Sabbath is a theme presented throughout the bible, especially with the overlapping concepts of rest and completion. When we extract Sabbath from a specific context it's akin to the blind men and an elephant. Each man describes the elephant based on what they can obverse which is limited mostly by touch. one describes it as a snake as he is feeling the trunk, the other describes it as a tree trunk as he was feeling the leg, another a wall as he was feeling the side and still another a rope as he was feeling it's tale. Each describe the elephant accurately based on their perspective but being blind they are unable to see the whole picture and if they were to only take their reference they would miss the point.
With the Sabbath when we extract one aspect and use that to define the whole I feel we are as limited as the blind men trying to describe the elephant. We certainly will have an accurate description in that context but it is still a limited perspective.
Sabbath is described first in the beginning on day 7 (Ge 2:2-3). God rests not because he is tired but because he has "ceased" his work (another meaning of sabbath), ergo his work was complete or finished so he ceased. But this is not the whole picture of the Sabbath although it is accurate to what it is there is still a fuller picture.
Sabbath is described in law in the 4th commandment (Ex 20:8-11, Dt 5:12-15) as a memorial to the 7th day with specific instructions as to how to keep it. The governing rules seem to be about keeping rest for youself, and those under your care even the the animals in your care. Working animals cannot rest unless they are given rest because they have no authority and it needs to be given by one with authority. This certainly invokes powerful metaphors within the regulations of the law, however, isolated we are blinded to these meanings. so certainly the requirement presented in the 4th is meaningful but still limited. perhaps in this case it's like the blind man feeling the trunk of the elephant as it's easily the most identifiable feature but certainly not the whole elephant.
Christ calls himself "Lord of the Sabbath" (Mt 12:1–8, Mk 2:23–28, Lk 6:1–5) saying the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath. Isolated we can take this phrase and mold it to our liking, like a blind man feeling the elephant tail, it's a rope and as a rope, it can be tied and twisted as needed. but Christ words look to the whole, not an isolated part. So how do we take Christ words to define the whole?
Christ also tells us to come to him and he will give us rest. since rest is the meaning of Sabbath it's hard now to draw a parallel between Sabbath and Christ's words. Christ tells us "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mt 11:29). Do Christ's words help shape what the Sabbath is? How do we use this to define the whole, not an isolated part?
John 19 (as well as the other gospels) gives us a picture of Christ's death. in John, Christ utters the phrase "it is finished" and then breaths his last. He then lay in the grave for the duration of the Sabbath and resurrects anew on the 1st day of the week (sunday). this fits in well with the creation/sabbath typology where God finishes his work (as Christ finished his work) then ceased during the 7th day, and for Christ this meant breathing his last. "the breath" of God is an intringsic part of his workings. He breaths in man to give him life (Ge 2:7), Christ breaths over his diciples to impart the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22), Scripture is even called "God-breathed" (2 Ti 3:16). A parallel could be drawn between Christ's breath and his work, with his very breath being work itself (certainly that is the direction of the 4th commandment), so when he "breathed his last" his work stops, his heart is not beating, his lungs are not working and he has fully ceased work, as it was in the begining, over the 7th day. This however defines not an isolated part of the Sabbath but the whole.
Co 2:16 Pauls says "do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day." Paul tells us don't judge the observance of specific days. This can be interpreted in different ways, but what is our motivation? when we reconcile this to the Sabbath we need to reconcile it to the whole and not an isolated part.
when speaking of the 7th day it's hard not to include the whole of creation to help understand its purpose. With regards to the new Paul says in 2 Cl 5:17 "if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" Creation speaks of light that comes into the world to separate the darkness and shape and fill the earth finally ending in rest. The new creation is a call back to the creation account to look at it as a salvation metaphor to which the Sabbath is a part.
Hebrews 4 is often quoted when defining that Sabbath. Hebrews tells us (v9-11) "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience". does the verse speak of physical rest or spiritual rest? The 4th commandment only reveals the physical aspect of rest and so is limited and in a vacuum is blinded to the the whole like the blind men feeling the elephant. Hebrew tells us we should make every effort to enter this rest. This needs to be reconcile by the whole, not an isolated part.
the word Sabbath is never mentioned in Revelation but certainly, there is a concept of completion and rest. there is the millennial reign of Christ (7th day) which ushers in the passing away of the old heaven and earth for the new heaven and earth (8th day). These are more abstract concepts but consistent with the order and purpose presented in creation. it also is consistent when looking at Paul's "new creation" concept with the old passing away and the new in its stead just not for the individual (which Paul is looking at) it zooms out and views the creation/sabbath typology over all things. It also is consistent with Christ dying on the cross completing his work, resting on the 7th and rising in the new on the 8th, indeed repeating themes from various perspectives.
So it seems Sabbath is uniquely paired with the period of rest or ceasing inbetween putting away the old awaiting the new. Christ dies on the cross, rests in the grave, and on the new day he resurrects a new. The same typology is found in baptism, putting to death the old and rising in the new. Can baptism then be linked with Sabbath? certainly no in a 4th commandment vacuum which is why it is important to look at the whole rather than isoated parts.
so which part of the Sabbath do you extract and fly as its banner? perhaps we should rethink this model and look to it as a peice of the whole rather than an integral part.
With the Sabbath when we extract one aspect and use that to define the whole I feel we are as limited as the blind men trying to describe the elephant. We certainly will have an accurate description in that context but it is still a limited perspective.
Sabbath is described first in the beginning on day 7 (Ge 2:2-3). God rests not because he is tired but because he has "ceased" his work (another meaning of sabbath), ergo his work was complete or finished so he ceased. But this is not the whole picture of the Sabbath although it is accurate to what it is there is still a fuller picture.
Sabbath is described in law in the 4th commandment (Ex 20:8-11, Dt 5:12-15) as a memorial to the 7th day with specific instructions as to how to keep it. The governing rules seem to be about keeping rest for youself, and those under your care even the the animals in your care. Working animals cannot rest unless they are given rest because they have no authority and it needs to be given by one with authority. This certainly invokes powerful metaphors within the regulations of the law, however, isolated we are blinded to these meanings. so certainly the requirement presented in the 4th is meaningful but still limited. perhaps in this case it's like the blind man feeling the trunk of the elephant as it's easily the most identifiable feature but certainly not the whole elephant.
Christ calls himself "Lord of the Sabbath" (Mt 12:1–8, Mk 2:23–28, Lk 6:1–5) saying the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath. Isolated we can take this phrase and mold it to our liking, like a blind man feeling the elephant tail, it's a rope and as a rope, it can be tied and twisted as needed. but Christ words look to the whole, not an isolated part. So how do we take Christ words to define the whole?
Christ also tells us to come to him and he will give us rest. since rest is the meaning of Sabbath it's hard now to draw a parallel between Sabbath and Christ's words. Christ tells us "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mt 11:29). Do Christ's words help shape what the Sabbath is? How do we use this to define the whole, not an isolated part?
John 19 (as well as the other gospels) gives us a picture of Christ's death. in John, Christ utters the phrase "it is finished" and then breaths his last. He then lay in the grave for the duration of the Sabbath and resurrects anew on the 1st day of the week (sunday). this fits in well with the creation/sabbath typology where God finishes his work (as Christ finished his work) then ceased during the 7th day, and for Christ this meant breathing his last. "the breath" of God is an intringsic part of his workings. He breaths in man to give him life (Ge 2:7), Christ breaths over his diciples to impart the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22), Scripture is even called "God-breathed" (2 Ti 3:16). A parallel could be drawn between Christ's breath and his work, with his very breath being work itself (certainly that is the direction of the 4th commandment), so when he "breathed his last" his work stops, his heart is not beating, his lungs are not working and he has fully ceased work, as it was in the begining, over the 7th day. This however defines not an isolated part of the Sabbath but the whole.
Co 2:16 Pauls says "do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day." Paul tells us don't judge the observance of specific days. This can be interpreted in different ways, but what is our motivation? when we reconcile this to the Sabbath we need to reconcile it to the whole and not an isolated part.
when speaking of the 7th day it's hard not to include the whole of creation to help understand its purpose. With regards to the new Paul says in 2 Cl 5:17 "if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" Creation speaks of light that comes into the world to separate the darkness and shape and fill the earth finally ending in rest. The new creation is a call back to the creation account to look at it as a salvation metaphor to which the Sabbath is a part.
Hebrews 4 is often quoted when defining that Sabbath. Hebrews tells us (v9-11) "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience". does the verse speak of physical rest or spiritual rest? The 4th commandment only reveals the physical aspect of rest and so is limited and in a vacuum is blinded to the the whole like the blind men feeling the elephant. Hebrew tells us we should make every effort to enter this rest. This needs to be reconcile by the whole, not an isolated part.
the word Sabbath is never mentioned in Revelation but certainly, there is a concept of completion and rest. there is the millennial reign of Christ (7th day) which ushers in the passing away of the old heaven and earth for the new heaven and earth (8th day). These are more abstract concepts but consistent with the order and purpose presented in creation. it also is consistent when looking at Paul's "new creation" concept with the old passing away and the new in its stead just not for the individual (which Paul is looking at) it zooms out and views the creation/sabbath typology over all things. It also is consistent with Christ dying on the cross completing his work, resting on the 7th and rising in the new on the 8th, indeed repeating themes from various perspectives.
So it seems Sabbath is uniquely paired with the period of rest or ceasing inbetween putting away the old awaiting the new. Christ dies on the cross, rests in the grave, and on the new day he resurrects a new. The same typology is found in baptism, putting to death the old and rising in the new. Can baptism then be linked with Sabbath? certainly no in a 4th commandment vacuum which is why it is important to look at the whole rather than isoated parts.
so which part of the Sabbath do you extract and fly as its banner? perhaps we should rethink this model and look to it as a peice of the whole rather than an integral part.
- The 7th day of completion and rest
- the 4th commandment of remember the 7th day through requirements and giving rest to those who have no authority to take it
- the rest Jesus offers and is lord of.
- the rest of God that Hebrews higlights, the authors implores us to seek this rest
- the process of salvation within us that Paul highlights as the new creation
- the judgment of others who keep or not keep the law (which is a common theme with Paul)
- Christ breaths his last, resting in the grave without breath or heartbeat then resurrecting a new
- the old being put to death for the new in baptism
- the millennial regin of Christ which ushers in the new heaven and earth.
- and countless other references.
Last edited: