the extent of what we can say about the fourth commandment—only what the Bible tells us.

Take a look with me, then, at what Jesus has to say about this commandment to remember the sabbath by keeping it holy.

Matthew 11:27–12:14 NIV

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’  you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

Origins of Sabbath Observance

sabbath observance begins in Exodus 16 (pattern of manna in the wilderness)

I want to begin by making some observations from the Bible about Sabbath. Then we will have to break down our understanding of Sabbath into an Old Testament view and a New Testament view. The first observation we need to make is to clarify when Sabbath observance begins. When we read the fourth commandment and hear the rationale described there—that we rest on the seventh day because God rested on the seventh day—then we might be tempted to conclude that Sabbath has been around since creation itself. But even though God patterned a cycle of rest at creation there is no mention of it being practiced by anyone else until Exodus 16. When God provides manna for the Israelites in the dessert on their way to Sinai, Moses instructs the people to gather a double portion on the sixth day, because there would be no manna to go gather on the seventh day. There is nothing in the Bible to tell us that Abraham or the other patriarchs observed a Sabbath rest.

sabbath comes in the context of Torah laws

So let’s first of all note that Sabbath observance is something that God begins to mandate for his people after the exodus. Sabbath, then, comes in the context of Torah—the Old Testament law of Moses given to the nation of Israel when traveling between Egypt and Canaan. Why is this important to note? Because we need to be clear that the command to observe Sabbath comes at the same time as a multitude of laws with special days. The Law of Moses has several other examples of feasts that were to be marked as days of observance. So to observe Sabbath was one example out of many different days that were to be set aside for special remembrance.

Saturday or Sunday?

sabbath is commanded to be observed on Saturday, not Sunday

Let’s move on to a second item to note about Sabbath as we see it in the Old Testament. And this comes as a fairly obvious detail. The Sabbath day of rest that is commanded in the Ten Commandments comes on the seventh day—that’s Saturday! If we are to treat this commandment in literal terms as God’s conditions set forth, as his will for our lives; then we got the day wrong. So what do we make of this? Why do we gather for worship as a church community on Sunday—the first day of the week?

why do we look at this commandment differently now than it was in the Old Testament?

Maybe we need to ask some hard questions here. What are we to make of this commandment? What is God really instructing his people to observe by keeping Sabbath? And here’s the big question: does it apply the same to us today as it did back in the Old Testament? Does Sabbath mean the same thing to us as it did to Old Testament Israel? I’ve already tipped my hand here a bit to show you an answer to that question. I’ve already said that we need to look at both an Old Testament understanding of Sabbath and we need to look at a New Testament understanding of Sabbath. I’m already making the implication here this morning that something different has happened to this commandment that has not happened to any of the others. And simply by observing the fact that we celebrate Sabbath on Sunday rather than Saturday already tells us this—that this fourth commandment applies differently to us now than it did back then.

Sacred Time and Sacred Space

importance of sacred things in the Old Testament

Levites were a tribe of people set apart as priests

New Testament — priesthood of all believers: all God’s people are sacred

Let’s keep moving forward with an explanation of Old Testament Sabbath so that we can better understand what’s happening in this passage from Matthew’s gospel. For us to understand what Sabbath meant in Old Testament terms, we need to consider the importance of sacred things in the Old Testament structure. For example, the Levites were a tribe of people set apart as priests. They had to consecrate themselves as sacred before God. Or to say that another way, the priests had to do things that visibly set themselves apart as separated by God for some other, holy purpose. And so there were regulations of how they kept their hair, and the priestly clothes they would wear, and the special purity rituals they observed to keep themselves clean. To be sacred meant they were set apart by God for a special purpose. Now let me bridge this over into the New Testament. Because today we do not single out a particular tribe of people as sacred priests before God. No, in our tradition we hold a doctrine called the priesthood of all believers. In the Old Testament only certain specified people were sacred as priests. Today we hold that in Christ all believers are purified by God as his holy priesthood.

the inner room of the temple/tabernacle was set apart as sacred space

Now let’s move on to consider another example. When Moses first met God on Mount Sinai in Exodus 3, what was the first thing God told Moses in that encounter? God said, “Take off your sandals because you are standing on holy ground.” And when Moses came back to that same mountain with the nation of Israel to receive the Ten Commandments, the people were instructed to stay off the mountain because it was a holy mountain. This mountain was set apart. This mountain was sacred. It was a sacred space. There was a specific geographic location on the planet where God’s presence existed. And that space was considered sacred. The Old Testament people had a vivid concept of sacred space. When the Israelites left Mount Sinai they centered their camp around the tabernacle. Then the tabernacle became the sacred space where God made his dwelling. After Solomon finished construction of the temple in Jerusalem, then God’s presence came to dwell in the temple and it was the temple that became the sacred space. And so it was customary for the Jews to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem because that is where God was. Even though they would gather in their synagogues on the Sabbath, the Jews did not hold that God was present in those synagogues the same way that he was present in the temple.

New Testament — Pentecost: all God’s people are sacred

Bridge this again to the New Testament. You remember this story where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman next to a well. And the woman says to Jesus, “Our forefathers worshiped God on this mountain, but you Jews say we need to worship God in the temple.” And Jesus responds to her, “A time is coming when true worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth.” Jesus was referring to Pentecost when the Holy Spirit would come upon the church. Now the sacred space in this world is within the very hearts and souls of those who follow Christ. And so we say that the church today is not a building, but it is a people. It does not matter today where we gather together in worship. There is no geographic location set aside as a sacred space in our world today. That’s what Jesus was getting at in his conversation with the Samaritan woman. Now you and I are the sacred space of God’s dwelling. And that is why we live in a time now when all things in this world can and will be redeemed to God; because wherever we go, God’s presence goes with us.

sabbath was set apart as sacred time

One last example now. We talked about a sacred people of the Old Testament. We talked about a sacred space of the Old Testament. Now we need to talk about a sacred time in the Old Testament. Just like a specific people were set apart as sacred; just like a specific space was set apart as sacred; so also a specific time was set apart as sacred. Old Testament Israel understood that there was certain time that was set apart by God as holy time—sacred time. This is Sabbath. Sabbath was the way that God marked some time as sacred and other time as…well…not sacred—ordinary time. So just like the Levites were sacred people because God set them aside as his priests; just like the temple was sacred space because God set it aside as his dwelling; so also the seventh day was sacred time because God set it aside as his Sabbath. That’s where this fourth commandment comes from. That’s what Sabbath was all about in the culture of Old Testament Israel.

New Testament — apostles gather daily at the temple: all time is sacred

But now we need to make the move. You’ve been tracking with me already through these other examples, and you see now where I’m going. Just like the priesthood moved from one tribe of people to all believers; just like the dwelling of God moved from one temple to the hearts of all believers; so also the Sabbath moved from one sacred time to all time. All time is sacred to God now. Every day is a sacred day. So let’s return now to the question I left hanging before. Why do we gather for worship on Sunday rather than on the seventh day? The truth of the matter is, it doesn’t matter anymore which day we choose to gather for worship, because every day is holy to God now. But how right and fitting it is that the church has chosen Sunday as our day of worship because it is the day we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the grave.

church moved sabbath to Sunday to remember resurrection

So what am I saying? We don’t have to keep the fourth commandment as it says in Exodus 20? Yes, that’s exactly what I am saying. If we did have to keep the fourth commandment just as the Bible says then we are already in trouble, because—as we’ve already mentioned—we’ve got the day wrong. This is not the seventh day. But what we see in this commandment is something totally new as part of God’s new covenant renewal in Christ Jesus.

The New Sabbath

Jesus makes reference to sacred space (God’s house), sacred people (consecrated bread), and sacred time (lord of the sabbath)

Look with me at how this works in the passage we read for today. Have you ever noticed how in the gospels Jesus is always getting in trouble with the religious leaders for breaking the Sabbath? Mark’s gospel especially draws attention to these events where Jesus does things on the Sabbath that makes religious people angry. And this passage from Matthew 11-12 is just one illustration of many. But look at how this story brings together all the examples we’ve talked about. Verse 3. [God’s house…sacred space. Consecrated bread…sacred people]

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”

Sabbath is not meant to be a burden of regulations for us to follow, it is meant to be a time of rest from burdens

Look then how Jesus moves through these examples to point out to the Jewish religious leaders that the Sabbath regulations of the Old Testament are completely redefined. Jesus summarizes this in verse 8. He says, “For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” Or as Mark’s gospel says it, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” This time of Sabbath is not meant to be a burden of regulations for us to follow, it is meant to be a time of rest from burdens. In fact, that’s exactly how Matthew takes us into this discussion. It was in those verses right before this where we read Jesus saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

if there are certain habits you keep in your household that help you focus on that rest and that enjoyment, then keep those habits

This day is set aside as our example of the rest and enjoyment we have in Jesus. And so if there are certain habits you keep in your household that help you focus on that rest and that enjoyment, then by all means, keep those habits. If keeping the television off on Sunday helps you focus on resting in Christ, then go ahead and do that. If peeling the potatoes on Saturday night helps you focus on resting in Christ, the go ahead and do that. Hopefully worshipping with God’s people on Sunday helps you focus on resting in Christ, so go ahead and do that. But please understand, none of these things are regulations. They are not rules we have to follow in order to keep the fourth commandment. We choose to do certain things on one day of the week that commemorate the Sabbath rest we have been given eternally in Christ.

sabbath is not about legalistic requirements — it is not our place to judge other people on how they enjoy God’s rest

But Jesus is also pretty harsh with those who point fingers at other people for not keeping the same regulations as they do concerning Sabbath. This is instructive to us as well. It is not our place to judge other people on how they enjoy God’s rest. When we do that we become no better than the Pharisees and religious leaders of Jesus’ day. So find what it is that helps you take this day and focus on all the goodness God has given you. And don’t worry if other people don’t do it the same way you do. The Bible is clear; the regulations are gone; sabbath is not about legalistic requirements. So make the most of it to enjoy God’s rest. Listen to what the apostle Paul says about it in Colossians 2:

Colossians 2:16–17 NIV

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Looking Ahead to Eternal Sabbath

Remember the sabbath by keeping it holy. The ‘remembering’ we do on this day is one that echoes the gospel that our eternity is now secure in Christ. We follow a pattern in which we rehearse what this eternal rest in Christ will look like; not because we have to, but because we get to. Look again at the end of Matthew 11. Jesus says,

Matthew 11:28 NIV

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

sabbath moves from a commandment to an invitation

sabbath moves from something we observe to something we receive

In Christ, sabbath has gone from a commandment to an invitation. Jesus beckons us to himself. And Jesus now becomes the one who gives sabbath rest. In moving from a commandment to an invitation, sabbath has also moved from something we observe to something we receive. So, how do you receive the grace of Jesus today? What is it that you build into your pattern of sabbath that helps focus your heart on the grace which God pours into your life? We sample just a little bit of all those things here in church when we worship. We sing to God because his grace in our lives moves our hearts to bring praise to God. We pray together in expression to God. We read scripture to be reminded again of the grace we have received from God. We confess sins to be reminded of the forgiveness God gives. We give an offering to show gratitude to God for the blessings we have from him.

we sing to God because his grace in our lives moves our hearts to bring praise to God we pray together in expression to God we read scripture to be reminded again of the grace we have received from God we confess sins to be reminded of the forgiveness God gives we give an offering to show gratitude to God for the blessings we have from him

All of these tiny habits we build into a worship service are a weekly pattern which launches us forth from this place—from this sabbath day—into a week of opportunities to embrace and receive that same grace from God in our daily lives. We sing together here as a way to launch us into a week of praising God. We pray together here to launch us into a week of expressing our hearts to God. We open scripture here to launch us into a week of living in God’s revealed truth from his Word. We confess sins here to launch us into a week of being assured that when we fail in our sins, we are forgiven. We give an offering here to launch us into a week of opportunity to be generous with the blessings we have been given.

when you leave here today, may the pattern you establish for the rest of this sabbath day be one which helps launch you into the week ahead resting securely in the grace of God which we have received from Jesus

When you leave here today, then, may the pattern you establish for the rest of this sabbath day be one which helps launch you into the week ahead resting securely in the grace of God which we have received from Jesus.