Bottom Line

Jesus fulfills the Sabbath by inviting us to rest in God's presence, both now and forever.

“‘There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.
Leviticus 23:3

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20:8-11

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Genesis 2:1-3

Jesus both challenges their conceptions of the Sabbath and fulfills the true purpose of the Sabbath.

Jesus helped people rediscover the true purpose of the Sabbath.

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27-28

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.
Mark 3:1-2

Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
Mark 3:3-4

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Mark 3:5-6

Jesus lived a very Sabbath like life.

Jesus makes a way for us to enter God's rest forever.

So there is a Sabbath rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
Hebrews 4:9-11

Action Steps

Create some space to reflect with God in prayer using these questionssome text

• Are you living a life that allows you to experience the rest God has created you to need?
• Are you living a life that brings life to others?
• Are you living a life that's pointed towards eternity?

Practice a Sabbath this week

• Turn off your phone for an extended period of time
• Create intentional time and space to be in God's presence
• Do something that slows you down or connects you with creation
• Try to cultivate an awareness of God's presence throughout the day