Blessings of the Sabbath

Memory Verse: Mark 2:27 “And He said unto them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

Today we continue our lesson on the Sabbath with how Jesus kept the Sabbath.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-27; Luke 6:1-5 1” At about that time Jesus was walking through some grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. 2 But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.” 3 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. 5 And haven’t you read in the Law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? 6 I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! 7 But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Mark 3:1-4, Luke 6:6-11; Matt 12:9-14; Luke 14:1-6; John 5:1-21; John 9:1-25 1”Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. 2 Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” 4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him. 5 He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 6 At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.”

Luke 13:10-17 10 “One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God! 14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.” 15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’ t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?” 17 This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did."

Jesus was showing that doing good is not breaking the Sabbath. The priests and Levites had put so many burdens on the Sabbath that it was not a day of rest for the people. It had become a burden to them. They were forbidden to tie or untie a knot, to cook, to write more than one letter of the alphabet, to carry of any kind of burden, or do any other kind of activity that might be considered as work. They were forbidden to start a fire or extinguish a fire and they forbade travel of more than 2000 cubits – about 4,000 ft. -- beyond their home.

Jesus said “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” The Pharisees taught that man was made for the Sabbath – that the Sabbath was made only for Israel and that Israel was made for the Sabbath so that the Lord would have someone on earth to keep the Sabbath. But Jesus said the Sabbath was made FOR man. The religious leaders considered this a direct affront to their authority over the people— particularly because it broke the rules they had set up for the Sabbath – rules like the “mortal danger” rule that said that there were some things you could do on the Sabbath only in life-or-death cases. You could save someone whose life was in danger. But, you could not heal a chronically ill person on the Sabbath. That would have to wait for another day. Jesus healed on the Sabbath in contrast to their imposed “rule”. By claiming to be Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus challenged their spiritual authority over the people. That is the main thing that led to their opposition to Him and their conspiring to kill Him, which led to His arrest, false conviction, crucifixion and death on the cross.

The Sabbath provides rest for our souls

Matthew 11:28-29 28”Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

He was telling them the Sabbath was to be a day they could rest and enjoy – a respite from the drudgery of day-to-day life.

Jesus freed a man from possession by a demon on the Sabbath

Mark 1:21-27; Luke 4:31-37 21” Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law. 23 Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting, 24 “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One sent from God!” 25 Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. 26 At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. 27 Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!” 28 The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee.”

Jesus taught on the Sabbath.

Matthew 4:23 & 9:35 “23Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.”

Mark 6:1-2, 14-16 1”Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?”

14 “Then Jesus returned to Galilee filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.“

The Early Church kept the Sabbath. His disciples taught on the Sabbath after His death, resurrection and ascension.

Acts 13:13-16 13 “Paul and his companions then left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. 15 After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.” 16 So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking.”

Acts 16:13 “On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there.”

Acts 17:2 “As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people.”

Acts 18:4 “Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike.”

We can see from this that Jesus kept the Sabbath and so did the early church. Jesus set the pattern and example for our lives. The men that came after Him – those that were with Him on the earth – lived the example that Jesus set while He was on the earth. We should be living the example that Jesus set while He was on the earth. We should be loving and caring toward others. We should pray. We should establish and maintain a relationship with our Creator/Savior. We should honor God and show Him our love by keeping His commandments, Sabbaths and Holy Days. We should be doing these things not because they are required of us, but because we love Him and know these things will please Him. Keeping these days does not save us. They show God how much we love Him. Only Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself on the cross saves us. Only His resurrection from the dead shows us that we too can have eternal life with Him. These things cannot be earned by anything we say or do.

We should keep the Sabbath holy as He did – by following His pattern and example. He treated it as a special day, separate from the rest of the week. He healed – did good toward others. He fellowshipped with other believers. He used the day to learn and to teach others about God.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. He created it. He kept it. He honored it. It is God’s special day. It points to God as the one and only Creator God. Without the Sabbath we would have no set day of rest. Without the Sabbath we would not know God as the one and only Creator God.

Exodus 20:11 ”For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

How do you keep the Sabbath? Is there anything you do that separates it from the rest of the week? Do you have any special family traditions or a special meal or something else you or your family does that separates the Sabbath from the rest of the week and makes it special for you? Keeping the Sabbath will set you apart from the rest of the world – it can’t be hidden.

What things can you suggest that will make the Sabbath a special day for you and your family? What family or personal traditions would you like to develop that would make the Sabbath something to look forward to – something wonderful – something special.

The Sabbath is a true blessing in your life. Make it special. Make it memorable. Keep it holy.

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