Do you struggle to get rest from life stresses, pressures, and anxieties? Do you desire a physical, emotional, and spiritual renewal? People often say we need to revive the Sabbath rest mentioned in the Bible. But what is the Sabbath rest that Jesus offers us, and are we still required to observe the Sabbath? Is the Sabbath merely an excuse not to work? Or is it just an Old Testament command, thus giving workaholics a free pass? It’s essential to address this topic so we can find the rest we need.
The Lord rested on the seventh day, as stated in Exodus 20:11, “The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Furthermore, Exodus 31:14 says, “You shall keep the Sabbath because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death.” The Sabbath is serious business! Israel was commanded to observe the Sabbath under the Old Covenant to express their total dependence and trust in the Lord. Years ago, I was invited to a Synagogue to share my Christian faith alongside a Rabbi and a Muslim Imam to a Jewish youth group. We met beforehand in the Rabbi’s office, and at the end of the meeting, he asked one of us to turn off the lights (the Muslim beat me to it). The Rabbi was observing the Sabbath. We do not keep the Sabbath in that way, but are we to observe it at all?
Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). He also stated, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8). Jesus was responding to the Jews who had added to the Sabbath laws in ways that God never intended. Yet, what is Jesus offering us as the Lord of the Sabbath? In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites us, saying, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He offers the kind of rest we truly need, but it is not just a once-a-week type of rest. D.A. Carson notes, “That Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath is not only a messianic claim of grand proportions, but it raises the possibility of a future change or reinterpretation of the Sabbath, in precisely the same way that His professed superiority over the Temple raises certain possibilities about ritual law.”
In Hebrews 4:9, it affirms that there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. The future rest is promised to us if we are in Christ, and as we daily walk with him, we get a taste of our eternal rest. In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul writes, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Our rest is found in Christ.
So, should Christians observe the Sabbath? Scott Hubbard puts it, “The world and the devil would have us work even while we rest. But Jesus would have us rest even while we work.” Be at rest in Jesus. This truth is good news. We are not meant to work all week, just looking forward to a day off and calling that our Sabbath. If we have not learned to rest in Him as we work, our days off won’t provide the kind of rest we need. Take the day off to enjoy God, His creation, and your family, knowing that His presence and peace are with you even when you work.
