The Sabbath in the New Testament

The Sabbath in the New Testament

The Disciples and the Sabbath

We begin this study on the Sabbath in the New Testament with the story of Jesus’s burial and resurrection. Jesus died on Good Friday. The day He died is called in Scripture “the day BEFORE the Sabbath.” And the reference is not to one of the ceremonial Sabbaths associated with the feast days, but specifically to “the the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). (Christ our Passover is Sacrificed for Us)

The Bible records that Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus (John 19:39) as Friday drew to a close and the Sabbath was approaching took the body of Jesus and buried Him in Joseph’s new tomb. Because of the nearness of the Sabbath, Jesus’s burial was apparently a rush job and consequently Jesus’s body was not fully prepared for burial.

Mark 15:42-43 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

The Bible also records that the women who followed Jesus intended to complete the task of preparing Jesus’ body for burial after the Sabbath had passed.  But by the time they reached the tomb early Sunday morning Jesus had already risen.

Luke 23:55-56 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

Mark 16:1-2 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. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

The disciples rested on the Sabbath day, “according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). This is an important point. Apparently Jesus had never said or did anything to cause His followers to think observing the Sabbath was unimportant. Indeed, they deemed it more important to keep the Sabbath day holy than to properly prepare Jesus’ body for burial. All the Gospels are in agreement on this point.

Keep in mind that these Biblical accounts were written by the disciples some 30 to 40 years after the event. So, if Jesus had at all indicated that there was to be a change in the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week (Sunday), surely this would have been a good place for them to make some mention of the fact. But on this the disciples are silent. All the gospels still refer to the seventh day as the Sabbath.  And all still refer to the first day (Sunday) as the first day of the week, nothing more. It is given no special name, so sacred title. It is just the first of six working days in the week.

Jesus rose early Sunday morning, the first day of the week. The Bible says that the day He rose was the day AFTER the Sabbath.

The testimony of the Bible is very clear, the seventh-day, the Sabbath according to the commandment, is not Sunday but Saturday. Sunday is the day “after” the Sabbath.”

Preaching in the Synagogue at Antioch

Now let us move on to the book of Acts. The apostle Paul and his company have come to Antioch, and as was customary Paul entered the local synagogue to preach.

On what day did Paul and his company go into the synagogue at Antioch? The Sabbath day. the day we call Saturday.

Acts 13:14-16 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

Acts 13:42, 44 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. … And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

The claim is made by advocates of Sunday worship, that the only reason the apostles preached in synagogues on Sabbath was to reach out to and covert the Jews. But they can offer no text that they can use to prove this point.  For as seen in the texts quoted above, the Bible is very clear that the apostles preached not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles on the Seventh-day Sabbath.  And this preaching to the Gentiles on the Sabbath is not merely a chance meeting on that day, but it was by appointment.

The point of this passage is that as the Jews were leaving the synagogue ,as the services there ended, the Gentiles came and asked Paul to come and preach to them the next Sabbath.  Evidently these Gentiles recognized that Paul kept the Seventh-day Sabbath.

Now if ever there was a golden opportunity for the apostle Paul to make clear to the people that for Christians the Sabbath has been transferred from the Seventh-day to the First-day of the week, this was it.  But the apostle Paul says nothing of the kind.  If Jesus had transferred the Sabbath from the Seventh-day to the First-day, why then did Paul not tell the Gentiles come back the next day, Sunday.  But no. Paul told them to wait till the next Sabbath, and then he would preach to them on that day.

By the way, why did Paul make the Gentiles wait a week to hear the good news of the gospel. Simple. Paul worked for a living. He was not getting paid a salary for preaching. He had to earn his own living, he had to pay his own way on his travels, and presumably, come Sunday morning, Paul was at work as a tent maker, which was his occupation.

Acts 20:34:2 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.

2 Thessalonians 3:8 Nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.

In the face of this, what becomes of the idea that the only reason Paul held Sabbath meetings was to preach to the Jews?  If, at that time, the first day of the week was the day for Christians to come together to hear the Word of God, if Sunday was indeed the new Christian Sabbath, why did not Paul say to these Gentiles; “No, not next Sabbath.  The Sabbath has been abolished.  You Gentiles come tomorrow on the First-day of the week and I will preach to you then?”  If such was the case, he would surely have said so. But nothing of the kind happened.

Sabbath worship at Philippi

Moving on from Antioch, the apostle Paul and company eventually find themselves in Philippi. Since there was no Jewish synagogue in Philippi at this time, they decided to worship outdoors by the side of the river. A place scripture says, “where prayer was customarily made.”

Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.

Again, we find that the testimony of the Bible is that the apostle Paul observed the Seventh-day Sabbath.  Here there was no synagogue of the Jews.  Hence no “Jewish” excuse for worshiping on the Seventh-day Sabbath.  Yet even though there was not a Jewish place of worship, Paul still met with fellow believers on the 7th day Sabbath for worship.

It is noteworthy that although specific mention is made of Paul and his companions worshiping on the Sabbath, once again, scripture is silent of their gathering anywhere on Sunday for that Purpose. Now it is true that there is some mention of Sunday meetings by the apostles in the New Testament, and that will be the topic of the next installment in this series. But when we look at them, we will find that they are not at all what Sunday advocates would make them out to be. (Sunday in the New Testament)

Preaching Christ Crucified at Thessalonica

Acts 17:1-4  Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.  And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

There is quit a bit of interest in this passage. First, we find that just as for Jesus, it was Paul’s manner or custom to go into the synagogues on the Sabbath. Now, again, some would say that the only reason Paul went into the synagogues was to preach to the Jews.  But if you keep on reading  you will find that was only part of the reason he went there.

Concerning the Jews, the passage says that “some of them believed.” But concerning the Greeks, “a great multitude” and in addition “of the chief women not a few.” 

Just as he did in Antioch, Paul apparently preached to Jew and Gentile alike on the Sabbath day. Nothing in this passage indicates that Paul preached to Jew or Greek on any other day than the Sabbath. Not a word, not a whisper of Sunday can be found in this passage.

Preaching the Word in Corinth

In chapter 18 Paul has moved on from Thessalonica to Corinth where once again we find him preaching on the Sabbath. Indeed, the testimony is that Paul preached in their synagogue “every Sabbath” and not to the Jews alone, but to both “Jews and Greeks.”

Acts 18:4, 11 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. … And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Paul was at Corinth for “a year and six months” preaching “every Sabbath” to both “Jews and Greeks.”

Here again we have the testimony of the Bible that the apostles kept the Seventh-day Sabbath holy. Here is testimony that Paul preached “every Sabbath” for one and a half years. That adds up to 78 Sabbaths. And not just to the Jews but to the Greeks also.

Certainly, sometime in the course of that one and a half years Paul would have introduced the Sunday Sabbath to the new believers if there had been a change in the Sabbath as many claim. But there is a strange absence of any indication of Sunday keeping. Instead, we find that the apostle Paul constantly observed not Sunday, but rather Saturday, the Seventh day, as the Sabbath day.

Time a reality check. In all the New Testament there is but a single mention of a Sunday worship service.  And the Bible makes it very clear that that one lone Sunday worship service was a special meeting, being held only because Paul was leaving on a journey the next day.

In contrast to that, we have just seen text after text showing the apostle Paul meeting and preaching on the Seventh-day Sabbath. Seventy eight Sabbaths in Corinth, three Sabbaths in Thessalonica, twice in Antioch, and at least once in Philippi. And Sunday preachers dismiss all of these texts as being irrelevant, and cling to a single Sunday text that they dare not quote in its entirety because it tells WHY they were meeting on that Sunday.

Let’s get real. If the situation was reversed, and there was but a single doubtful text showing the apostles worshiping on Saturday, the Seventh-day, and all of the other texts having Paul preaching to both Jews and Gentiles on Sunday, do any of you believe for an instant that they would dismiss these texts as being irrelevant.  NO, not for a moment.  If these texts had said Sunday instead of Sabbath, they would be held up as absolute proof positive that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday.

But that is not the way it is.  It’s just the opposite.  It is the Seventh-day Sabbath that the New Testament consistently upholds, not Sunday.

There Remains Therefore a Rest

We now come to the book of Hebrews, and in chapter four we find a very significant passage. In this chapter the writer of the book, who many believe was Paul, is speaking expressly of the Sabbath rest as it applies to Christians.

In chapter three Paul explains how the Israelites failed of entering their rest because of their continual rebellion and unbelief. Then continuing in chapter four Paul says, “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it” (Hebrews 4:1). Paul is warning Christians that they need to fear lest they too fail of entering into God’s rest. And lest there be any doubt as to what rest Paul is writing about, dropping down to verses four and five we read the following.

Hebrews 4:4-5 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”

And so, we know that Paul is speaking expressly of the Sabbath rest. The Sabbath rest is a symbol of the rest that the believer has in Jesus.  When the Sabbath is kept to build a relationship with God, we are truly entering into God’s rest.

And yes, this Sabbath rest still remain for the people of God, for Christians today.

Hebrews 4:9-12 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Greek word for “rest” in this text is “Sabbatismos,” meaning “Sabbath rest.” Here we have an actual statement that there still remains a “Sabbatismos,” that is, a “Sabbath rest” for God’s people.  This is not the Old Testament. This is the New Testament, and this “Sabbatismos” is for the New Testament believer. How much clearer must the Bible be?

And by the way, I might add, the Bible, neither in the Old Testament nor in the New ever identifies any other day than the Seventh day as the Sabbath day. And so, if you believe the Bible you are compelled to acknowledge the Seventh day as the Sabbath for Christians as well as for Jews. There is no honest way to get around that.

• Jesus said “the Sabbath was made for man,” that is, for mankind.  (Mark 2:27). It was given to Adam, and thus to the entire human race.
• The Bible never calls the Seventh-day Sabbath the Jewish Sabbath but characterizes it as “the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” (Exodus 20:10, Deut 5:14).
• And God tell us that we should call His Sabbath both “honorable,” and a “delight,” but never “a yoke of bondage.”
• When Jesus came to this world, He observed the Seventh-day Sabbath all his life, giving us a true example of how it should be kept.  (Luke 4:16, John 15:10).
• Jesus said that he was “Lord of the Sabbath.” In the Old Testament God calls it “My holy day.”  (Mark 2:28, Isaiah 58:13).
• The Seventh-day Sabbath is the true Lord’s Day. The only day so designated in the Bible.