“The Sabbath is no longer relevant today.”
That’s the message I hear from many teachers. They will say we should keep the Ten Commandments, just not the Sabbath. Many churches have the Ten Commandments on their walls, yet seem to have taken a sharpie to the fourth one.
What is the reasoning for this? Here are just a few of the excuses as to why modern believers don’t keep the Sabbath.
- “It’s not talked about in the New Testament”
- “Jesus is our Sabbath”
- “We don’t follow the Old Testament days and holidays”
But these statements could not be farther from the truth. The Sabbath is mentioned over 150 times in the Scriptures, and at least 50 times in the Gospel books alone! Yahusha (Jesus) mentions the Sabbath at least 10 times. So what are some of the things He says about the Sabbath?
“And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’” – Mark 2:28
The Sabbath is a gift created for us. It is a day of rest. Can you imagine having to work every day of the week without rest? Sometimes we do. I’m as guilty of this as the next person. But should we? We are called to walk as our Messiah walked, and that includes obedience to the Father’s commands, even the fourth one.
“And He said to them, ‘the Son of Adam is Master of the Sabbath.’” – Luke 6:5
Yahusha is showing His deep relationship to the Sabbath. It matters to Him. He rules over it. The Pharisees and religious leaders had placed the Sabbath on a pedestal. In a way, it became the thing that they worshipped. Even today in Judaism, there are over 1,500 rules regarding the Sabbath and things you can and can’t do. This goes beyond the intentions of creating such a day. Yahuah created the Sabbath for us, to give us rest. It’s really quite simple. Rest from the work that you normally do during the week and set the day apart.
“How much more worth is a man than a sheep! So it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” – Matthew 12:12
Again, He is rebuking the restrictions placed on the Sabbath by the religious leaders. Do good on the Sabbath. The Scriptures teach us to rest on the Sabbath, but nowhere do they teach us not to help others on this day, when they need it. In fact, He heals people on the Sabbath numerous times. This alone should provide us with cause to think about what Sabbath-observance is all about. It is a healing day for us when we observe it.
“And pray that your flight does not take place in the winter or on the Sabbath.” – Matthew 24:20
Yahusha is describing end-time events in this passage. He says that we should pray that our escape does not take place on a Sabbath day, which is intended for rest. It is obvious that He expects us to both observe and honor that day.
The Sabbath day commandment is given more space in Scripture than any other part of the Torah. Even in the Ten Commandments, it constitutes the largest section. Here is the fourth commandment in whole:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart. Six days you labour, and shall do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of Yahuah your Elohim. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days Yahuah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Yahuah blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart.” – Exodus 20:8-11
This is the one command that Yahuah tells us to “Remember.” I think it’s the one He knew we would forget. But here He connects Sabbath observance back to creation. He connects it back to the seventh day. And most importantly, He connects it back to Him. We observe it because He rested on the seventh day. He never changed the command. Nor did His Son. He also did not change the day. It was man who did that.
And it is not just Yahusha who obeyed the Sabbath. The early assembly did the same. Paul made a habit of teaching on the Sabbath.
“And according to his practice, Paul went in unto them, and for three Sabbaths was reasoning with them from the Scriptures.” – Acts 17:2
Many people also don’t realize that in Acts 15, the Jerusalem Council’s decision about what the gentiles should be doing revolved around the Sabbath, knowing that they would eventually hear Moses being taught each seventh day. The gentiles were not expected to know the entire Torah (law) to enter into the faith. Why? because Moses was being taught every Sabbath in every city!
“For from ancient generations Moses has, in every city, those proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every Sabbath.” – Acts 15:21
I am not perfect in this command either. As someone who finds it difficult to shut down, I often fail to observe it honorably. But the Sabbath is a gift from the Father. And although we don’t always observe it in a way that both honors and pleases Him, we should. And this is an area of my faith that I would like to improve.
If we truly love the Father, we will guard His commands. The letter of 1 John is all about guarding the commands of Yahuah and doing what He has instructed us from the beginning. And this includes the Sabbath.
“And the one guarding His commands stays in Him, and He in him.” – 1 John 3:24
“And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands.” – 1 John 2:3
“For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy.” – 1 John 5:3
If this is something that you want to improve upon, then pray about it. Read the Scriptures, find out how the Messiah lived, and copy Him. He obeyed His Father’s commands (not man’s traditions) concerning the Sabbath. And he’s a perfect example for us to follow!
FAITH IN MOTION 