Jesus claimed that God gave the Sabbath as a gift. Many Bible scholars, however, think it also means that instead of working all seven days of the week, God gave us each one day out of seven to rest and recuperate—to enjoy free time with family and friends.
So why would Jesus say such a thing? The point isn’t about legalism or “what” you’re doing with your time but rather regarding how we treat others when we are at ease: As equals, rather than as inferiors who do not deserve to take time away from being productive members of society.
Formalism is not to be practiced on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees were self-righteous, hypocritical, and legalistic. They took the idea of Sabbath observance and made it into a rigid system—a system that Jesus was critical of.
In this case, it would be considered stealing if you took one of those bundles because its owner wasn’t present to give permission. But in another case (Lev 19:19), something like that is allowed because people are allowed to glean after the harvesters have passed through their fields without asking permission first…etc etc
We can miss the point of the Sabbath if we focus on the wrong things.
First, we should keep in mind that the Sabbath is a day of rest. He created us and all that is around us; therefore, we need to honor Him by resting one day out of every seven.
Second, we are constantly reminded by God through His word how much He loves us and how much He cares about our well-being. Therefore, it’s important to remember what He has done for us every week so we can “rest” from our daily stresses and focus on Him instead!
Finally, although many Christians choose not to observe Saturday as their Sabbath observance (they instead follow Sunday as their weekly day of rest), I believe there is something powerful about having one specific day during which you dedicate yourself solely towards worshiping your Creator… even if it isn’t necessarily Saturday!
We should apply Jesus’ words to the Sabbath to our lives today.
We should apply Jesus’ words to the Sabbath to our lives today. Here are some ways you can do this:
- The Sabbath is a day of rest and joy, not legalism. Instead of focusing on trivial things like how many times you get up from your chair or how long you read your Bible on Sunday morning, focus on what matters most: spending time with God in prayer and worship, meeting with other believers, and sharing the Gospel message with those who need it most—and resting!
- You don’t have to do everything at once! If something doesn’t make sense for your life right now, then don’t worry about it—start small instead (like resting one day a week). Maybe after practicing this for awhile and seeing its benefit in your life as well as others’, then try something else new like spending more time reading the Bible or going on missions trips together as a family. Point being: whatever feels good for YOU!
The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.
A good place to start for applying Jesus’ words about the Sabbath to your life today would be meeting together with other believers, not being legalistic in your application of it, and remembering the purpose behind the fourth commandment (focusing on God).
Conclusion
Jesus’ teaching clearly demonstrates that he regarded the Sabbath as a time of rest and worship. He also felt that the Jewish leaders of his day had wrongly put too much emphasis on human traditions rather than following God’s commands. He was not afraid to point out their mistakes, and he wasn’t afraid to break their rules in the event that they were wrong.