Keeping the Sabbath
Jesus clashed with the religious leaders of his day over many issues: religious traditions, associating with sinners, spiritual authority and more. On one issue in particular—the Sabbath—these leaders monitored Jesus’ actions scrupulously.
The Ten Commandments prohibited work on the Sabbath since it was a holy day set apart (Exodus 20:8–11). Just as the Israelites were commanded to tithe part of their earnings to God, they were to give him their time as well. Breaking the Sabbath was a grave matter, for God’s law demanded death for those who ignored it (Exodus 31:14–15).
The question, though, was what activities constituted “work.” In the years after the temple was rebuilt following the exile (515 BC–AD 70), scribes and rabbis studied the words of Scripture, interpreting every detail. What kinds of work could be allowed on the Sabbath within the Law? For example, according to the Law, no work was to be done on the Sabbath, so that meant burdens were not to be carried on that day. So scholars debated what constituted a “burden.”
On the surface, the scribes had good reasons for interpreting the Law carefully since they did not want anyone to break it inadvertently. But their interpretations increasingly emphasized external adherence to the Law rather than cultivating an attitude of submission before God. Obeying their own interpretations became a source of pride instead of an expression of love for God. By Jesus’ day, the rabbis and scribes had become so strict that they accused Jesus’ disciples of breaking the Sabbath because they picked some grain and ate it as they walked through a field on the Sabbath (Luke 6:1–2).
Jesus’ healings on the Sabbath also enraged the religious teachers who classified healing as “work” and therefore prohibited it (Deuteronomy 5:15). Jesus revealed the rabbis’ hypocrisy with his response:
On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. (Luke 6:6-10)
God had given the Law to encourage the Israelites to love him and to love others (Mark 12:30–31). He had never prohibited doing good on the Sabbath. The Pharisees acted as if God had created people so that he would have someone to keep the Sabbath, but Jesus clarified that God had given the Sabbath as a gift to the people he had created (Mark 2:27). For the Pharisees, the Ten Commandments provided great restrictions punishable by death. For Jesus, the Law outlined great freedoms that led to real life (Matthew 5:17).
Drawn from The Jesus Bible, NIV.
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Thanks for this devotion on God’s gift of the Sabbath.
You can really see how God, our creator, is always giving us grace and peace through Jesus!
Thanks for the inspirational message. I am blessed. May God continue to use you to enlighten His children.
Thank you for the inspiring word!🙏 Today, who does the Sabbath apply to?
Check out these other articles on the blog that address the Sabbath:
https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/what-is-the-sabbath-and-should-christians-today-observe-it/
https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/jesus-and-the-sabbath/
It is still valid today as are the other nine commandments. The 7th day is God’s holy day, set apart at creation. Exodus 20:12?says it is a sign between God and His people.
Genesis 2:3. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Is it ever wrong to follow God’s example?
Thank you for making it very clear about the Sabbath day. Example, if you fall and break you arm on the Sabbath and go to the hospital, they don’t have a sign that says CLOSED ON THE SABBATH. GOD’S not healing today. My God is there 24/7.
Thanks for valuable information shared.
This is so helpful and appreciated. May you continue giving us the Word. Stay blessed.
Thanks for the world of God. Remain blessed and keep it up.
Can we through scriptures know what day is the sabbath?
Here are some other articles on the blog that address the Sabbath that you might find helpful:
https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/what-is-the-sabbath-and-should-christians-today-observe-it/
https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/jesus-and-the-sabbath/
Great teaching.
Christians should observe everything God has put in his word especially loving your neighbor as yourself that would make the world a much better place and there would be no more greed and fighting. Amen
God made the Sabbath to be a day of rest for all people. The rest is found only in Jesus and none other.
Thank you the word of encouragement.
Thank you for the Sabbath Day sharing.
I grew up in a church that made the sabbath the worst day of the week. The leaders were very much like the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day. Now, in my 60’s, I have learned that God intended it to be the best day of the week, and a time to rest and think about him and his creation.
Thanks for the message. Can you please explain John 14:15. “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Thanks so much!
Here are some other blog articles that address the Sabbath that you might find helpful:
https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/what-is-the-sabbath-and-should-christians-today-observe-it/
https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/jesus-and-the-sabbath/
Thank you for this clarification and detailed explanation.
For many years I had wondered about the reason of the Sabbath and how many are entrenched in it. Perhaps I had mistakenly missed the point. Then I heard someone speak about the Sabbath that gave me a great sense of clarity. He stated that Christ has become our Sabbath and that EVERY DAY is a Sabbath since we belong to the Lord. For Christ came to fulfil the Law and being a Child of God brings us into a new freedom. For me, this brought a tremendous sense of freedom to walk in the Gospel, in accordance with Jesus. The manner in the way most think of The Sabbath, follows an earlier pattern of Scripture and they miss the point of it all. Praise God for a great sense of Joy and purpose and to think that a time is coming in which we will all live in the light of a continual Sabbath as we live in our Home forever with Our Lord and God.
God sanctified and blessed only on the Sabbath and that was Friday evening until Saturday evening. Nowhere in the Word did God change nor bless Sunday as the Sabbath. Man-made religious laws and traditions changed it to Sunday.
Thank God for the freedom.
Love the insight.
Wonderful interpretation. I learned a lot from this.
This is great reading. It is so very helpful.
Gracias por el mensaje, que te siga bendiciendo mucho nuestro Dios,y te siga usando para fortalecer a su Pueblo, bendiciones. (Thank you for the message. May our God continue to bless you greatly, and continue to use you to strengthen his People, Blessings)
Great inspiration. May the Lord bless you.
Thank you so much words of faith, inspiration, and hope in this state of our world.
Thank you for blessed devotion.
Very thought provoking
Interesting
Always open to God’s Word, and those who help remind us of His love for us.
Thanks for the word of knowledge. Really I known now the different between Sunday and Saturday and lord to be observed holy 🙏. It’s lord that we should love not the day 🙏.
If the Sabbath was part of the 10 commandments and Jesus even kept the seventh day… why do we keep Sunday, instead? We strive to keep all the other commandments!
Great teaching to cement the true value of God’s richest laws on Sabbath and alignment of Jesus Christ works.
Thank you for that great insight on the Sabbath.
Am blessed by the insight of the word.
Dear heavenly father, help me and my people to live a life of love rather a life of law that have no consideration for human welfare. In Jesus name.
Thank you for enlightening us on the scriptures. It’s always fulfilling….
Thank you for the message on the Sabbath.
Properly researched writeup. Be blessed.
The wisdom with which Jesus explained working on the Sabbath is what we need when introducing others to Christ.
God bless you, and thanks for the insight.
Thank you for providing clarity. God bless you.
I am glad it mentioned to not work on the Sabbath. I wish some would take it more seriously. Thank you for today’s reading.
🙏🙏
In the first place one must understand the word Sabbath, who gave the Sabbath, when it was given. All this will make you understand Jesus mission on Sabbath because he is the lord of Sabbath and he keeps the Sabbath.
I want to understand more about the Sabbath and to know Jesus more.
Thanks for clarifying about the Sabbath 🙏🙏
Genesis 2:3. God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy. Should we be followers of God or of man.