Why Do Christians Not Keep The Sabbath Today?
I touched on the 4th command, which is “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” during yesterday’s sermon. A common question regarding this command is, “Why don’t Christians keep this Sabbath command like the Old Testament Jews did?” I thought it might be helpful to give a more detailed answer to this question than I did in the message. I am going to give a couple of introductory thoughts and then nine reasons why we primarily practice corporate worship on Sunday as a celebration of the Lord’s Day instead of keeping the Sabbath on Saturday. Of course, we are to worship God every day. Also, this is not an area to be dogmatic and judgmental about (Romans 14:5-6). We must also remember Mark 2:27-28, where Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” So, here are the nine reasons.
(1) The Sabbath is for the Jews (Exodus 31:12-17) while the Lord’s Day is for Christians. Exodus 31:13 makes it very clear that the Sabbath is for the Children of Israel. It is different for the Church.
(2) Jews worshipped in the Synagogue on Saturday while Christians worshipped in the church on Sunday. The Sabbath is the symbol for the Jews and the cross is the symbol of Christianity. Jesus was raised from the dead on Sunday, and Christians commemorate that event when gathering to worship. Also, the Lord’s Supper replaced the Old Testament observance of Passover, and the high priesthood of Christ replaced the priesthood of Aaron.
(3) The Sabbath celebrates God’s creation of the world (Exodus 20:8-11) while the Lord’s Day celebrates Jesus’ redemption of the world.
(4) The New Testament pictures the disciples meeting together on the 1st and 2nd Lord’s Days after the Resurrection (John 20:19, 26), the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost which would have been a Sunday (Acts 2:1), the disciples at Troas gathered for worship (preaching and Communion) on Sunday [Acts 20:7-12], Paul commanded the church at Corinth to take an offering on the 1st day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:2), and the Lord spoke to John on the Lord’s Day (Revelation 1:10).
(5) We are not to judge someone about observing the Sabbath because it is just a shadow (picture) but the substance (reality) is Christ (Col. 2:16-17) so keeping the Sabbath does not apply to Christians.
(6) The Sabbath is connected to the ceremonial law and the sacrificial system which does not apply to Christians because of being fulfilled by Christ (Book of Hebrews, Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 28:9-10)
(7) It also is part of the national Law of Israel. We are not capable of doing some of the things commanded in their law because our laws are different today. It is not consistent to partially observe what the Bible teaches about the Sabbath and claim to be biblical.
(8) It is the only one of the 10 commandments that is not repeated in the New Testament. Thus, I believe it is not part of the moral law of God but the ceremonial law and national law of Israel.
(9) It is sometimes argued that this change was instituted by the Roman Catholic Church. However, there is historical evidence that indicates otherwise. Gleason Archer shares from the Syriac The Teaching of the Apostles, which dates to the second half of the third century. It relates, “The Apostles further appointed: On the first day of the week let there be service and the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and the oblation: because on the first day of the week our Lord rose from the dead, and on the first day of the week He ascended up to heaven.”
Hi Pastor Jimmy, I hope you are well. I was made privy to this article of yours, and decided to put to you for scrutiny a study that I have recently embarked on (I put it to my own church 2 weeks ago, but haven’t heard back yet). It’s rather long as a comment; not sure if all will make it here or not, but I will try to paste it in. This is my own original composition (there’s a “part 2” as well), and I’m simply requesting that you might tell me where my theology is incorrect. Thank you and God bless.
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A serious study of the Sabbath certainly also pertains to Christ’s resurrection, and to “Easter”. If nothing else, to address certain justifications given as to why Sunday should be suitable as a “replacement” Sabbath day.
But this article is not going to focus on that angle, but rather just the celebration of Christ’s resurrection in general, and on which day that resurrection occurred. The Old Testament is a necessary guide.
Reading in Leviticus, one comes to chapter 23. In verse 5, it states “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even[ing] is the LORD’S passover.” For simplicity, let’s refer to this as Nisan 14 6pm.
In verses 6-7, it reads “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD….In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.”
Again, for simplicity, let’s refer to this as Nisan 15 6pm. We can see that this is a “high Sabbath” feast day, and is treated the same as regular Sabbath days regarding work. We know it commences in the evening (~6pm), using 23:32 for clarification (…at even[ing], from even[ing] unto even[ing], shall ye celebrate your sabbath).
*Therefore, we know Passover starts at Nisan 14 6pm and the high Sabbath feast of unleavened bread begins at Nisan 15 6pm. Let’s look in the New Testament now.
Matthew 26:17 reads “Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread [Nisan 15] the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover [Nisan 14].”
An immediate problem with this should be apparent. How can Nisan 15 come before Nisan 14?
Seeking clarification from the original Greek via Strong’s Concordance, we find that the word first can mean “before” but also “principal or chief”. So the real meaning could be either of the following: Now before the first day of the feast of unleavened bread… or Now the principal day [the passover] of the feast of unleavened bread…This would make sense, because we see in the immediately following verses (Matthew 26:18-20) that Jesus’ disciples prepared the passover meal for him and in the evening (Nisan 14 6pm) they all say down to eat together.
With this established, it becomes easily deduced that Jesus was crucified the next day on Nisan 15 and died around 3pm. The high Sabbath of the feast of unleavened bread was to begin in only a matter of hours at 6pm, explaining why there was such urgency in handling Christ’s body.
In Mark 15:42 it reads “And now when the even[ing] was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath…” we see Joseph of Arimathaea scrambling to prepare Jesus’ body to be entombed before the dawn of the following morning, Nisan 16, since doing work on that high Sabbath day was explicitly forbidden. We also get the sense that preparatory work for the feast was permitted the evening of Nisan 15.
Luke 23:54 says as much regarding Joseph’s rushed handling of Jesus’ body, “And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.”
John 19:31 confirms this truth: “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”
Biblical precedent for this being established in Deuteronomy 16:4: “neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day [of unleavened bread, Nisan 15] at even[ing], remain all night until the morning
This means that from Nisan 15 6pm to Nisan 16 it would have been impermissible for Jesus to remain on the cross, due to the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, which was a high Sabbath day, and whereon (after the Nisan 15 evening feast preparation) it would have been unlawful to work. Therefore, Joseph rushed to prepare Jesus for the tomb.
Returning to Mark, I believe this is a passage that may have caused some of the confusion/inconsistencies regarding the amount of time that passed between Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Mark 16:1 reads “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.” We now see specifically that this means the first day of unleavened bread, or Nisan 15 6pm to Nisan 16 6pm, had passed. Technically, this passage could refer to an event happening the night of Nisan 16 after 6pm, but since they were buying, it most likely means after the dawn of Nisan 17 during standard hours of commerce.
Therefore I think Mark 16:1 can confidently be read like this: On Nisan 17, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
BUT!
This does not mean that they did come to annoint Jesus in His tomb on Nisan 17, merely that they bought the spices on this day.
The next verse (16:2) makes it very tempting to read it as all happening on the same day, but nowhere does it say that. 16:2 reads “And very early in the morning the first day of the week they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.” It really wouldn’t make sense to be happening all on the same day, since they most likely wouldn’t (or couldn’t) have bought the spices at nighttime of Nisan 16, and couldn’t have bought them before dawn Nisan 17; remember, they came to the tomb before or around dawn. Therefore I think it is safe to conclude that Nisan 17 is NOT the day that the two Marys came to anoint Christ, and therefore nor the day of His resurrection.
Now for the very contentious part, although easily resolved. In every book (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, 20:1) it reads the same way in the KJV: “The first day of the week…”
Have you ever used Strong’s to see why the word “day” is italicized in every case? Because it wasn’t part of the original Greek. In fact, did you know that when using Strong’s, you will discover that the words “day of the week” are all connected as a unified phrase, in every case, and are derived from a single Greek word?
Do you know what that Greek word is?
Sabbaton. Or Sabbath.
The Hebrew/Jewish Sabbath was never, ever, the first day of the week (Sunday). It was always, and forever, Saturday.
Jesus Christ, who was crucified on the Passover of Nisan 15, was resurrected on God’s most holy day, the Sabbath, Saturday Nisan 18. It is all staring at us right there in the Bible, with exception of the mistranslations (more on that at the bottom).
Elementary math reveals that 18-15=3, but let’s break it down more specifically:
Nisan 14 (Tuesday 6pm)- Passover feast commences
Nisan 15 (Wednesday 3pm)- Christ dies on cross
Nisan 15 (Wednesday 6pm-6am)- Christ’s body entombed *Night 1
Nisan 16 (Thursday 6am-6pm) *Day 1
Nisan 16 (Thursday 6pm-6am) *Night 2
Nisan 17 (Friday 6am-6pm) *Day 2
Nisan 17 (Friday 6pm-6am) *Night 3
Nisan 18 (Saturday ~6am) Christ’s resurrection * Day 3
Here are relevant scriptures for Christ being raised on the third day:
Matthew 17:23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again.
Matthew 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Luke 18:33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
Luke 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Acts 10:40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
1Cor 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Christ himself told us in Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Christians still promulgating the idea that Christ was crucified on a Friday afternoon and raised on a Sunday morning need to reconsider the implicit mathematics given in Scripture.
So, now that we can see that Christ was crucified on Nisan 15 and resurrected on Nisan 18, shouldn’t we want to put Him in remembrance on these two very important days? Of course we should.
And for 2017, those days are April 11 and April 14, respectively. (Although you may wish to check the local time in Israel for the exact time of commencement in your time zone).