Jesus, Our Sabbath Rest

The fourth commandment reads, "remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy." This is a command from God which reflects His rest from creation on the seventh day. Was God's intent simply to look back as human history moves forward? Is redemptive history that is founded upon the Messiah Jesus fulfill the Law of God in every respect save the Sabbath? In this article, we will discover the biblical truth of Jesus being our Sabbath rest.

"I'm so tired." An expression repeated often in this age of high-paced living. The very technology we manufactured for our benefit is the same technology that is speeding up our lives in favor of efficiency. The worldview of the mechanical universe in the industrial revolution has given way to the worldview of high-speed computers and fiber optics of nanotechnology. Man is but a speck on the motherboard of the universe built for high speed and efficiency until he is worn out. Such a worldview collectively exhausts us, leaving a wave of depression and despair. The eschatological view in this worldview is man works until he is worn, then dies into a black abyss of non-existence. The atheistic view that exalts human innovation and technology is a lonely, dark hell of existence.

The biblical worldview places Christ, not technology, as the highest praise and exaltation. And, in keeping with our worship of the Messiah, we look back and forward to the Sabbath rest. Jesus claims Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). Matthew 12 is a continuation from the end of Matthew 11, where Jesus says,

Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

Jesus says rest will be given and found by those who follow Him and learn from Him. When and where will this rest be given and found? Jesus allowed His disciples to gather grain and He Himself healed on the Sabbath in Matthew 12, revealing Himself Lord of the Sabbath. In Mark 2, Jesus states, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." The Sabbath is not a day of legalism and a focus on regulation, but a day for man's benefit to rest from the world. In both cases, Jesus claims to be greater than the Sabbath, which He teaches us was to be a blessing not a burden. In so doing, Jesus claims Himself our rest, and in that rest we are given blessing not a heavy burden.

Remember that the Kingdom of God is here already and not yet completed. At the Kingdom's consummation when the Lord Jesus Christ returns for His church, He will grant us perfect rest in Him. In opposition to the eschatological view prevalent in our secular culture (see above), Jesus gives us hope for that rest. We do not work ourselves to death into nothingness, we joyfully labor for Christ who gives us doctrine and commands that are not burdensome (Matthew 11:28-30) until He returns and completes our rest in Him. Any other work of moralism or pathway to righteousness is a law-keeping that is burdensome and you will burn out. Take upon you the teachings of Christ and He will grant you rest. He will grant you the desires of your heart and you will find joy in obedience. "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full" (John 15:11).

We must strive, then, to enter into our rest in Christ Jesus in the end having completed our labors. Do not mistake the Sabbath as a day to rest because you are tired. God "rested" after 6 days of creation, not because He was weary, but ceased in His creative labors in triumph that His glory has been displayed in His "very good" work of creation. By grace, God permits humanity to set apart the Sabbath and join Him in this celebration of His triumph not only in His creative labors (Exodus 16:23, Exodus 20:8), but also in looking forward to the rest the Church receives in Christ's triumph of His glorious work of which the Sabbath was a mere shadow of (Colossians 2:16-17). Let our work for Christ not cease until that day He returns for us. Let us strive to kill sin in our hearts and minds as well as to invited the lowly sinners to the banquet feast. At the Church's rest in Christ completed, our joy will be full and our rest found in God's triumph in the display of His glory to save sinners as His redemptive will rushed through human history to the praise of His glorious Name. As John Piper puts it, "with Christ, a decisive shift from separation ("come see") to declaration ("go tell") occurred in redemptive history" (Taste and See, 264). Now, go and tell the rich glories of Christ.