Should we observe the Sabbath or not? Should we observe Sunday? Is there such a thing as a day of rest, or is there not? What does the Bible actually say about this, and are we bound by the Ten Commandments? Andreas Slot-Henriksen explains here what the Bible says about the Sabbath, because it is one of the questions he has been asked so many times. Originally, the Sabbath was introduced because God rested on the seventh day after creating the heavens and the earth. In Genesis chapter 2, verses 2–3, it says that on the seventh day God had finished the work He had done, and on the seventh day He rested from all the work He had done. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Later, God gave this commandment to the Jewish people, that they should observe this day of rest and keep it holy. God instituted the Sabbath for the Israelites as an everlasting covenant between the people of Israel and Him.
The first time we read about this is in the Ten Commandments, where it says: ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. For six days you may work and do all that you need to do, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. On that day you must not do any work whatsoever, neither you nor your son nor your daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your livestock, nor the stranger within your gates. Later, God also tells Moses in Exodus chapter 31, verse 12 onwards, that the Israelites must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to them, and whoever desecrates it shall be put to death. In the Old Testament, the death penalty was imposed for transgressing God’s law. In Numbers chapter 15, verse 32 onwards, there is an account of a man who was found gathering firewood on the Sabbath day. He was brought before Moses and Aaron, and the Lord told Moses that the man must be put to death. The whole congregation stoned him to death, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
This may seem like a harsh punishment for merely gathering firewood, but it is not about a man gathering firewood. It is about a man who does not obey the commandments God has given. We all want a good God, a God who loves what is good and hates what is evil. The problem is that we humans are very good at making distinctions and thinking that a little white lie is not so serious. People are good at creating grey areas, but God is white, the devil is black. God will not accept sin. He will not tolerate it. With the example of the man who was stoned, God affirms that He is the righteous God. In the New Testament, we also see the story of Ananias and Sapphira, who lie to the Holy Spirit, and they die. The Ten Commandments were the constitution – just ten rules at that time – and all the other commandments are built upon them.
When we look at what the Sabbath actually entails, there isn’t actually that much in the Bible specifically, but the Talmud – the Jewish oral tradition – describes a great many things. One was not allowed to sow, plough, harvest, gather firewood, thresh, winnow, grind, bake, cook, sew more than two stitches, write more than one letter, build, demolish, and much more. In modern times, a list has been drawn up: no driving, no use of standard electrical appliances, no pressing lift buttons, no cooking, baking or heating. You must not carry objects in public beyond approximately 1.8 to 2 metres, no trading or financial transactions, no gardening. Generally speaking, one is simply to rest and do nothing.
Then Jesus comes along and starts causing a bit of a stir. One Sabbath, Jesus was passing through some cornfields, and as they went along, His disciples began to pluck heads of corn. The Pharisees said to Him: ‘Look there, why are they doing something that is not permitted on the Sabbath?’ Jesus replied by referring to what David did when he and his men were hungry, and how he ate the showbread, which only the priests were allowed to eat. Jesus said to them: ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’ Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’ Just hold on—what a provocative statement He makes here. Just try to imagine the Jews, who had enforced the Sabbath so strictly, and now Jesus says that He is Lord of the Sabbath.
We see several times throughout the New Testament how Jesus heals on the Sabbath and performs miracles. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 13, verse 10 onwards, it is written how He lays His hand on a woman who has been bent over for 18 years, and the spirit of her infirmity leaves her. This happens on a Sabbath, which was a huge problem because it was not permitted. The Pharisees go after Jesus, but Jesus turns it around and says that they themselves untie their oxen or donkeys from the manger when they need food. Jesus also says in several places that we must work whilst it is day. He sends the disciples out to heal the sick, cast out demons and proclaim the kingdom of God, without saying that they must not heal on the Sabbath.
Paul writes several things about the Sabbath to the various Christian congregations which do not really tally with what is written in the Old Testament. In Romans chapter 14, verses 5–8, he says: ‘One person considers one day more important than another; another considers every day to be of equal importance. Everyone should stand firm in their convictions. Whoever attaches importance to a particular day does so for the Lord. Here he mentions that some observe certain days, and others observe different days. This is very interesting, because the entire Jewish community had been so steeped in the Law of Moses, and suddenly the Law of Moses was abolished because Jesus had fulfilled it. That is why He said on the cross: ‘It is finished.’ Everything the Law of Moses pointed towards was Jesus Christ. Jesus had no sin in His life, and He was able to establish a new covenant, whereby we are permitted to live by faith and God’s grace.
In Colossians chapter 2, verses 16–17, Paul says: ‘Let no one therefore judge you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to festivals, new moons or Sabbaths. These are only a shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ. How many do you think have been condemned simply because they did not think they ought to keep the Sabbath? So many who are not Jews are coming to faith. They do not, after all, keep the Sabbath. Paul also says to the Galatians in chapter 4, verses 9–11: ‘But now that you have come to know God—or rather, have been known by God—how can you turn back to those weak and miserable elements? Do you wish to be enslaved to them again? You are observing days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid that I have laboured in vain for you.’ They are going back to the Jewish laws and rules and days and ceremonies, and Paul rebukes these Galatians.
It is important to understand this, because there are a huge number of people, including Christians, who today think we must keep the Sabbath. The problem is that if you keep the Sabbath as the Mosaic Law prescribes, then you have to keep the whole law. That is to say, you must not write a single letter, untie a knot, sew, or move anything more than a maximum of 1.8 to 2 metres in public. All these things apply to you if you choose to keep the Sabbath as was done in the Old Testament. There are also Christian denominations today that say that if you do not keep the Sabbath, you will end up in perdition, because they believe it is a breach of the Ten Commandments. But if we keep just one of the laws from the Old Testament, because we reckon we are justified by God, then we must keep them all. That is to say, you are no longer saved by grace, but you are justified by the law. And since no human being has been able to be justified by the law, you have a problem. Only Jesus could do that.
In Galatians chapter 5, verses 3–6, Paul says: I testify again to every man who undergoes circumcision that he is bound to keep the whole law. You have been cut off from Christ, you who seek to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace. For through faith we await, by the Spirit, the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. James also says this very directly in James chapter 2, verse 10: ‘For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of them.’ We live either under the law or under grace.
Many would say that Sunday is an ancient day of worship dedicated to the sun, a pagan day. And it is also true that in the year 321 AD, King Constantine came and said, ‘From now on, we shall observe Sunday as a holy day.’ But there is a small catch to this, which is hugely interesting. When we read in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 20, verse 7, it says: ‘On the first day of the week we were gathered together to break bread. Paul spoke to them, as he was to leave the next day.’ The first day of the week is Sunday. In 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 2 it says: ‘On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, so that no collections need be made when I come.’ They were collecting offerings for Paul in the congregation on Sundays, and they were breaking bread on Sundays. Justin Martyr, who lived in the year 67, wrote: ‘On the day called Sunday, all gather together, because it is the first day on which God created the world, and because Jesus Christ, our Saviour, rose from the dead on that day.’ Christians no longer celebrate the exodus from Egypt, as the Israelites did. They do not celebrate the day of rest, but Christians celebrate the resurrection.
Does this mean, then, that we must observe Sunday as a day of rest? No, it does not. It means that Christians at this time choose to gather on Sundays. There is nothing wrong with you observing a day of rest on Sunday, on Saturday, on Friday or any other day of the week. I personally believe that a day of rest is healthy and good, and that the day of rest was created for the sake of humanity, because we need to rest. But the interesting thing is that when we look through the Bible, Jesus says precisely that He is Lord of the Sabbath. What is Jesus? Jesus is our rest. Jesus wants us to lay all our worries and everything we are and have upon Him. He wants to carry it for us. He wants to give us a peace that is greater than any human can understand.
Which would you prefer? To observe a day of religious rest, or to be able to lay all your worries upon Him? Which do you think brings the most rest? I would definitely choose to have Jesus Christ as my rest in my life. Before, you were not to covet your neighbour’s wife, but now, if you merely think about it, it is a sin. Before, you were to keep one day of rest a week. Today, Jesus is to be your rest every day. This does not mean you must keep a physical day of rest where you are not allowed to do anything every day, but Jesus sets this against the religious practice. You can still keep a day of rest where you honour Jesus and exalt Him, and even if you might be at work, you can truly experience God’s peace here, experience God’s rest. A drive in the car on the way to and from work can give you so much more rest than if you were to keep ten or twenty Sabbaths according to the old law.
In John chapter 14, verse 27, Jesus says: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.’ That is surely the greatest rest we can have. The Book of Psalms speaks again and again of rest. He leads me beside still waters. God wants us to rest in Him. There are people who are not particularly busy, yet they can become so stressed simply because they have two things to do that day. They have no rest in their lives. Then there are people who are booked up all day, and you cannot even imagine that they might think they have too much on their plate. Deep down, it is a question of: do we have rest within us? Do we have God’s rest within us in what we do? The more we understand that the Sabbath is every day and is within us, the more we suddenly find ourselves with far greater energy.
We must not seek rest, but we must seek Jesus, for He is the rest. He is the peace. He is the love that fills you up. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. If we stop seeking God for everything that frustrates us, but simply exalt Jesus for who He is and praise Him because He is in control, and you don’t need an answer either today or tomorrow, then the more you show God that you trust Him, the more you will find that rest simply takes up residence within you. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, Jesus says: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Try doing this sometime, if you haven’t already. Sit down, reach out your hand to the side and say: ‘Jesus, take my hand. Let us sit together, just you and me. Thank you, Jesus, for taking my hand now. Thank you for letting me rest in you. Thank you for not making me walk alone.’ Thank you for not having to worry about my future. I don’t have to worry about tomorrow. Jesus is my peace and my rest, and depression has no place in my life and never will, because God’s love is so mighty and so great. The Sabbath is incredibly important; we must understand what the Sabbath is, and that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath, and that the law has been so thoroughly instilled that today it is the Sabbath every day. Jesus is your peace every day. You must seek Him every day, and it is not enough to say, ‘I have said my evening prayer.’ He must be the centre of your life. He must be the peace that accompanies you wherever you go. May rest, may the Sabbath and all this never become a religious ritual for any of us, but may it become a way of life that we walk in God’s rest. The word ‘Sabbath’ actually means ‘rest’. Therefore, one can safely say, ‘I wish to walk in God’s Sabbath in my life all the way’.
Quote from the teaching: ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’
Relevant keywords: Sabbath – day of rest – Ten Commandments – Jesus’ rest – Mosaic Law – grace – Sunday – religious freedom – Christian freedom – God’s peace – rest in Christ – Sabbath rules – resurrection – Old Covenant – New Covenant
