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The Lord God said that Sabbath was a “sign” forever (Exodus 31:16-17). Israel was not to do any labour or work on Sabbath––at all––in the same way God rested from His works when He created all things (Genesis 2:3).
But what exactly is the ‘sign’ of Sabbath? And how did Christ fulfill it?
I’m glad you asked.
Well –– you know what I mean.
A sign directly points to something beyond itself. A sign is not the substance nor is it significant in itself, it just tells you that there is or will be something that is significant or greater than itself. Observing Sabbath, too, was a covenantal “sign” and witness that the congregation of Israel was God’s chosen people—Israel was to rest from all works.
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.” (Exodus 31:12-14)
Sabbath was a sign that pointed to Israel’s need to rest in God in order to be sanctified. God does not teach that it is the rest itself or the day itself that makes you holy. For God says we must keep it so “that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you” (v.13). Therefore, direct obedience to God is what sanctifies, not cold-hearted compliance to the task itself, which, in this case, is idleness. God sanctifies, but you must follow and obey Him to also be sanctified.
To work or labour on Sabbath, then, was to outright reject God’s holiness and His kingdom, the likes of which resulted in execution or being cut off from the congregation (v.14). Even carrying firewood was seen as a violation (Numbers 15:32-36). Holiness fully depends on God, not on the works of the law or lack thereof. And that’s what the lack of work was supposed to show: The covenantal sign of Sabbath, that is the holy convocation of solemn rest, was appointed by God to teach the people Israel that it is God who sanctifies them, not the works themselves. The act of resting on Saturday in itself has no intrinsic merit or worth –– you earn nothing by resting. That’s the whole point.
So, if resting from works is a sign that points to God sanctifying His chosen people, how did Christ fulfill it?
Here’s where things get interesting.
The word rest is conceptually related to death (Proverbs 21:16; Job 3:13; Isaiah 57:2). Rest is often associated with a righteous person who dies and finds solace in God (Isaiah 57:1-2; Matthew 11:28-30), whereas evil and wickedness is often associated with “restlessness” (Job 3:17; Psalm 125:3; Matthew 12:43; James 3:8; cf. Genesis 4:12,14). The purest form of rest can only come through God, by resting in Him.
Sabbath rest, more specifically, was associated with Israel’s deliverance out of bondage and finding rest in the Promised Land (Deut.12:10; Joshua 1:13-15). That is why, in the NT, Sabbath is considered an eschatological symbol of salvation, deliverance from the bondage of sin. Finding “rest” and being “refreshed” in Christ is compared to the wilderness wandering, where sin leads to death and only those who believed were allowed to enter the Promised Land and given God’s rest (Jude 1:5; Hebrews 3:18-19). In the same way, Christ leads us to new creation where He will ultimately give us rest in Paradise (Acts 3:20-21; Psalm 95:7-11; Hebrews 3:7-11, 4:1-11).
Okay, so––how does all this work together?
It boils down to the timing of Christ’s death.
In each Gospel, it says that Jesus rose from the dead on “the first day of the week”, which is Sunday, the day after Sabbath, or the eighth day (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-2; Luke 24:1; John 20:19). Meaning, Christ was crucified and buried on Friday (Mark 15:42) and then rested on Sabbath at the end of the week––a pure, righteous rest.
Christ’s death and resurrection is a direct parallel to the creation account in Genesis, when God separated the light from the darkness on the first day and rested from His works on the seventh day (Genesis 1:3-5, 2:2-3). Christ rose on the first day as the light of the world and separated the light from the darkness (John 3:19, 8:12, 9:5; Matthew 5:14, 25:32-33), those who accept Him from those who reject Him (2 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 5:8).
The sign is clear: Sabbath points to His death. Sunday points to His resurrection.
Christ’s death put the old covenant to rest––that is, He fulfilled the Law in His death. He fulfilled Sabbath––He is our Sabbath: We rest in Christ (Matthew 11:28-30; Acts 15:7-11). And through His rest, we are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14; 1 Corinthians 6:11). Our old self was put to death with Him so that we, too, may no longer be enslaved to sin, but can freely walk as new creations in the newness of life (Romans 6:6-11; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Why is all this important?
Because Sabbath points to salvation, and salvation is rest from works.
Matlock Bobechko is the Chief Operating/Creative Officer of Bible Discovery. He is an eclectic Christian thinker and writer, award-winning screenwriter and short filmmaker. He writes a blog on theology, apologetics, and philosophy called Meet Me at the Oak. He is also an Elder at his local church.
