Simple Truth: Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath
How is it possible that something so simple as waiting and resting can become so complicated? Is it just me, or a Type-A American phenomenon? Or maybe it’s human nature to complicate something as easy as rest? Jesus sets things simple and straight.
He’s Lord of the Sabbath
Mark 2: 23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
.
The Pharisees couldn’t stand it that manmade rules were being shunted off to the side as Jesus asserted His authority.
Before I come down too hard on the Pharisees, do I do this too?
- How many times on a Sunday do I ask myself whether it’s right, proper, or biblical to shop at a garden center, grocery store, or even go to a restaurant or a gas station?
- After all, doesn’t my patronage violate someone else’s Sabbath adherence?
- What about people who celebrate the Sabbath on a Saturday?
- Am I just justifying my desire to shop by asserting that not everyone is Christian or observes the same day?
- When I was employed at a garden center, I asked for Sunday morning to be able to worship but after church, there I was, working my tail off the rest of the Sabbath, yes?
- What about when I was a pastor? Didn’t I work then? Sure I did, just like other pastors, I was working on Sunday.
A Sabbath can still be a resting time even if not a prescribed day on a calendar.
For practical purposes, the Blue Laws (prohibiting business on Sundays) may have disappeared from many locales for everything except alcohol and cars, but they are alive and well in my heart. And I’m not the only one. Some stores deliberately close on Sundays to prevent that very problem: Hobby Lobby, Chick-fil-A, and many other small businesses.
With the secularizing of America, Blue Laws are a thing of the past. As I struggle to rest—even on a Sunday—I remind myself of this Simple Truth: He is Lord of the Sabbath.
Social Networks:
2 Comments
by Lonnie
On June 30, 2023
Amen my friend, the Sabbath is so important! Luke 23:53 -55 it states Jesus was laid in the tomb on Preparation day (Friday, the 6th day) and the Sabbath drew in (Saturday, the 7th day.)and on the 1st day of the week (Sunday) (Luke 24 Mary Magdalene brought the spices. ). You celebrate Easter on a “Sunday” (the 1st day) the Bible says the Sabbath day was the day BEFORE (Saturday the 7th Day). So The Word of God says the Sabbath day IS the 7th day, not the first.God instituted the 7th day of Rest (Sabbath) in Genesis 2:2-3, there were no Jews and no sin.Jesus died to take away the sins of the world.. God’s 7th day Sabbath was made and is the ONLY DAY God blessed and sanctified, before Adam&Eve sinned. It has not been “done away” with. God does not change (Malachi 3:6) or lie (Numbers 23:19) nor ALTER what He spoke from His lips.Psalms 89:34. ( the 10 Commandments) God told the Israelites and the mixed multitudes to Remember the Sabbath day, which refers us back to Creation..”but THE 7th day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God. In Exodus 16 God became angry with all of them because they did not keep His 7th Day Sabbath holy, He rained down manna, for 40 years, trying to remind, of His 7th Day Sabbath., Then LATER, in Exodus 20, God wrote it in stone twice and told them ALL, to REMEMBER it. IT is the only commandment that starts with REMEMBER! Jesus didn’t give us “another Sabbath day) read Hebrews 4. Jesus kept the 7th day Sabbath , His entire life, He is the Lord of the Sabbath. He made it! John 1:1-14 clearly tells us Jesus is God. The Father, the WORD (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit, these three are ONE. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Jesus said keep His commandments, (when He mentioned the 2″great commandments, (read further) He said ” on these 2 HANG ALL THE LAW.. Jesus is God, He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. God ALONE has immortality. Jesus did not come to DESTROY God’s LAW (10 of them) He came to FULFILL it .He further clarified Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot nor one tittle shall in no wise pass from the LAW. Jesus knew the apostles would go and preach to the Gentiles, after His death, and He told I pray that their flight would not be on the Sabbath day when the temple would be destroyed 70 years after his death. Jews and Gentiles who would be following Christ would be the ones who fled then. The 7th day Sabbath will be kept in heaven. In the book of Revelation which REVEALS Jesus Christ ..tells us in Revelation 22:14 blessed are they that do his Commandments, that THEY may have right to the tree of life and enter in through the gates in to the city. Sis please research history. God told us in Daniel 7:25 ” the Beast” would think to change times and LAWS” (so it’s definitely not Jesus) prophecy points out who the Beast is (remember Paul said there was antichrists at that time, not coming in the future. ) and history tells us that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday and 321 AD, and those who did not worship on a Sunday would be put to death..Millions of them were killed. Look up Mithraism and “Sun” day worship and how it came into the Christian church. Look up The Catholic Mirror September 23, 1893 “the Catholic church for more than 1,000 years before the existence of a Protestant by virtue of her divine mission change the day from Saturday to Sunday”. There is nothing in the Bible that supports Sunday as the Lord’s Day. Read “It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodist and all other Christians that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic church and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church Priest Brady, the Elizabeth New Jersey news March 18 1903. The choice is now yours will you worship God on HIS day, the seventh day Sabbath or keep the traditions of man. ” In vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines to Commandments of men” Matthew 15:9 or ” howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines to Commandments of men, for laying aside the commandment of God ye hold the tradition of men Sis, God does not have a kingdom in heaven with no laws. He said Sin IS the transgression of the law and the wages of death IS sin. God does not change. I know you love Jesus, please continue to pray and may the Holy Spirit, guide you into all truth.
by seminarygal
On July 2, 2023
Some people do feel very strongly about what constitutes the Sabbath. “The wages of sin is death”, BTW, and we should finish the verse: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Jesus’ entire point by saying He’s Lord of the Sabbath was to remind us that following Him was less legalism, checkboxes and rules…and more Spirit. John, the author of Revelation writes, Revelation 1:10 “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.'”
It was the Lord’s Day…whether Saturday or Sunday or a 7th day… and John was commanded by GOD to work. He didn’t go to hell for it because his heart was obedient to the Spirit of God. If you search the Scriptures, you will not find the word “Saturday” nor the word “Sunday” because keeping a calendar was not God’s ideal. God’s ideal was for mankind to have a purposeful rest from a week’s work in order to reflect on God and to maintain that healthy balance of one’s spirit and heart.
Even in Seventh Day Adventist tradition (circa 1800) there are people serving others, by preaching, etc. That’s work for them. There are groups who feel very strongly about walking more than x-distance on the Sabbath, prohibitions on electricity or gasoline powered vehicles, importance of eating kosher, but I’ll let them live with what they believe. However, I’m going to leave this discussion here because I wanted to be respectful of the time you devoted to writing. I’m not going to hell for taking my Sunday or a Saturday to write devotionals or replies. Jesus set me free. He is Lord of my Sabbath. Thank you for reaching out.