Why Did God Establish the Sabbath Law and Jesus Seem to End It?

Biblewithlife August 23, 2025

42 6 minutes read

Jesus walking through a wheat field with his disciples, confronting Pharisees over the Sabbath. — A vivid visual representation of Jesus and His disciples on the Sabbath, illustrating the conflict between the Law of God and man-made traditions.

The Sabbath was an integral part of God’s law given to Israel. It was a day set apart for rest and worship, rooted in God’s own rest after creation.

The Sabbath as a Holy Sign and Memorial 🙏

The fourth commandment of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) establishes the Sabbath as a perpetual sign:

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth… and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. — Exodus 20:8-11 (KJV)

This command was a dual-purpose sign:

A Memorial of Creation: It reminded Israel that God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
A Sign of the Covenant: It was the marker between God and His people, a holy boundary.

The Death Penalty for Defiance: A Consequence of Rebellion ⚖️

The severity of violating the Sabbath, particularly in the wilderness, reflected the seriousness of the covenant. The man gathering sticks in Numbers 15 was not “confused”—he was defiant. His act was not just simple work; it was a public act of rebellion after God had just taught Israel about intentional versus unintentional sin (Numbers 15:27–31 KJV).

And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. — Numbers 15:35 (KJV)

This strict punishment was about upholding the sanctity of the Sabbath and the covenant in the presence of a holy God, who was visibly dwelling among them with the manna, the fire, and the cloud.

Jesus’ Confrontation: Restoring the True Purpose of the Sabbath 🕊️

Centuries later, Jesus repeatedly confronted the religious leaders of His day over their interpretation and enforcement of the Sabbath. This was a direct conflict, not with the Law of God, but with the traditions of men.

Violating Man-Made Traditions, Not God’s Law 🚫

The issue wasn’t that Jesus or His disciples “broke the Sabbath”. They violated man-made traditions that the Pharisees had added to the Sabbath law. Jesus’ disciples plucking ears of corn to eat while walking through a field on the Sabbath was one such instance.

But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. — Matthew 12:2 (KJV)

Jesus responded by reminding them that in God’s law, this was actually permitted (Deuteronomy 23:25 KJV). Jesus’ healings on the Sabbath, which were also condemned by the Pharisees, were not forbidden by the Torah either.

The Sabbath Made for Man, Not Man for the Sabbath 🙏

Jesus’ famous rebuke clarified the true purpose of the Sabbath:

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. — Mark 2:27-28 (KJV)

Jesus was restoring the Sabbath’s original purpose: a day of rest, life, and fellowship, not a burdensome set of legalistic rules. By declaring Himself “Lord of the sabbath,” Jesus asserted His divine authority over the law itself and its true meaning. This was a direct claim to divinity. For more on Jesus’ divine authority, see “

Why Is Jesus Called God? Understanding the Divine Claims in the Bible“.

Laying Aside God’s Command for Human Tradition 😤

In another scathing rebuke, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for replacing God’s commandments with their own man-made burdens:

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. — Mark 7:8 (KJV)

This confrontation revealed that what had changed was not God’s law, but how men interpreted and enforced it. For more on the dangers of man-made traditions, see “

What You Speak Matters: 7 Toxic Words the Bible Warns Us About.”

The Theological Shift: The Fulfillment of Rest in Christ 👑

The transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant was not an abolition of the Sabbath’s principles, but the glorious fulfillment of its promise and purpose.

The Law Written on Hearts, Not Just Stone 💖

The shift was not the erasure of the Torah but the exposure of hypocrisy and the fulfillment of God’s promise that His law would be written on hearts.

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. — Jeremiah 31:33 (KJV)

This new covenant, established through Christ’s blood, moves from external enforcement to an internal transformation by the Holy Spirit.

The Same Sabbath Rest Still Remains 🕊️

The Sabbath, as a principle of rest in God, still remains for believers. The book of Hebrews points to this deeper, spiritual rest in Christ:

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. — Hebrews 4:9-10 (KJV)

Christ Himself is our ultimate Sabbath rest. We cease from our own works of trying to earn righteousness, and we rest in His finished work on the cross. This is the cornerstone of our salvation. For more on this, see “Justified by Faith: The Cornerstone of Christian Salvation.”

Judgment Belongs to God, Not Men ⚖️

The Sabbath penalty of stoning was a function of Israel’s theocratic government in the Old Testament. The New Testament church lives under grace, not legalistic judgment. Divine judgment is still real, but it belongs to God, not men.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men… — Romans 1:18 (KJV)

How Jesus Fulfilled the Sabbath: A Practical Example for Believers 🙏

Jesus didn’t nullify the Sabbath, but He showed us what keeping it

truly looks like. His actions redefined the day from a burden of man-made rules to a day of grace, compassion, and healing.

The Greatest Commandments: Love for God and Neighbor 💖

The Sabbath ties directly to the greatest commandments: love for God and love for neighbor.

Love for God: Obeying His rhythm of rest demonstrates our trust and love for Him.
Love for Neighbor: The Sabbath command itself explicitly includes giving rest to everyone under your care, including servants, foreigners, and even animals (Exodus 20:10). This is an act of love and justice.

Jesus’ healings on the Sabbath, therefore, were not violations of the law but perfect expressions of the law’s core purpose: to bring life and demonstrate love.

A New Law: The Law of Christ 🌿

The shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant brought a new emphasis on the Law of Christ, which is not a heavy burden but a life-giving principle of love (Galatians 6:2). It is a life of rest in God’s grace, not a life of works.

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight 🕊️

The Sabbath rest remains as a spiritual reality, a promise of a future rest in heaven. As believers, we are called to walk by faith, knowing that in Christ, we have entered into God’s ultimate rest. For more on this, see “Will You Live in Heaven Forever? What the Bible Really Says About Eternal Life“.

Conclusion: Restored Purpose and Fulfilled Promise 🌟

Why did God establish the Sabbath Law and Jesus seem to end it? The answer is that Jesus did not end the Sabbath but fulfilled and restored its true purpose. God established the Sabbath as a sign of His covenant, and its strictness was meant to instill holiness. Over time, men burdened it with legalistic traditions. Jesus, as Lord of the Sabbath, removed the man-made burdens and revealed its true intent: a day of rest, life, and love. The shift from Old to New Testament was a shift from external law to internal grace, from legalistic observance to a spiritual rest found in Christ.

The Sabbath rest still remains for believers (Hebrews 4:9), but it is a spiritual rest in Christ’s finished work, not a legalistic burden. Jesus showed us what keeping it truly looks like—an act of compassion, a fulfillment of the Law’s purpose, and a glorification of God. He freed us from the law of sin and death to live in the freedom of the Spirit, where our spiritual rest in Him is complete.

For Further Study 📚

Theology of the Law: Explore the Old Testament Law and its fulfillment in Christ.
The New Covenant: Delve deeper into Jeremiah 31:33 and the meaning of the law written on hearts.
The Role of the Holy Spirit: Understand the Holy Spirit’s role in empowering believers to live righteously.