WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY ABOUT THE SABBATH? (PART TWO)

 Friday, January 6, 2017

WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD SAY ABOUT THE SABBATH? (PART TWO)

Why did the Lord Jesus enter the Synagogue on Saturday, the “Sabbath”?

Before I begin to explain why Jesus entered the Synagogue, it is good to briefly understand the meaning of a Synagogue.

A Synagogue is a Jewish religious and community house mainly used for prayer. The word “Synagogue” comes from the Greek word συναγωγή (synagoge), meaning “assembly”; it is the translation of the Hebrew word בית כנסת (beit knesset), meaning “house of assembly.”

Jews also use the Yiddish word shul (= school) to refer to the Synagogue.

Now then, after understanding the meaning of Synagogue, you will not be surprised that Jews were the users of these Synagogues and entered them on the seventh day, the “Sabbath,” to pray or to study—“school,” as the word is pronounced in Yiddish.

Therefore, it was not strange or astonishing when we read that the Lord Jesus entered the Synagogues to teach the Jews about the Kingdom of Heaven. Luke 4:16 – When He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, on the Sabbath day (Saturday) He went into the Synagogue, as was His custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.”

Now, when Seventh-day Adventists read that verse, they immediately claim that Jesus kept the Sabbath because He entered the Synagogue on the seventh day of the week = Saturday. But these claims hold no weight; they are weak arguments. Entering the Synagogue on Saturday does not make someone a Sabbath keeper.

This claim of entering the Synagogue I can compare to the claim of Muslims, who argue that since Jesus entered the Synagogue, therefore Jesus was a Muslim. Muslims claim that a Synagogue is a Mosque, so if you enter a Synagogue, you are a Muslim. On the other hand, Adventists claim that since Jesus entered the Synagogue on Saturday, therefore Jesus was a Sabbath keeper. Both arguments—by Muslims and by Adventists—are weak.

The early Christians did not use Synagogues in their worship. That is why our Lord Jesus Christ said this: For example, after cleansing a man full of leprosy, Jesus told him, “Tell no one, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” (Luke 5:14). These words indicate that when Jesus performed this miracle, He was not in a Synagogue; hence He told the man, “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

This is a spiritual period, and it continues even today. This is the time of resting from sinful works of the flesh—that is, ceasing from sin and living by depending on Christ. It is the life of faith.

It is written: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28), meaning, I will give you “Sabbath.” That is also why Scripture says: “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:8). The Sabbath is in Him, not in a day.

It is a life of surrendering into the hands of God, who takes care of everything in our lives. Our work is only to believe that He will do it; and indeed, He does. That is the rest! That is the peace! That is the true Sabbath!

THE SABBATH IS NOT A DAY

There is enough evidence in the Bible showing that the Sabbath is not merely a day in the week. When the Lord speaks about the journey of the Israelites, He says:

“That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray … they shall never enter My rest.’” (Hebrews 3:10-11).

It is also written: “And yet on the seventh day God rested from all His works … and again in the passage above He says, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’” (Hebrews 4:4-5).

In these passages, God says that because of the rebellion of the Israelites in the wilderness, He decided they would not enter the rest He had prepared for them. The word “rest” here—sabbath—is the same concept. That is why in Hebrews 4:4-5, the seventh day is linked to entering His rest.

But let us ask ourselves some questions to go deeper:

• When Israel was in the wilderness, were they not keeping the Sabbath as a day? Yes, they were. The Bible says: “On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, ‘This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.’” (Exodus 16:22-23).

• If they were keeping the Sabbath, then why did God still say, “They shall never enter My rest”? If you asked God, you might say, “Lord, how can You say they won’t enter Your rest while they rest every seventh day?” This is clear proof that the true Sabbath is not just about physical rest on the seventh day. There is a deeper Sabbath that the seventh day only foreshadowed.

• Furthermore, although those who disobeyed perished in the wilderness, others entered the land—their children. Did they then receive that rest (the true Sabbath)?

Some may say yes, because even in Jesus’ time, He often taught in Synagogues on the Sabbath. But Paul’s teaching makes it clear: keeping the Sabbath day is not the true rest of God.

Paul warns in Colossians 2:16-17: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration, or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”

He begins this by saying, “Therefore.” Why? Because in verses 14–15, he explains: “(Jesus) canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. He set it aside, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

There were religious people—especially as we read in Acts and Galatians—who wanted Christians to live under the law, keeping external things such as circumcision or Sabbath days. Paul warns: Do not let them pull you back under the law!

Even today, Adventists judge Christians for not keeping the Sabbath day. Paul warned against such religious legalism.

Our salvation as Christians is in Jesus Christ—not in keeping Moses’ law. The Sabbath day itself has no power over your life. Jesus is the Creator of the seventh day, and He is Lord over it.

Paul even rebuked the Galatians strongly, saying: “You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.” (Galatians 4:9–10).

And again in Romans 8:3-4: “For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Therefore, Paul insists: do not let anyone judge you concerning food, drink, festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths.

The Gospel of Christ is higher than the Law of Moses. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17).

WHY DID JESUS “BREAK” THE SABBATH?

• Example 1: Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years and told him, “Pick up your mat and walk.” (John 5:8). This was on the Sabbath. When the Jews saw him carrying his mat, they said, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” (John 5:10). By their interpretation, Jesus had broken the Sabbath.

• Example 2: When accused, Jesus replied, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17). By saying this, Jesus clearly rejected the legalistic Sabbath restriction.

• Example 3: Jesus healed a woman who had been crippled by a spirit. The Synagogue leader said: “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” (Luke 13:14). Again, by their interpretation, Jesus had broken the Sabbath.

So why did Jesus do these things on the Sabbath? Because the Sabbath is not a mere day. If it were only about ceasing from physical work, Jesus would have been guilty. But because the true Sabbath means rest in Him, He demonstrated that healing, saving, and restoring people is the true meaning of Sabbath.

I end part two with this question: Is it wrong to worship on Saturday, the Sabbath?

DON’T MISS PART THREE – Why did the Pharisees accuse Jesus of letting His disciples break the law of Moses by breaking the Sabbath? (Mark 2:23-28). But how did the Lord Jesus respond? ……………………………..

I am Max Shimba, servant of Jesus Christ.
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