What were Jesus’ personal Sabbath days like? He went to the synagogue and rested (alone or with a few friends), which included him taking walks through grain fields or by the lake and having conversations with people.
Something we often see Jesus do on Sabbath days is to respond to the needs of the people around him, which included healing people, delivering them of demons, and teaching. In other words, he did a lot of “work” on the Sabbath day! This got him in big trouble with the religious leaders! Was he breaking the Sabbath? Did he show or teach us that we don’t need to keep the Sabbath anymore? The answer to both questions is no.
Jesus’ Example for Pastors and Church Workers
Pastors and church workers today are in the same position that Jesus was in: helping other people celebrate the Sabbath means that you’re doing some work on the Sabbath. But Jesus did his work in the “easy yoke” of the Father and taught us to follow his example and take on the “light burden” of his yoke (Matthew 11:25-30). The Sabbath is a day for setting down our burdens! (Jeremiah 17:21) It’s important to note that Jesus got Sabbath rest on other days, Monday mornings, for instance. I recommend that pastors and other church workers take a Sabbath day on another day of the week.
Jesus stayed in tune with the Father’s love and never over-worked or acted on his own initiative without being led by and dependent upon the Father. He lives and ministered from a place of strength. Sabbath-keeping wasn’t a defensive posture for Jesus to recover from being worn out or frustrated. Instead, it was his starting point: Jesus ministered from a state of being relaxed, rested, and renewed.
From this state of peace and power Jesus cared for people in need or pain, demonstrating time and again that the Sabbath is a day for healing and renewal — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We need to ask ourselves, Do I get the spiritual rest and healing that I need? Am I practicing my abiding in Christ by getting regular Sabbath rest? If the answer is “no” or “not much” then the people around me are being adversely affected.
Bible Study on Jesus’ Sabbath-Keeping and Teachings
Let’s consider some Scripture meditations from the Gospels of Jesus’ personal experiences and teachings related to the Sabbath (Bible verses are arranged in chronological order and are from the NIV84):
“When the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach… ‘Be quiet!’” People were amazed at his teachings, demons fled, and the good news spread (Mark 1:21-28).
On the Sabbath Jesus “went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.” (Mark 1:29-31)
“Very early in the morning [on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath], while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
“On the Sabbath day [Jesus] went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read [from Isaiah]… ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me…’ ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:16, 18, 21).
Jesus asked the invalid at the Sheep Gate Pool: “Do you want to get well?” He cured him… He told him: “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you” (John 5:1-15).
“Jesus [walked] through the grainfields on the Sabbath [with] his disciples” (Matthew 12:1).
Jesus taught, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8).
In the synagogue on a Sabbath Jesus said, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he healed the man with the shriveled hand (Matthew 12:9-13).
Jesus exclaimed, “On the Sabbath I heal the whole person” (John 7:23, PAR).
On the Sabbath Jesus healed a blind man, putting mud in his eyes and said: “I have come into this world, so that the blind will see” (John 9).
“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues… ‘Be set free on the Sabbath day’… He put his hands on [a crippled woman], and immediately she straightened up and praised God… The people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing” (Luke 13:10-17).
“One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee…” He healed a man with dropsy… Jesus said: “He who humbles himself will be exalted… When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed” (Luke 14:1-14).
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week… The angel said… ‘[Jesus] has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him’” (Matthew 28:1-10)