Verse by Verse

Today, we're looking at Luke chapter 4 verse 31, which says, then he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. Jesus observed every Sabbath day, honoring the 4th commandment, which states, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 6 days you shall labor and do all your work, but the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in 6 days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the 7th day.

Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Jesus assembled with others and taught them during the holy convocation of the Sabbath, which is commanded in Leviticus chapter 20 3 verse 1. It's rather odd that some people so want to negate the 4th commandment that they claim Jesus broke the Sabbath command. Of course, if he had broken the Sabbath, he would have sinned. Sin is the transgression of God's law, it says in 1st John 3 verse 4.

The Bible says Jesus was without sin. Hebrews 4:15 states, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. So Jesus observed the commandment about the Sabbath, just like he did the other 9 commandments. Now some Jews did accuse Jesus of violating the Sabbath, but he actually just went against their own personal judgments about how it was to be kept. He never violated the law.

In fact, Jesus told them that he was the lord of the Sabbath, the one who can properly explain how the Sabbath is to be observed, he said that in Matthew 12 verse 8. The parallel account in Mark adds that the Sabbath was created to be a benefit for all mankind. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is also lord of the Sabbath. That's Mark chapter 2 verses 27 and 28.

The Sabbath was designed to be a benefit, not a burden, as the extra rules that the Jews were making up was making it. To learn more about the blessing of the Sabbath, download our free booklet, The Sabbath, A Neglected Gift from God. You can find a link in the show notes. Jesus did not break the Sabbath. Instead, he showed how it is to be observed.

Those of us who wish to serve God are to walk as he, Jesus, walked. That's 1st John 2 verse 6. We too need to keep the Sabbath, God's wonderful day of rest.

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