20260524 Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-6 Christians and the Sabbath

On the Gospel Coalition website, I found two articles. The first was called, “3 Reasons Sunday is not the Christian Sabbath.” The second was titled, “Why Christians Should Be Sabbatarians.” What was interesting to me was that even though the authors disagreed in theory, in practice, their Sundays looked identical. In practice, the one who argued that Sundays are not the Christian Sabbath, lived like a Sabbatarian. He set aside Sunday as a day for refraining from ordinary work and to worship God with God's people.

In churches today, there are various opinions on the Sabbath. Putting Seventh Day Adventists aside, the two major views are either the Sabbath is no longer binding, or the Sabbath is still binding.

Those who deny the binding nature of the Sabbath do not all agree on the details, but the following are some of their claims. The first claim is that the Sabbath is for the Jews not for Christians.   The logic goes like this. The Sabbath is part of the OT Law. Since Jesus fulfilled the OT, Christians are no longer bound by the Old Testament Law. A second claim is that the Sabbath pointed to the rest we find in Christ. Now that Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath, Jesus is our Sabbath. We fulfill the Sabbath command of the OT by finding our rest in Christ who is our Sabbath rest (Heb 4:9-10). A third claim against the binding nature of the Sabbath is that a verse like Col 2:16 seems to teach that Christians have freedom when it comes to days of worship. Col 2:16 reads, “Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.”[i]

The practice among those who deny the binding nature of the Sabbath varies. Some stress the freedom that is found in Christ and so they view church attendance as more optional. This is a common view among Christians but I’ve not yet heard of a biblical defense for this. Most who reject the binding nature of the fourth commandment still insist that a day of rest once per week is a wise practice. They also point to Heb 10:25 to argue the Bible commands Christians to gather regularly for worship.

The second major view is that the fourth commandment remains binding. This is the Sabbatarian view. According to this view, the pattern of working six days and dedicating one day to God is woven into the fabric of creation. Before, the law was given, God commands Israel in Exodus 16 to keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath commandment was part of the Old Covenant, it is the fourth commandment in Exodus 20. Sabbatarians agree Jesus fulfilled the Law, but stress he never came to abolish the law. Since the coming of Jesus did not affect the other 9 commandments, they assume God still requires his people to set aside a day to worship him with his people. In the Sabbatarian view, Lev 23:3 establishes the two binding principles. We refrain from ordinary work and focus on private and corporate worship on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the Christian Sabbath.

There are significant differences between how Jews kept the Sabbath in the Old Covenant and Christians in the New Covenant. Christians do not keep the ceremonial and judicial aspects tied to the Sabbath. We do not offer animal sacrifices in the Temple, we are not bound by the dietary restrictions, nor do we apply the punishments for breaking the Sabbath. Another big shift is the day of the week for the Sabbath. Following the pattern of the early Church of meeting on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:2), Christians keep the Sabbath on Sunday rather than Saturday. Sunday is the first day of the week, but it is also the eighth day, it is the first day of a new week! Sunday is the day of Jesus’ resurrection, the day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the first day of the New Creation week. Based on what Jesus does on the Sabbath, permissible work includes work of necessity, work of mercy, and work of ministry.

Our text deals with tension over the Sabbath in Jesus’ day. 2000 years later, we are still debating over the Sabbath. My goal is that even though we have different opinions, that we would develop a deeper appreciation for the Sabbath to enjoy God’s gift of rest.

I will approach this text from the perspective that the Sabbath remains binding. If you sense a slight bias from me, now you know why. I can acknowledge intellectually that God gives me the Sabbath for my good, but continue to struggle with trust, with self-reliance, with valuing productivity over worship. So in theory, I have changed from camp 1, not believing the Sabbath was for Christians, to camp 2, believing that it is. But, in practice, I still struggle with how to keep the Sabbath because I need to be reminded of what a wonderful gift the Sabbath is. If you come out of this thinking, “Oh great, this was a message about another rule I’m going to fail at,” I failed to teach Luke 13 and 14.

We will look at The Meaning of the Sabbath, Hypocrisy on the Sabbath, and Our Response to the Sabbath.

First, in Luke 13:10-13, 14:1-4, we look at The Meaning of the Sabbath

In this first point, I want to show the connection between Jesus’s freedom-announcing ministry, his miracles, and the Sabbath.

Explanation - Luke 13:10-13, 14:1-4

The events of Luke 13 and Luke 14 occur on the Sabbath. In Luke 13:10-13, Jesus was teaching in a Synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus saw a woman possessed by a disabling spirit. She was bent over and could not straighten up. In Luke 13:12, Jesus says, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” In Luke 14:1-6, Jesus is in a Pharisee's house for a meal. Jesus saw a man who had dropsy. This is a disease that leads to the swelling of ankles and legs. According to Luke 14:4, Jesus “took him, healed him, and freed him.” It is not obvious in our English translations, but Luke 13:12 and Luke 14:4 use the same Greek Word, for “freeing” or “to release.” I find it fascinating that release and freedom connect these miracles. Both the woman who could not straighten her back and the man with the swelling ankles and legs were freed or released.

Bringing freedom and release is one of the key marks of Jesus' ministry. In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus read Isaiah 61. He read: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” In Luke 4:21, Jesus told the synagogue, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” In the rest of Luke 4, Luke presents Jesus’ works of Jubilee – he is a teacher who announces Liberty/Release/Freedom, he Released/Set Free a man with an unclean spirit (Luke 4:35). Finally, part of Jesus’ Jubilee ministry is setting people free or releasing them from sickness and forgiving sins. Jesus is fulfilling the Hebrew Scriptures. He is reversing the consequences of sin, ushering in God’s saving reign. It is a reign that brings freedom. Jesus' ministry was one of bringing release and freedom. Now, what does this have to do with the Sabbath? In the story of the Bible, what does release have to do with Sabbath rest?

This is the role of Sabbath in the OT. The Sabbath is introduced in Gen 2:1-3. After God created and organized the world, God rested. He blessed the Seventh Day and he made it Holy. The very good state of the world in Gen 1-2 culminates in Sabbath rest. In Exodus, following Israel's delivery from Egypt, before they get to Mount Sinai, God feeds the people bread from heaven. They were to gather six days and be fed for seven days. The Sabbath is Holy, it is Blessed. It is an invitation to trust in God’s generous provision. We can rest, because God is generous. In Exodus 20, the Sabbath appears as the fourth commandment. It is the longest commandment. It connects the people's rest one day per week with God’s rest in Creation. One day per week, the freed slaves were to live like God in Eden, enjoying Sabbath rest. Keeping the Sabbath is experiencing every seven days in part what we will enjoy in the New Heavens and New Earth. The rest that is commanded in the fourth commandment is a relief for all, including the animals and slaves. The Sabbath commandment is command to be merciful to those who work for us.

In Deuteronomy 5, the 10 Commandments are repeated. The explanation for the Sabbath is even longer. This time, the command to take a day of rest to remember that they were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought them out. According to Deut 5, Sabbath is connected with salvation from slavery. Slaves do not take a day of rest. Being able to take a day off is the sign that you are not enslaved. In this way, the Sabbath is the sign of release and freedom! The next helpful text on the Sabbath is Lev 23:3. It summarizes the Sabbath command very simply: “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation.” The Sabbath includes rest from what you do the other six days. It also includes a holy convocation. We must gather with God’s people for worship. These are the two core principles: stop and worship!

Now, to summarize. When the people of Israel kept the Sabbath - they remembered and enjoyed rest as it was in Eden. They learned to be less self-reliant and trust that God would provide. They showed God's kindness and relief to slaves and animals. They celebrated being a saved people freed from slavery. The Sabbath was for the glory of God. It was a day of worship. It testified to God's generous provision. It offered a glimpse of the New Creation rest that is still to come. In a way taking a Sabbath is practicing for heaven!

Application

Now, if Sabbath means all these things, are all Jesus’ healings on the Sabbath accidental, or are they intentional? Are Jesus' healings on the Sabbath inappropriate, appropriate, or the most appropriate? The gospels record seven different instances in which Jesus heals on the Sabbath. Is Jesus just trying to bait the Pharisees to highlight their hypocrisy? Or rather does Jesus heal on the Sabbath because that is what the Sabbath is for. The Sabbath is the day of paradise-like rest, release, freedom, and the day on which we celebrate our salvation. It seems that the Sabbath is the perfect day for miracles that restore and reverse the effects of sin and the fall. This is the meaning of the Sabbath. It is a day we set aside to enjoy God and a day on which we can work like Jesus to promote life as it was intended in the Garden of Eden. The Sabbath is not just another rule you can fail at. It is a gift. One day a week we imagine what heaven will be like. Imagine all the things you have to do for work that you will no longer have to do in glory. What would life look like today, if one day per week we were free from this kind of work as we will one day be forever in the New Heavens and New Earth. The Sabbath is to worship God, to care for people, and to rest! It is a gift for our good.

Luke 13:15 Hypocrisy on the Sabbath

In Luke 13 and 14, in both cases, following the healing of the woman's back and the man leg, the religious leaders are antagonistic towards Jesus. Jesus highlights their hypocrisy.

Explanation

In Luke 13:14, after Jesus straightened the woman’s back, the ruler of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus healed on the Sabbath. He instructed the people to come on the other six days for healing, not on the Sabbath day. In Luke 13:15, Jesus says, “You hypocrites.” He points out that they free their oxen or donkeys to give them a drink, so how much more should this daughter of Abraham be freed from her bond on the Sabbath day. According to Luke 13:17, in calling them hypocrites, Jesus put his adversaries to shame.

Application

The theme of hypocrisy is an important theme for the church to think about. Christians are often labeled as hypocrites. In 1906, Ambrose Bierce, an American journalist published a book called "the Devil's Dictionary," which offers satirical definitions for words. In the “Devil’s Dictionary” the definition of a Christian is, “One who believes that the New Testament is a divinely inspired book admirably suited to the spiritual needs of his neighbor.” Christians are often labeled hypocrites.

We live in a tension. How can we stand up for what is right, without being labeled a hypocrite when we ourselves are sinners? Believing the gospel is the remedy to hypocrisy. The Gospel reminds us that we have a good God, and even though we are sinners, if we trust in Jesus’ atoning death of the cross, God forgives our sins. The Gospel reminds us that we are sinners who need saving. Our primary posture in the world cannot be one of condemning the world, but one of confessing our sins and the bearing witness to the God who forgives. We are not hypocritical if we are upfront about our sin and even our hypocrisy. We must admit we are sinners who want to grow in grace and also humbly, gently, and caringly invite people to turn from sin.

The religious leaders were hypocrites on the Sabbath. By their lack of care for people they broke the Sabbath they were trying to protect. The Sabbath is for ceasing from work, worshipping, and caring for people. Any view of the Sabbath that burdens people and harms people and prevents people from being cared for, is hypocritical.

Luke 13:17, 14:6 Our Response to the Sabbath

Explanation: Luke 13:17, 14:6

In Luke 13:17, after Jesus highlighted the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, there are two responses to Jesus’ Sabbath miracle. We read first that, “All his adversaries were put to shame.” Then, “all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.”

Application

Which of these statements resonates the most with us? Is our take away - Jesus put to shame the religious leaders? Or do we connect Jesus' ministry on the Sabbath with the joy of the crowd? We can be quick to associate the concept of Sabbath with Jesus putting the religious leaders to shame and forget the crowd's joy! Just because religious leaders were pro-Sabbath and were called hypocrites, does not imply that Sabbaths are bad and legalistic. Jesus loved doing miracles on the Sabbath, and the crowd rejoiced Jesus' Sabbath miracles. We can respond like the crowd and rejoice in the Sabbath!

The Sabbath reminds us of Eden rest and anticipates eternal rest in the new creation. Keeping the Sabbath is the sign of being a free people. Practicing the Sabbath is an expression of trusting God's provision. Practicing the Sabbath shows compassion to employees. Practicing Sabbath means setting a day aside to gather with God's people to worship God.

Jesus viewed the Sabbath as a great day for miracles, a great day for release and freedom. We can view it as a day of the week where we think about heaven, New Creation, our Salvation, and our Great God and practice for the age to come! Like every Biblical command, there is room for hypocrisy. The risk for abuse is not grounds to declare a command no longer in place.

Conclusion

Keeping the Sabbath is not legalistic, not if you understand the Sabbath. It is a day of release and freedom. The Christian Sabbath, the Lord's Day, Sunday is a day on which we can especially remember that Jesus rose from the grave for our salvation. It is also the day, on which Jesus poured out his spirit on all flesh at Pentecost.

Sabbath is the day on which we bear witness to the world to God’s provision by taking a day for rest and worship. It is also a day where we look forward to the final eternal sabbath where every back will be straightened, every leg will be healed, and all tears will be wiped away. Jesus saw it as a day fitting for miracles. We can see it also as a special day to rest and worship and enjoy the freedom from sin that Christ offers us.

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[i] The "Sabbaths" mentioned here, alongside "festivals" and "new moons," specifically refer to annual Jewish ceremonial days, that Christians are free from.