Old Testament

One of the Ten Commandments says,

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11) 

The Sabbath day that the bible speaks about is Saturday, the seventh day of the week (Genesis 2:2-3, Leviticus 23:2-3). The Jews have always considered a day to be the interval from sunset to sunset, and they have always observed the Sabbath from Sabbath evening until Sabbath evening. Modern Jews continue the tradition of observing a holy day of rest on the Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew) from sunset Sabbath ( new moon)  until nightfall Sabbath ( new moon). The Old Testament law prohibited doing any work on the Sabbath, and one could receive the death penalty for breaking this law (Numbers 15:32-36).

Just like the old Testament Christ was not sent to change nor destroy the law. But fulfill it as the prophets before him did. 

Matthew 5:17-20King James Version

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

1. Christ kept the Sabbath.

We read many accounts that Christ was always teaching on the Sabbath. Sometimes He would explain a spiritual truth through a healing. On one occasion He explains a misunderstanding that arose concerning His disciples picking grain. He was teaching through example and focusing on proper understanding of the Fourth Commandment. Luke 4:16 tells us clearly that “as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” A custom is an established observance that brings meaning into our life. Christ custom started at creation and continued in His human life. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). I’m pretty sure that includes His customs.

2. Yahawahshi is Lord of the Sabbath.

The observances we keep reflect the God we serve. Many different religions have different practices and ceremonies honoring their gods. What Christians observe should honor our God. One of Christ’s Sabbath lessons ended with him making the conclusion “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). By keeping this day we are declaring that Christ is our Lord. It is a way we honor and worship Him.

3. The Sabbath was made for us.

Also as part as this same lesson to the Pharisees He explains that “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). We are physical creatures and we often find ourselves tired or weary from the challenges of life. The Sabbath was created to give us rest. It gives us opportunity to recharge so that we can function correctly the other six days of the week. It is how the Creator made us. It is a wonderful gift from God that we should rejoice at the wisdom He had in its creation. Importantly, you can only understand how great this gift is by keeping it. 

4. The Apostle Paul kept the Sabbath.

“Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2). On several occasions we see Paul keeping the Sabbath. This is the same man who wrote 28 percent of the New Testament. In his letters he continually emphasized the importance of keeping the law for Jews. Not for the purpose of salvation but in response to our salvation through Christ. “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good” (Romans 7:12). He was a Sabbath keeper and understood its importance in our relationship with Christ.

5. Luke directly refers to the Sabbath commandment. 

In the book of Luke we learn that the women who were at the crucifixion of Christ afterward prepared spices and fragrant oils to anoint His body. Then “they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). Luke wrote this account at least thirty years later. Notice that he does not refer to it as “the former Sabbath” or “the Jewish Sabbath” but as a commandment in the present tense. And this was after His crucifixion, a point in time where some believe the commandment was changed. 

6. Christ’s instruction shows that the Sabbath will be important in the future.

In referring to the future event that will precede great tribulation, Yahawahshi advises to “pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath” (Matthew 24:20). If there was no longer going to be a Sabbath command after His resurrection, why would He make this statement? The answer is simple. “Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

7. Sabbath keeping remains for the people of God.

“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9). This verse can be easily overlooked as supporting the Sabbath because the Greek word sabbatismos is translated as rest. Some Bible translations translate it more correctly as “sabbath rest.” When this word is used in other ancient Greek literature it usually means a “keeping of the sabbath.” So Hebrews 4:9 is essentially saying that “there remains a keeping of the sabbath for the people of God.” This emphasizes the theme found in Hebrews 4 connecting the seventh-day rest with the rest that comes as we are diligently obedient to Christ.