THE FULFILMENT OF THE SABBATH
So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God – Heb. 4:9 (NASB)
Sabbath – the weekly Jewish day for rest – a subject for disputes, conflicts, controversies, an apple of discord among various “Christian” groups, Messianic Jews and sects. It was already so during the time of our LORD Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry when He repeatedly caused quite a stir among the Jews by His peculiar way of dealing with this religious “holiday”. He had a special preference to heal sick people on Sabbath days which right away offered the Pharisees and the scribes proof that Jesus Christ could never have a divine calling – because after all Jews were under the menace of death penalty for any work done on a Sabbath day.
Ever since, Jews, Christians etc. quarrel about religious terms, legal applications and interpretations – because they simply cannot, or do not want to understand the spiritual meaning of the laws and prescriptions for offerings. In all truth all legal instructions under the old covenant (Testament) have just a shadow of the good things to come – their fulfilment is always found in Jesus Christ. He is the end of the law for righteousness (Rom. 10:4) and its fulfilment. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ (Col. 2:16-17 NKJV).
Thus the apostle Paul writes without any doubt that the Sabbath in his spiritual meaning is nothing more than a shadow of things to come (see Heb. 8:5; 10:1). And under the new covenant (Testament), it never concerns “shadows”, but fulfilment. Consequently, one should not hit each other over the religious heads about legal questions, e.g. in an outward obedience of the Sabbath command. We should rather try to understand the spiritual meaning of the Sabbath which is far more important and really of heavenly meaning and has a direct connection to the LORD Jesus Christ Himself. He is the divine fulfilment of the Sabbath command – He is LORD of the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).
Fact is however that religious people have in nothing else more pleasure than to execute legal instructions. Spiritual men instead endeavour to explore the spiritual meaning of the divine commands – and especially to apply them. They strive to enter into that Sabbath rest (Heb. 4:11) – and not to keep the Sabbath outwardly in a perfect manner, which after all is just a type for many much more important spiritual experiences. And for this reason the LORD Jesus Christ told the unknowing Jews of His age: The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).
What then is the spiritual meaning of the Sabbath? What does it mean practically to enter into GOD’s rest? Sabbath comes from the Hebrew and means distinctly: to cease, or to celebrate. It is not primarily the aspect of resting which is just a derivation from it. Let us go back to the creation. She lasted six (divine) days. Thereafter GOD’s works ceased, and He “rested” on the seventh day from His creation work. What follows is that Israel received as a picture from GOD as His chosen people the seven day week with the demand to rest on the seventh day from all their works. This makes certainly sense from a physiological view, but spiritually seen the true meaning and the fulfilment in Christ are far deeper.
In Heb. 3-4 the writer (probably Paul) gives evidence that the eternal GOD had “worked out” for His covenant people everything for their entire redemption and consummation. He carried out “works” for Israel - beforehand, in the same sense as Christ did later for all mankind. In return the LORD expected of Israel to just take an absolutely crucial stance: obedience of faith. In this manner Israel and the Jews would have perfectly achieved every spiritual objective (e.g. the land of promise in a few days – a type for the fullness of life in Christ). However, instead of leading a life in obedience of faith and thus to rest in GOD’s works (= the divine commandment about Sabbath), they rejected it and as a result of their unbelief and disobedience performed constantly their own religious works. The resulting consequence was that their bodies were scattered in the wilderness (Heb. 3:15-19; 1 Cor. 10:5). No outer appearance of keeping the Sabbath could help there at all!
Under the new covenant, the eternal GOD in His Son Jesus Christ has fulfilled every commandment, has reached to every divine objective, has acquired for everyone all of His godly qualities and many, many more things. Again the eternal GOD performed godly creative works in and through His Son. The only thing which is expected of us is: to rest in the works of Christ (GOD’s)! And this happens solely through obedience of faith – and never by keeping legal commands.
In practice it means: in child-like faith we take hold for us personally of every work which the LORD Jesus Christ did by His death on the cross and live in it constantly, e.g. in Christ’s righteousness, in Christ’s holiness or in the perfectness of Christ. This means exactly that we have entered into the Sabbath rest of GOD’s people! We rest from our own, futile religious and legalistic works (in wanting to please GOD with them) and instead we rest in the works of Christ (GOD’s). For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:8-10/NKJV).
(Translation of the original text in German language. Original German title: Also bleibt noch eine Sabbatruhe dem Volk Gottes übrig - Hebr.4,10 (HTML-Text))
