Quite interestingly, it was on the Sabbath-day that Jesus chose to declare to the world who He was and what His mission was all about. Such are the blessings of the Sabbath. The record reveals: “And He (Jesus) 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” (Luke 4:16). This record alone is evidence enough regarding Jesus’ attitude towards the Sabbath.
How men can conjecture that Jesus abolished the Sabbath is beyond reason and without Scriptural foundation. Jesus, being his/her example, the committed Christian should do likewise by honoring God on the Sabbath-day. By so doing, they would indeed be in the company of their Savior, resting in Him.
The apostle Peter declares that Jesus is our example. Says he, “For even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
Matthew reports, “At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat…But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto Him, Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day” (Matthew 12:1,2). In responding to their charge, Jesus reminded them of David and his men when they entered the sanctuary and ate the shewbread, which was not ‘lawful’ for them to do. His (Jesus) conclusion to the matter is recorded thus, “But if ye had known what this means, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless…For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day” (Matthew 12:7,8).
First of all, Jesus was not the one who plucked the ears of corn. The Scripture is abundantly clear that it was his disciples. Secondly, Jesus declared them to be guiltless. For one to obtain food and eat on the Sabbath-day, if they are hungry, is not breaking the Sabbath. It is clear that Jesus and His disciples did not purposely go out on the Sabbath-day to pick corn in defiance of the commandment not to do any work on the Sabbath-day.
Jesus used the occasion to expose the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in their exacting, non-Biblical rules regarding the Sabbath. Finally, and most importantly, Jesus declared that He is Lord of the Sabbath. Nowhere in this episode did Jesus make the slightest reference to doing away with the Sabbath. He simply reinforced the principle that the Sabbath was still binding. He also declared that He is the Master of the Sabbath.
Many see this and other similar incidents as evidences not to keep God’s Sabbath-day holy. All our encounters with Jesus on the Sabbath exemplify that we are to keep God’s Sabbath-day holy. They help us to do so by giving us examples of what it is permissible to do and accepted by God on the Sabbath. Jesus teaches us that it is right in the sight of God to do good on the Sabbath-day. In stark contrast to what false prophets and teachers advocate, Jesus does not teach that men should profane or otherwise do away with the Sabbath- day, simply because He came and died for us. Instead, He simply gave us many examples of how to keep the Sabbath-day holy.
Jesus constantly kept the importance of God’s true Sabbath before the eyes and minds of the people. He, the only true Messiah, demonstrated the sanctity of His Sabbath even in death. All four of the gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, testify to this fact. They all are remarkably consistent in reporting the events of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. This being the case, the mention of one such account will be sufficient to illustrate the point of Jesus’ rest on the Sabbath, even in death.
Luke records thus, “And that day was the preparation day, and the Sabbath drew on… And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre and how His body was laid…And they returned and prepared spices and ointments and rested the Sabbath day, according to the commandment” (Luke 23:54-56). Certainly, Jesus’ disciples never gave any thought to the notion that because He was crucified, the Sabbath was abolished. Nowhere, in His three and one half years of earthly ministry, did Jesus address the issue of changing or abolishing the seventh-day Sabbath.
Our rest is in Jesus Christ. Keeping His Sabbath-day holy is an outward demonstration of that rest in Him. It is an honor, a joy, and a privilege to do so. Sabbath keeping is a revelation of God’s love and compassion for all humanity. It is a blessing. It is truthfully abiding in Jesus. It is being yoked up with Him. To keep God’s Sabbath holy is to delight in Jesus Christ as our Creator, Savior and Redeemer. God’s Sabbath-day is not only a commemoration of our rest in Jesus, but a sign to the world that we are truly His.
Jesus Christ, on His sojourn on this earth, taught us how to truly keep His Sabbath-day holy. He continues to empower us to do so today. Ellen G. White, the nineteenth century Christian commentator, tells us in her classic, Desire of Ages, “By His humanity Christ touched humanity; by His divinity, He lays hold on the throne of God. As the son of man, He gave us an example of obedience; as the Son of God He gives us power to obey” (Desires of Ages, pg 23-24). When we are truly resting in Him, He will lead and empower us to keep holy His blessed Sabbath-day. We will come to realize that Sabbath keeping is not a mere round of rituals, encompassing a list of burdensome rules. Rather, we will experience being a partaker of a joyous experience in He who is our Maker and Redeemer.
Our Lord and Savior emphatically declares, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 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. Whosoever therefore break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-19). Jesus’ fulfillment of the law was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah thus, “The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake: He will magnify the law and make it honorable” (Isaiah 42:21).
His fulfillment of the law is not to do away with it; but rather to make it more clear through His living example. He kept it perfectly as an example for us to follow. Jesus never asks us what we think about the law, or what does Paul say about it. He simply beckons us to follow Him. He asks us to keep His Sabbath- day holy as evidence of our trust in Him.
The Savior longs to see His character reflected in our lives. His desire is for us to uplift Him as our Creator and submit to His will in our lives. When, by God’s grace, we do that, we demonstrate to the world our genuine faith in His word. Our obedience to His will is the evidence of our saving relationship with our Creator, Savior, and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He counsels and assures us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven…Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill… 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” (Matthew 5:16-18).
By His grace, our lights must shine, as we strive to keep all of His commandments thus glorifying our Father which is in heaven. He is our perfect Example.
Amazing grace