Should Christians Work on the Sabbath?Smakprov

The Intent of the Sabbath

Then he [Jesus] said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28

Unfortunately, the Pharisees had a legalistic view of the Sabbath, but Jesus revealed the real purpose or intent of the Sabbath: The Sabbath was for man – not man for the Sabbath. Jesus Christ is Lord, or Master, even over the Sabbath; the Sabbath is not master over Him.

Throughout the Old Testament, the Sabbath is a reflection back to Genesis 2:2 when God finished His work of creation and rested. How much more, for us as New Testament Christians, are we to stop and reflect on the finished work of our new creation in Christ? (2 Cor 5:17) The Sabbath is a day for us to live out the greatest laws of all: to love the Lord our God with all we’ve got and love the people around us as much as we love ourselves. 

The Sabbath is a routine “holy day” - from which we get the English word “holiday” - or a day set apart for us to reflect on the most important things in life – our relationship with God, our family, and our friends.

According to the Pharisees, Jesus and his disciples did various kinds of unlawful “work” on the Sabbath from plucking heads of grain to healing various illnesses. If you look, you’ll see that Jesus and his disciples were doing the very thing the Sabbath was intended for - growing in their relationship with the Lord and spending time with your family and friends to grow in those relationships too. 

To me, a modern-day explanation of the Sabbath is that it’s about stepping away from the things that hold our thoughts ‘hostage’ all week, taking deliberate time to rest and recover so that we’re able to better honor God in our work and relationships during the upcoming week.