Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

                                                                                                                     Mark 2:27-28 

One of the things that we want to avoid when dealing with a Sabbath day’s rest is allowing ourselves to take this wonderful provision of God and turn it into a legal requirement. That was what the Pharisees had done. In a single statement, Jesus demonstrates that a legalistic requirement was not the intent. But before we look at this amazing and powerful statement, let’s look at the background and what precipitated His addressing the Pharisees: 

 And it happened that He (Jesus) was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?”                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                     Mark 2:23-26 

The disciples were picking heads of grain on the Sabbath, an action, in the minds of the Pharisees, completely in defiance of the fourth commandment. This was consistent with their attitude regarding Jesus and His healing on the Sabbath as well. But what we learn from their misconceptions is that the Sabbath was designed to serve us, not the other way around. Listen to Jesus statement: 

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” 

With a single declaration, Jesus put to rest any fallacy that man is to serve the Sabbath. “The Sabbath was made for man.” What an amazing thing to consider. God loves us and has designed life in such a way that we are to work throughout the week yet we are to set aside one day a week to be different, to be holy. On this day, we are to engage in activities that are recreational and have restorative ability. For some, this might mean doing absolutely nothing. For others, it may be spending time with family or friends.

Often, we see the Sabbath as attached to a time of worship, prayer, Bible study, and so forth. For many Christian churches, this day is designated as Sunday or “The Lord’s Day.” While there is absolutely nothing wrong with setting aside one day a week to gather with other believers, we need to be careful that we are not painting a picture that worship, prayer, Bible study, and so forth are only to take place one day a week. Everyday is “The Lord’s Day” and we should be engaging in worship, prayer, Bible study, and so forth on a daily basis. That is why the fourth commandment should not be confused with “going to church.” The fourth commandment deals with rest. Gathering with other believers is a separate issue entirely (Hebrews 10:25).

So let’s go back to the Pharisees and their misunderstandings regarding the Sabbath. The disciples were picking grain. The Pharisees viewed them as lawbreakers. Jesus referred to another historical instance (one from the old covenant) that He knew would be familiar to those religious leaders. David, when in need, went into the temple and ate the consecrated bread. He even shared it with his companions. Now the law stated that only the priests were to eat of this bread. So what was Jesus doing by referring to David’s actions?

First, He is comparing the actions of David with those of His disciples. Secondly, He is demonstrating that these actions are not in defiance of the fourth commandment. And thirdly, He was pointing out the Pharisee’s lack of understanding of the purpose behind the commandment. They were making it all about legalistic requirements, something still done by some today. But the Sabbath is not set aside as a legalistic command rather it is a God-given gift, patterned after the work of Creation, and should bring restoration, power, and joy into our lives.

We can take the first four commandments and sum them up in the words of Jesus:

 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.”

                                                                                                               Matthew 22:26-38 

Obeying the first four commandments is all about loving God with our whole heart and soul and mind. The first four commandments teach us the importance of:

1. Making God first priority in everything
2. Not allowing anything to become more important to us than God
3. Respecting and revering the name of God
4. Remembering to follow God’s pattern for life by setting aside one day a week for rest.

Obeying the commandments is not a matter of legalism or a means by which we are saved rather it is a privilege and there are blessings for those who keep the commandments of God.