Was it Really the Lord’s Custom to Keep the Sabbath? (Luke 4:16)

by Ester yusufu | 25 June 2022 08:46 pm06

The Bible tells us that Jesus regularly went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. But does this mean that we are also required to observe the Sabbath in the same way?

Luke 4:16

“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read.”

At first glance, this may seem like Jesus was observing the Sabbath just as the Jewish people did under the Law of Moses. However, it is important to understand the deeper theological meaning.

Jesus is called the Lord of the Sabbath:
Luke 6:5

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’”

This reveals that Jesus has authority over the Sabbath—it is not a law that binds Him as it does the rest of humanity. The Sabbath was originally given as a day of rest and worship (Exodus 20:8-11), but Jesus, as Creator and Lord (John 1:3), fulfills its ultimate purpose.

Why, then, was it Jesus’ custom to attend synagogue on the Sabbath?

The Sabbath was the day when most Jews gathered in the synagogue to hear the Scriptures preached (Nehemiah 13:19-22). Other days were workdays. Jesus went where the people were, on the day they assembled. If they had gathered on a different day, He would have gone then. This was a practical decision to reach the people effectively, not a religious requirement.

This is similar to modern evangelistic methods: someone might choose Saturday or Sunday to go door-to-door because more people are at home, not because those days are sacred.

Importantly, Jesus also said:
Mark 2:27

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

This means the Sabbath was designed to serve humanity’s good, not to enslave people to legalistic observance.

The apostles also preached in synagogues on the Sabbath (Acts 13:14, 42-44), not because they were bound to Sabbath observance, but because it was the day people gathered to hear God’s Word.

What about Christians today?

The New Testament clarifies that Christians are no longer under the old ceremonial laws, including Sabbath observance:
Colossians 2:16-17 

“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”

Instead, Christians enter into a spiritual rest through faith in Jesus Christ:
Hebrews 4:9-10

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.”

True Sabbath rest is about peace with God and freedom from the burden of legalism through Christ.

Jesus is coming.

Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2022/06/25/was-it-really-the-lords-custom-to-keep-the-sabbath-luke-416/

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