[The text below is an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World whiteboard.]

Did Jesus Keep the Sabbath in the New Testament? Yes

Have you ever wondered about the Sabbath—whether or not it’s important?

And what did Jesus say about the Sabbath? Let’s see what the Bible says.

In this video, we’ll explore four lessons that Jesus taught about the Sabbath. But before we get into it, these videos are designed to explain Bible topics in an easy-to-understand way, because there’s only one truth, and you need to know it.

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What Did Jesus Teach about the Sabbath?

The Bible shows that Jesus Himself kept the seventh-day Sabbath. Luke 4:16–17 says:

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.

So throughout His life, it was Jesus’ custom or habit to keep the Sabbath. And during His ministry, He would teach on the Sabbath, as we see in verses 31 and 32.

Then He went down to Capernaum... and was teaching them on the Sabbaths (Luke 4:31–32).

So the Bible shows that Jesus Himself kept the Sabbath day holy throughout His entire life.

Now, let’s check out four points that Jesus taught about the Sabbath.

Keep the Commandments | Matthew 19:19

1. Keep the Sabbath day holy because it is commanded in the Ten Commandments

In Matthew 19, a young man asked Jesus how he could obtain eternal life. Jesus responded by saying:

“If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:19).

He also said:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill... Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17–19).

The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

The Fourth Commandment says:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work… (Exodus 20:8–11).

So in teaching His followers to keep the Ten Commandments, Jesus was thereby teaching them to keep the seventh day Sabbath holy.

Why the Sabbath Was Made for Man | Mark 2:27 Explained

The second lesson Jesus taught about the Sabbath was:

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

Or as the Contemporary English Version puts it:

People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people.

Now the Pharisees had added many strict, manmade rules which made the Sabbath a burden to keep—rules that weren’t in the Scriptures. But Jesus taught that God made the Sabbath a blessing for mankind. He created it for man as a gift, as Exodus 23:12 explains.

Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest… (Exodus 23:12; see also Exodus 31:17).

The Sabbath gives everyone a chance to rest from daily work and chores. It provides time to be refreshed physically, mentally, and spiritually after six days of hard work.

This verse goes on to say:

…that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed (Exodus 23:12).

Even the animals are to rest and be refreshed (Deuteronomy 5:14).

The Sabbath also provides extra time for properly worshipping God with other people, as Leviticus 23:3 explains.

The seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly (Leviticus 23:3, NLT).

Again, the second lesson Jesus taught was that:

2. The Sabbath was made for man.

And when observed, the Sabbath brings blessings and benefits.

How Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath | Mark 2:28 Explained

A third important lesson Jesus taught was:

3. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, as He said in Mark 2.

“Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28).

In other words, Jesus said that the Sabbath is the Lord’s day. It is His day.

He explained that He is Lord or master of the Sabbath. He is in charge of it, and He determines how to keep it holy.

Jesus affirmed the fourth Commandment which says:

The seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God (Exodus 20:10).

And in the Bible, God often uses the phrase “My Sabbaths,” claiming them as His (Leviticus 19:3; Leviticus 26:2; Ezekiel 22:8; Isaiah 56:4).

He also calls the Sabbath “My holy day” (Isaiah 58:13) and “a holy Sabbath to the LORD” (Exodus 16:23).

These verses, among many others, show that the Sabbath belongs to God and Jesus Christ. God made it holy at creation—meaning He made it special by blessing it (Genesis 2:1-3), and it has been God’s holy day ever since.

In the End-Times Christians Still Keep the Sabbath | Matthew 24:20 Explained

The fourth lesson Jesus taught about the Sabbath is:

4. The Sabbath would be kept holy by His followers in the end-time just before His return.

In Matthew 24:3, Jesus’ disciples asked Him:

“What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Jesus explained that His followers would need to flee before the worst time in all of human history.

And in verse 20, He says:

“Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:20–21).

He said that travel would be difficult for those who are pregnant, for those who are nursing babies, and during the time of the winter (verses 19-20). And despite the great difficulty of that future time, He taught His followers to pray that they wouldn’t have to flee on the Sabbath.

In other words, the Sabbath would be important to His followers and they would still be keeping it holy at the end-time just before His second coming.

Jesus set the ultimate example for Christians to learn from and follow. As the apostle John was inspired to write:

Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did (1 John 2:6, NIV).

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