What does it mean? The Sabbath was made for Man…
Posted: June 2, 2009 Filed under: Sabbath 2 CommentsWhat does it mean when Christ said in Mark 2:27-28, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
If the Sabbath in the Old Testament was focused on the plan of redemption, the key events and people that played apart of it, then how does the New Testament practice of this take place for the church today?
If the Old Testament church practice was to look at the grace that God had gave to his people in the past, then how does the New Testament church today look at the grace on the Sabbath today?
If the Old Testament church looked on the Sabbath at how God was dependable for them, then how does the New Testament church do the same today?
If the home was mainly were the Old Testament church observed and practice the Sabbath, then how and where does the New Testament church observe and practice this today?
If the Sabbath’s main focus was on the family in the Old Testament, then what is the main focus of the Lord’s Day for the assembly of the church in the New Testament?
“Christ took the Sabbath in the tomb with him, and on Resurrection day refocused it to the Lord’s Day.” — Thomas Watson
How has the Sabbath/Lord’s Day refocus your life? or should I ask, Does it at all?
Read further: Matthew 12, Mark 2, & Luke 6
Gospel-Centered Musings 
The Lord’s Day has helped me to make a stand for God no matter what the cost – job, study for the bar exam – business matters – because God is important to me. The Lord’s Day is the seventh-day Sabbath, because Jesus said he is the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus didn’t die to change one of the 10 Commandments he instituted in the first place.
God blessed the seventh day of the week at creation. Did He make a mistake? If so, he had a chance to correct it in the NT, but instead instructed all Christians to rest from their labor as God rested from His – in Hebrews 4. Gentiles worshipped on the seventh day of the week in Acts 13.
Gentiles did work on Sunday in the Bible like emablming, or saving money for relief efforts, or traveling. It’s OK to work on Sunday, because God only made one day to be holy until the end of time. He wants us to rest and worship on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. God loves us so much, he set aside a special day by blessing it and sanctified it. Jesus said “the Sabbath was made for man”. God made it for all mankind to enjoy a relationship with Him.
The reason why people don’t keep Sunday holy is that it never was holy in the first place. God won’t help anyone to keep anything holy that He didn’t sanctify. I’ve seen Christians in their church clothes on Sunday- at Wal-Mart! They are buying and selling like any other person, and why not? Sunday is just a regular day.
Thank you for the thought provoking questions. I look forward to find my own answers for them.
Other questions to consider:
Did Jesus COMMAND Saturday Sabbath for the 21st Century Christian or not?
Are the Ten Commandments soley for Jewish Israel and the Gentile or for Israel alone?
Is God offended with Sunday keeping Protestant Christians by not keeping his Sabbath?
I’m sure there are more… But I can’t think of them presently 🙂