Is the Sabbath Made for Man, or Not?

Author: Dwight A. Pryor

JESUS SAID, The Sabbath was made for humankind (Mark :! "#S$%& 'ut for
(enturies the )hur(h has ar*ued that the Sabbath was made for Jews& The se+enth,da-
(ommemoration of the (reation is not for )hristians, said the )hur(h .athers, be(ause it
was su/erseded b- the ei*hth da- of resurre(tion and the new (reation in )hrist& So Jews
worshi/ on Saturda- but )hristians worshi/ on Sunda-&
0ithout dis/ute, the Sabbath is /re(ious to Israe1 and uni2ue1- and inde1ib1- (onne(ted to
the Jewish /eo/1e& .o11owin* the E3odus from E*-/t, 4od brou*ht Israe1 to Mt& Sinai,
and there 1ike a 1o+in* bride*room in+ited her to be(ome 5is bride6i&e&, to affirm and
renew the (o+enant 5e first (ut with Abraham& After hearin* the Ten 0ords read6a
ketubah of sorts6Israe1 with one +oi(e affirmed: A11 that Adonai has s/oken we wi11
do7 (E3o 8:!%&
As an eterna1 si*n (9ot o1am% of this /er/etua1 (o+enant, 4od *a+e Israe1 the /re(ious *ift
of Shabbat& :ike a weddin* rin*, it wi11 fore+er s-mbo1i;e their e3(1usi+e (o+enant union
(<=:=>,=!%& This is wh- the /ro/hets 1ike Jeremiah (ou1d +iew Sabbath obser+an(e as a
sin*u1ar si*n of Israe19s (o+enant fide1it- or 1a(k thereof& 0hene+er Israe1 remo+ed her
?weddin* rin*9, in+ariab1- she was *oin* whorin* after other ba9a1im or husbands&
So im/ortant was the Sabbath to the +ita1it- and +iabi1it- of this (o+enant re1ationshi/
with the :ord that nonobser+an(e re2uired the offender to be (ut off from the (ommunit-
(<=:=8%& 5onorin* the se+enth da- took /re(eden(e e+en o+er (onstru(tion of the
Mishkan or Taberna(1e (<@:,<ff%& 5onorin* 4od b- san(tif-in* time has a hi*her
/riorit- than (onstru(tin* 5im a san(tuar- in s/a(e&
So -es, the Sabbath is uni2ue1- for the Jews& As oft noted, it has ke/t Israe1 e+en more
than Israe1 has ke/t it& The Jewish /eo/1e are the /ersona1 /ro/ert- of the Ain* (=B:@%C
e+en so the- treasure Shabbat as a Dueen& I" 05AT SE"SE T5E" (an we sa- that the
Sabbath is for humankind6in(1udin* )hristians who a1so wish to honor 4od b-
rememberin* ShabbatE
A (1ue to the uni+ersa1 (hara(ter of the Sabbath (an a(tua11- be found in the Ten
)ommandments, of whi(h there are two re(ords: E3odus F and the re/etition thereof in
Deuteronom- @& The two +ersions essentia11- are identi(a1 e3(e/t for one word& Gne
enHoins #emember (;a(hor% the se+enth da- and the other to Gbser+e (shamor% it&
"ote that the reason *i+en for rememberin* the Sabbath is the (reation (E3o F:==%&
0hereas the (o+enant ob1i*ation to kee/ or obser+e the Sabbath stems from the
redem/tion from E*-/t (Deut @:=@%& Gb+ious1- both as/e(ts are re1e+ant to Israe1, but
/erha/s at another 1e+e1 we see here a basis for humankind honorin* the Sabbath as we11&
After a11, 1on* before the Mosai( (o+enant with Israe1 was stru(k at Sinai, 4od (reated
adam (humankind% in the 4arden and then (eased from 5is 1abors& Shabbat was a
uni+ersa1 (reation /rin(i/1e before it be(ame a /arti(u1ar (o+enant /re(e/t&
.or e+er-one (reated in the ima*e of 4od, therefore, sure1- it is *ood and wise to emu1ate
our )reator b- restin* from our 1abor and to honor 5im b- san(tif-in* the se+enth da-&
Iro/er1- /ra(ti(ed, in Ho-, Shabbat (an restore the sou1, bui1d u/ the fami1- and draw us
(1oser to 4od&
A (arefu1 e3amination of the *os/e1 a((ounts re+ea1s that Jeshua obser+ed the Sabbath
as a de+out Jew& (After a11, to do otherwise wou1d ha+e been to sin%& A*ainst some of his
su/er(i1ious (riti(s, wont to im/ose stif1in* restri(tions, Jesus stressed that the Sabbath is
intended b- 4od to be 1ife,affirmin* and a b1essin*& It is for man&
The first (hur(h, 1ike Jesus, (ontinued to honor the Sabbath and to worshi/ at the
s-na*o*ue& 'ut as Shabbat ended the- wou1d *ather from house to house on the first da-
of the week (A(ts F:!% for instru(tion from the a/ost1es and for fe11owshi/, and to set
aside (ontributions for the need- (= )or =>:%& In other words, the- honored the )reator
and 4od of Israe1 on the Sabbath as we11 as assemb1ed on Sunda- in remembran(e of
their risen :ord& These need not be mutua11- e3(1usi+e&
Shabbat shou1d be an enormous b1essin* for e+er-one, for Jew and )hristian, for fami1ies
and (ommunities& The Sabbath is for humankind& Jou ha+e Jesus9 word on it7
K F=8 The )enter for Judai(,)hristian Studies&
A11 ri*hts reser+ed&