The Wonderful World Tomorrow
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Did Jesus Change the Sabbath Day?
 
Would it surprise you to know that as late as the writing of the Book of Revelation (around the year 95 A.D.), the New Testament Church (both Jewish and Gentile congregations) were observing the seventh day Sabbath? We know that Jesus Christ was a Sabbath keeper based upon the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Yet some believe He minimized the Sabbath commandment because he healed people on the Sabbath. Others believe Christ changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. There is also the belief that Christ willfully broke the fourth commandment to let the Jews know that the Sabbath command was now abolished. What did Jesus believe about the seventh day Sabbath?

Christ’s Custom

By a person’s actions you can discern what he or she believes. If we want to understand Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath question, we need to examine His actions. One of Christ’s earliest sermons confirms that He kept the Sabbath. Notice what Jesus’ CUSTOM was as stated in Luke 4:14-16:

“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out throughout all the surrounding region. And he taught in their synagogues being glorified by all. 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.

What was the first action Jesus took publicly after his temptation by Satan and his 40-day fast that followed? He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day “AS HIS CUSTOM WAS…” Keeping the Sabbath Holy. Going to the synagogue on that day was the habit (CUSTOM) of Christ. All his life He kept the Sabbath day on the seventh day of the week (our Saturday). He never once kept the weekly Sabbath on Sunday—not once! It was on the Sabbath day that He said Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled as He began His public ministry (Luke 4:17-19).

If changing the Sabbath to Sunday was on Jesus’ agenda, He would have certainly prepared the disciples for such a change. Such a drastic alteration of one of the Ten Commandments would have taken a lot of explaining on the part of Jesus. Isn’t it reasonable to conclude that if Christ changed the Sabbath from Saturday-- the seventh day of the week, to Sunday--the first day of the week, that He would have had many discussions with his disciples concerning such a major change?

But the Bible is totally silent on this matter. Why? It may surprise you to know that this change simply never took place. Had Christ made the announcement that the Sabbath was now to be kept on Sunday, the Jewish community would have viciously attacked him; and we would have an ample number of scriptures to turn to that would show us this change took place under Christ’s direction. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John would have recorded the disciples’ reactions to this alteration to the law of God. The silence of the scriptures on this matter is overwhelming—Christ did not change the Sabbath day to Sunday.

Did Christ Ever Abolish The 4th Commandment?

Many sincere churchgoers believe Christ actually nailed the Sabbath command to the cross, thus abolishing the need to observe the Sabbath. But the Bible speaks to the contrary: Jesus Himself clearly stated that He did not come to abolish the Sabbath or any of the other Ten Commandments. Christ actually came to MAGNIFY and bring out the spiritual meaning of the commandments of God, which of course would also include the Sabbath commandment. Jesus’ own words were: “Do not think that I have I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly I say to you till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law…”—Matthew 5:17-18.

The Greek word translated fulfill (pleroo) means to fill to the full, such as filling up a glass to the very top with water. It means to make totally complete. Christ came to show the full meaning of the law so we would not only live by the letter of the law but also strive to live by the spirit of the law. There are those who seek to twist this scripture by saying that since Christ came, there is no longer a need to live by the law of God because Jesus fulfilled the law for us. But this cannot be the explanation of this passage because the rest of the chapter (Matthew 5) gives us example after example of how we are to live by the spirit of the law. For example, a man must not only refrain from committing physical adultery he must also control his mind so as not to look upon a women with lust in his heart (verse 27-28). Christ came to magnify the law and make it honorable (Isaiah 42:21), not to minimize it. Jesus gave us the true intent of God’s Holy Law – to govern the way we both think and act.

Jewish Legalism Does Not Nullify The Sabbath

It is true that the religious Jews often attacked Jesus concerning the Sabbath. But their contention was not over WHEN Christ kept the Sabbath, but HOW Christ kept the Sabbath. The Pharisees and Sadducees were extremely strict in their observance of the seventh day of the week -- so much so, that they made observing the Sabbath day a burden with all their manmade rules and regulations. God had intended the Sabbath day to be a day of rest. It was actually a feast day (see Leviticus 23:2-3), a time when families were to physically desist from the toils of earning a living, and instead focus on worshipping God: it was to be an enjoyable day of fellowship and study.

You can see from the following example in Luke 6:6-10 that the Jews attacked Jesus over HOW he kept the Sabbath, not over WHAT DAY the Sabbath was to be kept or whether it should be kept at all:

“On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” He got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” After looking around at all of them, he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.” [New Revised Standard Version].

Jesus' healing on the Sabbath actually foreshadowed the miraculous healings still to come when Christ returns to this earth to establish the Kingdom of God. Isaiah prophesied of this time yet in the future: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing" (Isaiah 35:5, 6).

The Sabbath had become a heavy burden because the pedantic scribes and Pharisees had turned Sabbath observance into a long list of do’s and don’ts—something God never intended. Jesus Christ condemned human laws and traditions that distorted true worship of Him (Mark 7:7-8). Yet Jesus never stopped observing the Sabbath, and even the Apostles, including Paul, continued to keep the seventh day Sabbath all of their lives. The Bible states Paul taught Jews and Gentiles about the hope of the Kingdom of God on the Sabbath, never once commenting to them that the Sabbath was now changed to Sunday (Acts 13:42-44; 17: 1-4).

The Sabbath Is A Moral Issue

Many professing Christians fall for the poisonous argument that the Sabbath command was merely a ritualistic law that ended at the cross; but this line of thinking is blatantly wrong. First of all, Christ never said that when He died, the Sabbath Command would end; or that the Sabbath observance would change to Sunday.

Secondly, breaking the Sabbath involves far more than breaking a minor rule. The Sabbath Command is spiritual in its intent and purpose -- it was not just a ceremonial law that could be cast aside on a whim. And because Christ was Lord of the Sabbath (See Mark 2:28), He alone could nullify it or change it. The Sabbath, along with all of the commandments, teaches humans how to live moral lives while expressing honor toward God. Whether to honor or not honor the Creator of the whole universe is a serious moral decision.

Most would never think of missing an important anniversary date, ignoring a loved father on Father’s Day, or missing an important social function. But many people ignore God when He tells them to keep His Sabbath Holy. God considers violating the Sabbath command a blatant action of rebellion. Read Isaiah 58:13-14. How does God tell us to honor Him? This passage makes it plain:

“If you refrain from trampling the sabbath, from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD HONORABLE; if you HONOR it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

If you have been told that the Sabbath is not part of the “Moral law”, think again! Morality concerns itself with behavior. Obedience and honor toward your Creator are moral action, and there is none more deserving of honor than God. We learn to honor God on the seventh day of every week by ceasing from our physical labors and spending time studying His word, going to Church, and fellowshipping with those whom God has called (Hebrews 10:25). Ignoring the Sabbath command is tantamount to saying to God, “I choose not to respect and revere You!” Christ set the example for us by carefully observing the Sabbath.

God’s Chosen Sign

Most do not realize the Sabbath is a sign that Identifies God and those who belong to Him. The identifying sign of God’s people was the keeping of the Holy Sabbath, from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday (Leviticus 23:32). In the Bible, evening began when the sun went down (Nehemiah 13:19; Mark 1:32). It should be noted that only God could make a day holy. To decide to keep any other day “holy” is an act of either ignorance or flagrant presumption. The Sabbath command is found in several places in the Bible, including these important covenantal scriptures in Exodus 31:13, 17.

“Speak 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. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore it is holy to you.” Verse 17 continues by stating…”It [the Sabbath] is a sign between Me and the children of Israel FOREVER; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.

Notice verse 17 of this special Sabbath covenant: "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed" (Ex. 31:17). It was on the seventh day of the creation week that He rested from the work of creation. God did not rest on Sunday, the first day of the week. Therefore, the Sabbath Day reminds us that God is our creator, and it is for this important reason that only the seventh day of the week can be thought of as consistently significant. Creation is the proof of God—the act of creating identifies Him as OUR Creator. The Sabbath is a sign from God that reminds His people, “I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator….” (Isaiah 43:15)

Let us not underestimate the importance of the Sabbath in the lives of Jesus and His disciples—Christ taught His disciples to live by EVERY word of God (Matthew 4:4). Changing the Sabbath would have been tantamount to worshipping a different God and changing the scripture.

Sabbath Violation And National Captivity

Jesus and His disciples understood the Sabbath command was essential for worshipping the TRUE God because it identified who the true God was and is. He and the disciples were well aware of Israel’s history. In Israel’s past the pagan nations surrounding Israel worshipped a wide and strange array of humanly devised gods, and they gave their gods names such as Baal, Chemosh, Ashtoreth and Molech. In time the Israelites contaminated themselves with the worship of these false gods, violating God’s Holy Sabbath. Ignoring the Sabbath was no small offense to God. Israel’s breaking of His Holy Sabbath so angered God that He thrust Israel and Judah into national captivity. We read of God’s fury and the punishment of His people in Ezekiel 20:12-13, 18-20:

“Moreover I gave them my sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, so that they might know that I the LORD sanctify them. But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not observe my statutes but rejected my ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned.

I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not follow the statutes of your parents, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I the LORD am your God; follow my statutes, and be careful to observe my ordinances, and hallow my sabbaths that they may be a sign between me and you, so that you may know that I the LORD am your God. But the children rebelled against me; they did not follow my statutes, and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by whose observance everyone shall live; they profaned my sabbaths”.

An important point to remember is that in Ezekiel 20, God calls them MY SABBATHS. They were not just the Sabbaths of the Jews. They were God’s Sabbaths. The weekly (Saturday Sabbath) and annual Sabbaths (Holy Days of Leviticus 23) were created and made holy by God. As mentioned earlier, later in history, during Christ’s ministry, Jesus referred to himself as being “Lord of the Sabbath”—Mark 2:28. As the Lord or ruler of the Sabbath, Christ alone had the authority to regulate the Sabbath law and determine what day of the week the Sabbath was to fall on. Even to the day He died, Christ never relinquished his title as LORD of the Sabbath. He never cried out from the cross saying He was finished with the old Law and now would make the First Day Holy.

Conclusion

The Sabbath is a binding law that reminds God’s people they are His people, and He is their God! Nations surrounding ancient Israel worshipped their gods on various days utilizing different pagan customs. That practice continues down to this day, with most people receiving their religious practices from their familiars, not from the Bible. The Bible, however, tells us God has only one specific weekly day of worship—the Sabbath day; and we are commanded to rest on that day.

The Sabbath is a sign from God that reminds His people He is their creator. God alone chose the seventh day to sanctify because he wanted us to finish every week by honoring and worshipping Him. In doing so, He knew we would never forget our special relationship to Him as the one from whom we receive the gift and blessings of life, both physical and spiritual. Man never has nor ever will have the authority to make Sunday or any other day of the week holy. The seventh day of the week stands alone as being unique.

Many have questioned whether God changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Our free booklet, God’s Holy Sabbath, addresses this question in depth. We invite you to download our booklet from our website, or if you would like a hard copy, you may order it online or call our toll free number at 1-877-449-6753 to request your free copy.