The Christian Sabbath Part 4: Jesus and the Sabbath

JESUS AND THE SABBATH

Two facts have been considered in our study regarding the Sabbath; first, the Sabbath principle stated at creation and confirmed in the Decalogue, a sacred day of rest after six days of toil; and second, that the Jewish Sabbath was a memorial day, a memorial of Israel's deliverance from Egypt, a day signifying their sacred relation to God, and a sign of a perpetual covenant between God and Israel. Also we noted that it is apparent that the Jewish memorial Sabbath changed annually. Now we will consider Jesus and His relation to the Jewish Sabbath.

Jesus was a Jew and He strictly observed all of the requirements made upon Him by their religion. Certain Jewish religious ceremonies were observed in His childhood. It was His regular custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day (Luke 4:16). All of Jesus' life was lived under the strict requirements of the Jewish religion. Even a few hours before His death He observed the Passover with His disciples. He lived as a Jew and not in the Christian dispensation. The Sabbath that Jesus kept was the regular Jewish memorial Sabbath, just as was the Passover. He kept the regular Jewish Passover.

Jesus differed from the religious leaders of His day, in His thoughts concerning the Sabbath. They condemned Him for healing the lame on the Sabbath, but He assured them it was proper to do good on the Sabbath day (Luke 6:6-11). His disciples plucked grain to eat on the Sabbath and this did not meet with the approval of the Jewish religious leaders (Luke 6:1-5); but Jesus approved the acts, citing them to a similar act on the part of King David. He emphatically declared the purpose of the Sabbath: "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." Here a deeper fact is emphasized than the mere observance of a day; it is the reiteration of the Sabbath principle given at creation and confirmed in the Decalogue, a sacred day of rest following six days of toil. This Sabbath principle was made for man, for the benefit of man physically, mentally and spiritually. It is not a bondage placed upon man -- "man was not made for the sabbath"; but it is a distinct benefit and blessing to man, "the sabbath was made for man."

Another fact is apparent throughout the entire life of Jesus, that is, His consciousness that He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. He stated that not one jot or one tittle shall pass from the law till all be fulfilled. He also warned against the breaking of even the least of the Commandments, and that of teaching men to do likewise. So the whole purpose of His life was to fulfill the law.

The supreme moment of the fulfillment of much of that law, the time when numerous jots and tittles passed away through fulfillment, was in the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord. The Passover, commemorating Israel's mighty deliverance from Egypt, was fulfilled and passed away; for there Christ became our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7). All of the ceremonial practices connected with Israel's religious observances pointed toward a time of future fulfillment, these all were fulfilled by Jesus, and hence they passed away.

Did the crucifixion have any particular and definite relation to Israel's memorial Sabbath? It did. Paul gives a striking and illuminating statement concerning this, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is Christ" (Col. 2:14-17).

Several things are evident in this scripture; first, the word "sabbath" used here, is never used in any passage of the New Testament of any day but the weekly Sabbath. Second, that Paul did not mean some of the other feast days is clearly shown by the fact that in this very verse he distinctly distinguishes a feast day, or a new moon, from a Sabbath day. And this was the order used in the Old Testament (see 2 Chron. 2:4; 8:13). Third, Christians are not to be judged on the basis of the Jewish memorial Sabbath. If Paul did not mean this Jewish memorial Sabbath, why did he use the terms here used? The evidence is too conclusive to be questioned, the Jewish memorial Sabbath was fulfilled and done away in the cross along with other ceremonial observances belonging to the Jews, which were a shadow of things to come. Therefore the actual day of the week Jesus observed as a Sabbath is of little consequence for He kept the Jewish memorial Sabbath which was fulfilled and done away in the cross.

But let us note carefully that the Sabbath principle -- that of a sacred day of rest after six days of toil -- given at creation and confirmed in the Decalogue was not done away. That principle is fixed in the very nature of the universe, it will never be done away. But the Jewish memorial Sabbath, based upon this Sabbath principle and counted from the time cycle established after their deliverance from Egypt was here fulfilled and done away. That memorial Sabbath was a shadow, Christ had fulfilled that and the shadow is no longer apparent or needed, but a new memorial was made possible.