“Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread throughout the entire vicinity. He was teaching in their synagogues, being acclaimed by everyone. He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. He began by saying to them, 'Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.'” Luke 4:14-21
It is the LORD's command for us. Jesus worshiped on the weekly Sabbath. He was born a Jew and lived a life consistent with much of traditional Judaism of his day. Likewise, the first Jewish disciples continued in the traditional forms of synagogue worship. When He returns, He will still be a Jew worshiping God the way He has commanded us to do so, and instructing others to do the same.
It is important to note, however, that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath (Mark 2:27). To those who observe the Sabbath, it is their reward. It is a delightful day of rest from our regular routine. However, the important element is the spirit in which we observe the holy days. Sadly, too often the people forgot to make the Sabbath a delight, relegating it to a list of rules instead. Jesus challenged the people of his day to remain biblically balanced to enter into the true rest of God's spirit. The same appeal goes forth to this generation. Jesus is LORD, even over the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8).
That being said, for anyone who loves God and wants to worship Him, I urge you to worship Him the way He has ordained us to, as a parent explains their expectations to their child, and does not expect them to recreate the parents' explanation. That would be ludicrous, but yet that is what has happened with Christianity and the Bible. God has explained that He wants us to worship Him on these days and these ways, and yet we are ignoring His expectations in an attempt to redefine what He expects of us. He did not write in riddles. This is not a puzzle to try and understand. He is particularly clear of the matter, and there's reasons why.
The seventh day is a wonderful reminder of a coming day set aside to rest in the Messiah. The 1,000 year Kingdom of Jesus will be a beautiful time of rest and corporate worship of the King. All of the prayers for the Sabbath reflect this truth. May it come soon! In the meantime, Messiah bids us to experience the truth of the Sabbath in our daily walk:
“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
As we celebrate the Sabbath, may spiritual rest in Jesus constantly be your experience!
To learn more about the Sabbath, including where it's mentioned in the Old and New Testament and what it looks like, visit https://quirozs.wixsite.com/kingdomlifedesign/keeping-the-sabbath-holy
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