Did Jesus abolish the Sabbath?

The Sabbath

A few questions came up when we studied Isaiah 56:2 and 58:13 in which the Sabbath was re-instituted in the Millennial kingdom

Q: Did Jesus do away with the Sabbath? Did Jesus break the Sabbath? Didn’t Jesus say that He did not come to do away with the Law ( Matt 5:18 )?

Breaking the Sabbath

— The Jewish leaders said that Jesus was not from God because he broke the Sabbath

— Seven times Jesus was accused of breaking the Sabbath

i. Mark 1:29-31: Heals Peter’s mother in law

ii. Mark 3:1-6: Heals a man with a withered hand

iii. John 9:1-16: Heals a blind man

iv. Luke 13:10-17: Heals a crippled women

v. Luke 14:1-6: Heals a man with dropsy

vi. Mark 1:21-28: Drives out an evil spirit

vii. John 5:1-18: Heals a lame man and the pool of Bethesda

Observe the Sabbath

Q: Did Jesus break the Sabbath?

— We read that Jesus observed the Sabbath

— He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and taught, which was His custom

— “So 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 to read.” ( Lk 6:14 )

— He didn’t break the Sabbath but he also did not endorse the man-made burdens of the Sabbath

Man-made Traditions

— Jesus healed a man who had been ill for a long time at the pool of Bethesda ( John 5:1-18 )

— Jesus told him to take up his mat and go home, but the Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath

— The OT does not prohibit you from carrying your mat on the Sabbath but the leaders burdened the people with 39 things you could not do on the Sabbath:

— Carrying, Burning, Extinguishing

— Writing, Erasing, Cooking, Washing

— Sewing, Tearing, Knotting, Untying

— Shaping, plowing, planting, reaping

— Harvesting, threshing, winnowing

— Selecting, sifting, grinding, kneading

— Combing, spinning, dyeing

— Chain-stitching, warping, weaving

— Unraveling, building, demolishing

— Trapping, shearing, slaughtering

— Skinning, tanning, smoothing, marking

Q: Didn’t the Pharisees accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath? ( John 5:16 )

Pharisee’s accusations

— The Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath ( John 5:16 )

— They also accused Him of being demon-possessed ( Luke 11:14-23, Matthew 12:22-32 ) and being a Samaritan ( John 8:48 )

— We can’t listen to Jesus’ critics when we form our opinion of the Sabbath

Q: How did Jesus respond to the accusation that He broke the Sabbath?

— The Pharisees accused His disciples of gleaning the wheat and breaking the Sabbath ( Mark 2:23-28 )

— Jesus said this was not breaking the Sabbath, haven’t you read that when David’s men were hungry that they went into the temple and ate the consecrated bread ( 1 Sam 21:1 )

— The priests worked on the Sabbath, food, water and wood had to be brought in; somethings had to be done on the Sabbath

— Jesus healed on the Sabbath and asked, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” ( Luke 14:3 )

— Doing good and showing compassion in in harmony with the Law

— There is no rule against doing good ( Mark 2:27 )

— The Sabbath was not to be a burden for man, but for men to enjoy

Q: What did Jesus mean when He said, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath?” ( Mark 2:28 )

— Jesus said “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath”

— He declared His sovereignty over the Sabbath

Q: What was the purpose of the OT Sabbath ( Ex 32:12 )?

— It was a sign

— “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” ( Ex 31:12-13 )

— When the Lord finished His creation, He rested on the seventh day ( Gen 2:1 )

— The Sabbath was a sign, a symbol; it points to something else; it is a symbol of Christ

— In Genesis when God rested it wasn’t from fatigue but because He was satisfied with His creation

— First time we read about the Sabbath is when God fed the children of Israel manna ( Ex 16 ) but it was not a day for man

— Ex 31:12 God speaks to Moses and says you will observe the Sabbath, it is a sign so you know that I sanctify you, it is holy to you

Q: What is the symbol of the Sabbath? What does it symbolize?

— The covenant of Noah had a symbol, the rainbow

— The covenant with David had a symbol, circumcision

— The covenant with Moses had a symbol, the Sabbath

— It reminded Israel that because of sin they had forfeited paradise

— Every 7th day reminded that they lived in a fallen world, the only way to regain it was obedience to God and righteousness

— Reminder that God is the creator; we are to rest from our works of self-righteousness; it pointed to Christ

— During the apocalypse and angel will again remind man that God is the creator and give Him glory

— Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” ( Rev 14:6-7 )

Christ identified Himself with the Sabbath

— After the Jews accused Him of working on the Sabbath, He defended Himself

— But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. ( John 5:17-18 )

— The Pharisees agreed that God does not rest on the Sabbath and Jesus made Himself equal to God and was not resting either

— They were strict Sabbath keepers but missed the whole point: rest from their works to earn salvation

— Christ is the sign of the Sabbath, in Him we rest from our works to earn salvation

Q: What does the NT say about keeping the Sabbath?

— All of the 10 commandments are moral except the Sabbath

— All 9 moral commandments are repeated in the NT except the 4th ( Sabbath )

— When you enter the rest of grace and faith, your work ceases

—Don’t regard one day over another ( Romans 14:5 ) if we were to observe the Sabbath this would have been the perfect place to say so; but the Sabbath like sacrifices were temporary and pointed to Christ

— Paul says in Galatians 4:9 that we are not go back to the former things like observing months, seasons and festivals

— Colossians is the most definitive because it pulls together two signs: circumcision under the Abrahamic covenant and the Sabbath under the Mosaic covenant

— In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. ( Col 2:11-17 )

— Paul is saying we no longer need the shadow, you have the substance, the true rest

Gentile membership to the church

— When the Apostles met to instruct the Gentile church there was no command to keep the Sabbath ( Acts 15 )

— Paul warned the Gentiles about numerous sins but breaking the Sabbath was not one of them

— Paul forbids those who observe the Sabbath to condemn those who do not ( Rom 14:5 )

— Paul rebukes the Galatians for thinking that God expected them to keep special days, including the Sabbath ( Gal 4:10-11 )

— The Sabbath only pointed to Christ; it pointed to God our creator who rested after being satisfied with His creation, we are consider how sin has separated you from God and repent; it is not a resting of manual labor but resting from works of righteousness to earn salvation; rest in Christ who has worked on our behalf

— Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ( Matt 11:28-29 )

Additional Resources

Understanding the Sabbath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVpTf2HBz1A

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFbKogq6FCc

Categories prophitbed https://www.ou.org/holidays/the_thirty_nine_categories_of_sabbath_work_prohibited_by_law/