Why do we observe Sabbath?

Sabbath

The Assembly of Yahusha observes the Sabbath because our King Yahusha is the Lord of the Sabbath and that Sabbath was made for man:

Mark 2:27–28 (NKJV) — 27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

The Greek word for Lord is kyrios which means supreme in authority. Being Lord of the Sabbath does not mean that Yahusha has abolished the Sabbath. Instead, it tells us that Yahusha has the power to decide about things related to the Sabbath. This makes sense given the context of this statement. Yahusha was criticized for allowing His disciples to pluck the heads of grain on the Sabbath:

Mark 2:23–24 (NKJV) — 23 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

The Pharisees regarded plucking the heads of grain to be a type of work that is not allowed on the Sabbath. However, there is no Biblical teaching that forbids a person from plucking the heads of grain on the Sabbath. Such a prohibition on Sabbath observance, among many other prohibitions, was added by the Jews according to their own manmade rules and not based on the Torah. These manmade rules were what Yahusha called leaven (Matthew 16:6-12). In response to the Pharisees for their accusation that His disciples were breaking Sabbath, He said the following:

Mark 2:25–26 (NKJV) — 25 But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”

In responding to the Pharisees, Yahusha gives the example of the law which states that only the priests are entitled to eat them. When David ate the showbread when he was in need and hungry, it might appear that there is a violation of the law.

However, what many do not understand is that for many of Yahuah’s laws, different circumstances require an elder or a priest to apply the concept of binding and loosing to determine, given the circumstances, if a law applies (binding) and when the law does not apply (loosing). In the case of David, who was hungry and in need of food, the law of God (is loosed) allows him to eat the showbread because of his specific circumstance.

Yahusha used this illustration to highlight the Pharisees’ ignorance of what works are allowed and not allowed on the Sabbath. Yahusha concludes that He is the Lord or the authority about all matters concerning the Sabbath and that the Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:27-28). If Yahusha has abolished the Sabbath, He should have said so. Yahusha did not say:

“You can eat the plucked grains from now on because I abolished the Sabbath”
“I am the Sabbath, therefore you don’t need to observe it.”
“I have abolished the Sabbath and it is no longer binding.”
“All the 10 Commandments still apply except for the Sabbath.”

What our King said is “I am the Lord of the Sabbath.” If we want to properly observe the Sabbath we must seek His teachings about it, and dismiss the “leaven” that the Pharisees teach about Sabbath observance. An example of the leaven of the Pharisees applied to the observance of Sabbath can be gleaned in the following excerpt:

"The prohibition regarding writing on the sabbath was further defined as follows: 'He who writes two letters with his right or his left hand, whether of one kind [of letter] or of two kinds, . . . is guilty. He even who should from forgetfulness write two letters is guilty . . . Also he who writes on two walls which form an angle, or on the two tablets of his account-book, so that they can be read together, is guilty" (1967, "Sabbath," p. 736).

According to the Jewish (not Torah) law as preached by the Pharisees, it was not allowed to write two letters on Sabbath. No such prohibition can be found in Torah. This is an example of leaven, or manmade prohibitions, that turn the Sabbath into burden rather than a blessing. Another such manmade prohibition is Pharisaic teaching that it is not lawful to heal on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9). But this is what our King said in rebuttal:

Matthew 12:11–12 (NKJV) — 11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

After giving the example of lifting out a sheep after falling into a pit on Sabbath, Yahusha concluded, “Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Does that sound like Yahusha is abolishing the Sabbath? No, it proves that Yahusha never abolished the Sabbath but taught how it can be rightfully observed.

Yahusha did not preach against the Sabbath, He preached against the Pharisees’ erroneous understanding and application of the Sabbath. The Pharisees made the Sabbath a burden; Yahusha RESTORED Sabbath back to being a blessing as was originally intended. Hence, as Lord of the Sabbath, He said, “Sabbath was made for man.” Would He say that if He has abolished it? Of course not. He said that because the Sabbath from the very beginning was meant to be a blessing and a benefit for man.

Was the Sabbath given only to the Jews?

The 10 Commandments, which includes the observance of Sabbath, was initially given to the Israelites, the chosen people of God. However, Yahuah’s intent for His people Israel was to be a blessing to all nations by modeling for them the holiness of Yahuah and teaching them the 10 Commandments (Genesis 12:1-3,Exodus 19:6, Deuteronomy 4:6, Isaiah 49:6, Psalm 67:1-7). The people of the nations who would be converted to Israel’s religions were required to observe the same Law:

Numbers 15:15–16 (NLT)* — 15 Native-born Israelites and foreigners are equal before jwjy and are subject to the same decrees. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. 16 The same instructions and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigners living among you.”

It was Yahuah’s intent from the beginning that all people would worship Him and follow His Commandments. He chose the Israelites to be His messengers to the world giving them the light of God’s commandments for their blessing. Unfortunately, Israel was not loyal to Yahuah and rebelled against Him. Consequently, Israel today no longer represents the true people of God. However, through Yahusha, people can still receive the heritage and blessings of Israel, including the covenants:

Ephesians 2:12–13 (NLT) — 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ oswjy. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

The Apostle Paul confirms that a person, whether Jew or Gentile, can now be included in the covenant promises of God that He made with Israel. This means that those who unite themselves to Christ are now Israel (Romans 9:6). Since they are Israel, one cannot make the argument that the 10 Commandments, including the Sabbath, no longer apply to them.

Furthermore, the Sabbath was not made just for the Israelites, but for all human beings. Our King, the Lord of the Sabbath, confirms:

Mark 2:27–28 (NKJV) — 27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Yahusha said, “The Sabbath was made for man”. He did not say the Sabbath was made only for Israel. The Greek word translated as “man” is “anthropos” which means all human beings.

Did Yahusha break the Sabbath according to John 9?

Those who reject the observance of the Sabbath today often point to John 9:16 as proof text that Yahusha has abolished the Sabbath. This is what John 9:16 says:

John 9:16 (NKJV) — 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

Here the Bible says “He (Yahusha) does not keep the Sabbath.” Although the Bible says that Yahusha does not keep the Sabbath, it would be erroneous to conclude that Yahusha has abolished the Biblical Sabbath. Notice that it was the Pharisees who accused Yahusha of not keeping the Sabbath. They made this conclusion because according to the law of the Pharisees, it is unlawful to heal on the Sabbath, which is what Yahusha did by healing the blind man (John 9:13-15). The Pharisees have imposed prohibitions on the Sabbath that the Torah has never prescribed. According to Jewish tradition here are some activities prohibited on Sabbath:

The Mishnah lists 39 major types of labors forbidden on the Sabbath day (Shabbath 7. 2, Soncino ed. of the Talmud, pp. 348, 349). The first 11 of these were steps in the preparation of bread: sowing, plowing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, selecting, grinding, sifting, kneading, and baking. The next 12 apply to the preparation of clothing, from the shearing of sheep to the sewing of cloth. These laws are followed by 7 steps in preparing the corpse of a deer for use as food or for leather. The remaining items deal with writing, building, kindling and putting out fires, and carriage of things from one location to another.

In addition to these major regulations, there were countless other provisions concerning the observance of the Sabbath. The most known is the “sabbath day’s journey” of 2,000 cu.— somewhat less than 2/3 mi. It was also counted as Sabbath-breaking to look in a mirror fixed to the wall (Shabbath 149a, Soncino ed. of the Talmud, p. 759), or even to light a candle.

Did Yahusha and the Apostles ever teach us to observe the Sabbath?

The observance of the Sabbath was regularly practiced in Israel during the first century. To teach that the Sabbath should be observed would be to teach the plain and obvious. It would be like teaching that the sky is blue. Nevertheless, Yahusha and His Apostles did preach about and regularly observed the Sabbath.

Yahusha never deviated from His observance of the Sabbath (Luke 4:16) and regularly went to the synagogue for a convocation. Certainly, Yahusha did not practice the Sabbath of the Pharisees and consistently criticized them for adding prohibitions to the observance of the Sabbath. For example, the Pharisees forbid the following on Sabbath: plucking heads of grain to eat (Matt 12:1); healing a person (Lk 13:14); carrying your mat (Jn 5:10); putting mud in your eyes (Jn 9:14). Yahusha rejected these man-made prohibitions, which turn the Sabbath into a burden.

Instead, Yahusha proclaimed that these works are lawful on Sabbath: works that preserve life (Matt 12:4); works of worshipping Yahuah (Matt 12:5); works of showing mercy (Matt 12:7); works of doing good (Matt 12:12); works of meeting together for fellowship and worship (Lk 4:16). One of the purposes of Sabbath is the removal of burdens that prevent the experience of rest and refreshment (Exodus 23:12). This is the Sabbath that Yahusha preached and practiced, because it fulfilled its purpose: to serve as a blessing for man.

Similarly, the disciples and Apostles of Yahusha continued to observe and proclaim the Sabbath. For example, after the death of Yahusha, those who were deeply involved in the ministry of Yahusha did the following:

Luke 23:55-56 (NKJV)
55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

Those who were very close to our King throughout His ministry never abandoned the Sabbath but followed it according to the commandments. If Yahusha did abolish the Sabbath, wouldn’t you expect that they would stop observing it? Yet there is no Biblical record that the Apostles and the disciples ever stopped observing the Sabbath. To the contrary, the following Scriptural passages clearly demonstrate that Apostles and followers of Yahusha were committed to the observance of Sabbath: Acts 13:14, Acts 13:42-44, Acts 16:13, Acts 17:2, and Acts 18:4.

The Book of Hebrews also confirms that the observance of the Sabbath remains for the followers of Yahusha. Hebrews 4:8-11 says:

Hebrews 4:8–11 (NIV84) — 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

The Apostle Paul clearly states that there remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God. The Greek word used in verse 9 is sabbatismos which specifically refers to the Sabbath-keeping practice referred to in the 10 Commandments.

Didn’t Apostle Paul say that we should no longer observe the Sabbath in Colossians 2:16?

People who believe that the Sabbath is no longer for applicable to believers of Yahusha often refer to Colossians 2:16-17 as a proof text. Here is the text of the passage:

Colossians 2:16–17 (NKJV) — 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

It should be noted that nowhere in this passage does Apostle Paul prohibit the observance of the Sabbath. But they use this passage to contest against the Sabbath by claiming that since the Sabbath is a shadow of things to come, it was only applicable before the advent of Yahusha. Upon the appearance of Yahusha, the substance that the Sabbath foreshadows, the Sabbath vanishes away.

However, the context of Colossians 2 argues against such an interpretation. Apostle Paul is giving admonition to the believers in Colosse because apparently, there are those who are “judging” how they are fulfilling their religious practices. The TEV translation sheds light on this:

Colossians 2:16 (GNB) — 16 So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath.

Apostle Paul was reminding believers that they should not allow certain people to impose their man-made rules on how to observe the Sabbath. These people who are imposing their own man-made rules were those who claimed to be superior because of their special visions, false humility, and the worship of angels (Colossians 2:18). They rely on their human way of thinking instead of holding on to Christ (Colossians 2:18-19). They were using their man-made commandments and their self-imposed religion to regulate how the festivals and the Sabbath should be observed (Colossians 2:2-23). From this context, Apostle Paul was not forbidding the observance of the festivals and the Sabbath.

Instead, he was warning the believers that the proper observance of the Sabbath is through Yahusha, the One the Sabbath foreshadows (Col 2:16-17), and not through man-made traditions. Where can we find the “shadow” that teaches us how to observe the Sabbath? The Old Testament Scriptures which speak of Christ. In other words, the proper way of celebrating the Sabbath is by holding to Yahusha who is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.

Didn’t Apostle Paul forbid the observance of the Sabbath in Galatians 4:9-11?

Another Scriptural passage that people who are against the Sabbath use as proof text is Galatians 4:9-11. Here is the text of the passage:

Galatians 4:9–11 (NKJV) — 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

They claim that believers in Yahusha who continue to observe the Sabbath go back into bondage. That is a very serious claim, but one that is unfounded. First, Apostle Paul does not even identify the Sabbath in this passage. He mentions “You observe days and months and seasons and years” not as a reference to the Sabbath but to practices that are based on “weak and beggarly elements.” Apostle Paul would never associate the Sabbath with “weak and beggarly elements”.

The weak and beggarly elements he referred to were the pagan practices that believers in Galatia used to practice (Galatians 4:8). History records that the Celtic religion prevailed in Galatia during the time of the Apostles. At the heart of this pagan form of worship were Celtic/Druid festivals that were observed on specific days, months, seasons, and years. What Apostle Paul was warning against was not the practice of Sabbath, but returning to these pagan festivals that the converted believers used to uphold.

Should we no longer observe the Sabbath because Yahusha became our Sabbath?

Some suggest that the Sabbath was replaced by a “spiritualized” version of the commandment so that we now keep the Sabbath by resting in Christ. Here are some related claims:

For Christians, every day is a Sabbath Day.
Christ is my Sabbath.
I have already entered God’s rest by being in Yahusha.

While it is true that in Yahusha we find spiritual rest in the present and in the future, the ultimate manifestation of that rest in everlasting life, it does not mean that the practice of the literal Sabbath is abolished. Observing the Sabbath is a way of experiencing the rest of Yahusha in the present while rehearsing for the “eternal rest” the Sabbath points to. This concept is beautifully illustrated by Apostle Paul in Hebrews 4:8-11

The Greek word used in verse 9 is sabbatismos which specifically refers to the literal Sabbath-keeping practice referred to in the 10 Commandments. Apostle Paul states that for the people of God, we can experience rest in the present and hope for a permanent future rest and that this is done by practicing sabbatismos, observing literal Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God. The Anchor Bible states it this way:

The Anchor Bible, pg. 855-856

"The experience of 'sabbath rest' points to a present 'rest' (katapausis) reality in which those 'who have believed are entering' (4:3) and it points to a future 'rest' reality (4:11). Physical sabbath-keeping on the part of the new covenant believer as affirmed by 'sabbath rest' epitomizes cessation from 'works' (4:10) in commemoration of God's rest at creation (4:4 = Gen[esis] 2:2) and manifests faith in the salvation provided by Christ.

"Heb[rews] 4:3-11 affirms that physical 'sabbath rest' (sabbatismos) is the weekly outward manifestation of the inner experience of spiritual rest (katapausis) in which the final . . . rest is . . . experienced already 'today' (4:7). Thus 'sabbath rest' combines in itself creation-commemoration, salvation-experience, and eschaton [end-time]-anticipation as the community of faith moves forward toward the final consummation of total restoration and rest"

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