Speaking of the Sabbath…
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Early in his ministry, Jesus proclaims the paradigm shift required upon his coming. New wine is for fresh wineskins, not old (Mark 2:22). Made available by Christ’s perfect sacrifice, this new covenant is based on the transformative law of Christ in our hearts, not the Mosaic Law. Soon after, by his divine authority, Jesus declares himself Lord of the Sabbath (v.28). But what does this mean for us as Christians living in the new covenant based on faith rather than law?
WHAT THE SABBATH IS NOT
Some would claim that the Christian Sunday replaces the Sabbath, but is that what God’s word tells us? The origins of Sunday worship are largely unknown and debated. John’s mentioning of the Lord’s Day (Rev 1:10) shows us that the church’s worship gatherings were on Sundays, and it is widely accepted that early Christians chose Sunday as their day to break bread (take communion) because Christ resurrected on the “first day of the week.” But the Jerusalem church continued their observance of the Sabbath in addition to the Sunday worship gathering. The fact that the early church recognized the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day as separate shows us that they did not equate the two. Furthermore, Sunday was a workday. It was not until Constantine’s legislation in 321 A.D. that Sunday became a free day. Up to this point, Sunday could not have been associated with a day of “rest” because the church gathered in the evening, after a full day of work. Due to Constantine’s decree though, mandatory rest from work developed in the seventh century. This, in addition to Augustine’s idea that the Ten Commandments were still binding on Christians, led to the first Sabbath Transference by Aquinas. Until Aquinas (13th century), we have no record of anyone equating Sunday with the Sabbath. Thus, the idea that Sunday, or the Lord’s Day, is the “Christian Sabbath” is simply not found in God’s word.
PAUL’S PERSPECTIVE OF SABBATH OBSERVANCE
As aforementioned, some in the early church continued observing the Sabbath according to the Mosaic Law. Paul’s reactions to this are varied. In Galatians, Paul seems to reject this practice, but this is not the case. Instead, Paul sees the Galatians’ observance of the Sabbath as a retrograde step in their faith because they were falling victim to the Judaizer’s heresy. This heresy claimed that Christians were required to abide by the Mosaic Law if they were to be true followers of Christ. So here Paul is not saying that Sabbath observance is wrong; rather, he is condemning those who bind Christians to the Law and works-based justification.
In Colossians we find Paul giving a positive view of Sabbath keeping. The Colossians were not in danger of the Judaizers, but of the Gnostic philosophies creeping into the church. Such persons saw the spiritual as good, and the physical as bad. These deceivers persuaded converts to practice strict asceticism and pass judgment on those who observed various festivals, including the Sabbath. Paul claims that this severe asceticism appears as wisdom but in actuality, contains no power (Col. 2:23). Abstaining from all traditions or disciplines does not necessarily make you a more spiritual person. Similarly, Paul exhorts the Christians in Rome to keep from passing judgment on other believers: “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind…” (14:5).
For Paul, the issue was not whether or not to observe the Sabbath – it was how to accomplish peace and mutual up building in the kingdom of God. Paul saw himself as completely free from the law, yet he may have continued observing the Sabbath (Acts 21:26; 23:6; 25:8, 10; 26:5; 28:17). For Paul the Sabbath in its essence was simply a shadow of the true substance, Christ. Furthermore, if Paul did practice the Sabbath, it was due to his Jewish heritage and a desire to reach devout Jews (1 Cor 9:19-23). If Paul knew that modern-day gentile Christians attempted to practice the Sabbath (not that they should be considered synonymous, since Christian attempts at a Sabbath are a far cry from Jewish regulations) for other reasons than these, he would assuredly be perplexed.
CHRIST AS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE SABBATH IN REDEMPTION
Our understanding of the Sabbath cannot stop at observance of physical rest. This would be to miss the entire narrative of redemption. Christ came as the fulfillment of the Sabbath; he claimed that we who labor and are heavy laden could find rest in him (Matt. 11:28-30). The physical rest that God’s people experienced in Sabbath observance served as an indicator of the need for future spiritual rest fulfilled in Christ. Hebrews connects the Sabbath to eschatological rest (ultimate and final rest at the consummation of the kingdom of God). When God rested on the seventh day, it established the rest that we as humanity were to share with our Creator. But due to sin entering humanity, the Law could not provide the rest we needed – only expose it. The physical rest of the Sabbath symbolized the ultimate rest we have in Christ by faith. This faith is not a momentary conversion but a life of belief in the hope of the gospel that is unseen (Heb. 11:1). Therefore, continually putting our faith in Jesus as our Sabbath rest means that we rest from our works, just like God did at creation (Heb 4:10), and trust in the work of Christ as our justification, sanctification, and ultimately our redemption. One day, we will participate with God in his Sabbath rest in the new heavens and earth.
HOW WE REST IN JESUS AS THE SABBATH
Jesus is our true and ultimate Sabbath rest, the substance of the shadow of Sabbath regulations. But this spiritual understanding of the Sabbath does not negate our human need for physical rest. In Mark 6:31 we see Jesus physically separate from the crowd in order to rest by spending time praying to His Father. Taking regular time away from busy schedules can actually serve as a way to acknowledge that it is not our own works but Christ’s work that determines our true identity. This is important to grasp in a culture where workaholics are praised and respected. We as Christians should be able to work unto the Lord as a means of worship, not an end and idol in which to find our purpose. Moreover, our society has already granted us two days of rest from vocational work. Yet, we often fill weekends with endless activities and entertainment. With more hours to rest than many other cultures, it is clear that we willingly choose to race on this work-leisure hamster wheel. Christians should be distinguished for their ability to step off the endless chase that the “work hard, play hard” mentality produces, and restfully worship God in all things. Let us look to Christ as the author and finisher of our faith who will bring us to ultimate rest in the new heavens and earth. Let us strive to enter the rest available to us in this life with perseverance (Heb 4:9,11), as the Heidelberg Catechism states, “…that all the days of my life I rest from my evil works, let the Lord work in me by his Holy Spirit, and thus begin in this life the eternal Sabbath.”
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