Not Even a Hint – Remembering the Sabbath, Part 3
Many assume Yeshua has become the Sabbath, and thus they believe they are no longer required to observe the fourth commandment. But does the Bible support such an idea? Did Yeshua ever declare Himself to be the Sabbath?
The Bible says it was Yeshua’s custom to keep the Sabbath day holy (see Luke 4:16). If Yeshua sought to pave the way for the abolition of the Sabbath, why would He have made it a custom to keep it? Truth is, as nice as it may sound, there really is no Scriptural basis for the idea that Yeshua is the Sabbath. Granted, Yeshua said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and weighed down with heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28); but the word for “rest” is not the same word used for the Sabbath. The rest Yeshua was speaking of was “anapauo,” not “shabbath” (Hebrew for Sabbath) or “sabbaton” (Greek for Sabbath). Yeshua wasn’t talking about the fourth commandment here; rather, He was talking about relieving people of burdens brought about as a result of faithless living.
What comes to mind here is 1 Peter 5:6–7, which says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, and He will exalt you in due time. And cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.” By trying to carry our own burdens, we only create more trouble for ourselves—a restless condition. But when we cast our cares on Yeshua, we find freedom from worry, guilt, and fear—things Yeshua wants to give us rest from.
Furthermore, Yeshua said He is “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28); meaning, He is greater than the Sabbath. To say He is the Sabbath is to say something that is not consistent with His declaration of being Lord of the Sabbath. How can He be both Lord of the Sabbath and the Sabbath at the same time and in the same sense? To illustrate my point, it’s like holding a glass of milk in your hand and saying, “I am greater than this glass of milk,” while at the same time saying, “I am this glass of milk.” It makes no sense. If Yeshua wanted people to know He was the Sabbath, that would have been the perfect moment for Him to say, “I am the Sabbath.” But He didn’t do that. Instead, He made it known that He was greater than the Sabbath. The declarations: “I am Lord of the Sabbath,” and “I am the Sabbath,” are not the same. Yet people falsely assume they are.
Another important point to note here is that Yeshua made it clear He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (see Matthew 5:17). To fulfill something is not the same as abolishing it. What Yeshua meant by “to fulfill” is that the law of God would be revealed in His life (see Psalm 40:8). Incidentally, if Yeshua intended to abolish the Sabbath, why did He say, “pray that your escape may not be during winter, or on the Sabbath day” (Matthew 24:20), in speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place on 70 A.D.—long after Yeshua was crucified. This suggests Yeshua had no plans of abolishing, changing, or becoming the Sabbath day. Otherwise, there would have been no point to Him saying this, for the Sabbath wouldn’t have existed at that time.
Yeshua’s words also suggest the Sabbath is still a 24–hour period. Some have concluded that the Sabbath ceased to be a literal day after the resurrection of Christ, falsely assuming every day is a Sabbath. But if that were true, there would have been no sense in Yeshua telling people to pray that their flight wouldn’t take place on the Sabbath. Yeshua was obviously referring to a specific day when He said that; that is, the seventh day (see Exodus 20:10–11). If every day were the Sabbath, it would make no sense to pray that it wouldn’t happen on the Sabbath, as it couldn’t happen on any other day but the Sabbath under such circumstances!
Frankly, I find it ironic that people, who are supposedly “Bible only” Christians, would say something about Yeshua, which He never said about Himself. I welcome anyone to prove me wrong on this. Show me where Yeshua said He is the Sabbath. If that can’t be done, then at the very least, those who use such argumentation against Sabbath keepers should rightly acknowledge they are being presumptuous.
If you have an objection to what I’ve just shared, please let me know. I am willing to hear what you have to say. You can contact me here: Contact Me. But please be sure to read the rest of the lessons, as you might find I’ve already addressed your objection (if you have one).