Lord of the Sabbath - Who Is Jesus

The fourth of the ten commandments relates to the Sabbath. God’s people in the Old Testament were required to set aside this one day to honor God as a reminder that every day they were to live in such a way to honor God. I don’t want to talk about Sabbath issues, but want to point out something about the relationship between the Sabbath and Jesus.

Exodus 20:8-11 is the commandment for Sabbath keeping. It is fairly lengthy in comparison to some of the explanations of the other nine commandments. The scripture explains to us the importance and source of the Sabbath. To summarize: the Sabbath is rooted in God’s creation. He created and order this world and the seventh day represents the completion of God’s creation. The Sabbath is created by God for man. The Sabbath is for man to honor God. The Sabbath is not as much about a day as it is about God.

The Sabbath became a huge issue for the Israelites.

Hold that thought: now let me take it another direction.

Who is Jesus? That is really the pivotal issue that differentiates true Christianity from various other religions, doctrines, and systems.

Biblical Christianity is clear that Jesus is THE ETERNAL GOD.
Not everyone holds to that. In fact, other religions all say something about Jesus but stop way short of affirming He is THE ETERNAL GOD.

Islam – Jesus is a prophet
Judaism – Jesus is a good teacher
Mormon Theology – Jesus is divine, a god, but not THE ETERNAL GOD.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – say something very similar to Mormon theology.
Atheism – Jesus was a great man.

How do we determine the answer to the question, who is Jesus? The best approach is to look at what Jesus claimed about himself. Did Jesus claim to be THE ETERNAL GOD?
Now, fast forward to the New Testament and Jesus. The religious leaders hated Jesus. One of the constant confrontations that occur is caused by things that Jesus does on the Sabbath.

One of these incidents occurs in Matthew 12:1-8. Jesus and his disciples did something on the Sabbath and the Pharisees throw a hissy fit. How could Jesus do such a thing? Jesus gives a clear argument and concludes with this statement, Matthew 12:8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

The disciples and Pharisees would understand this statement as shockingly clear. Jesus is claiming to be the creator of the Sabbath, the owner of the Sabbath, the One to whom worship is due on the Sabbath. It is not just a claim to divinity, it is a claim to be THE ETERNAL GOD. The 4th commandment is based on THE ETERNAL GOD’S creation of the world. Jesus says, I am He. Jesus never claims to be a separate God. This is an admission that He is the God of the Old Testament. And, He is the God of the New Testament and the God that has always existed. Wow!

How do the Pharisees understand and respond to Jesus? They want to kill him. They don’t want to kill him because he claims to be a good teacher or prophet, or just a divine person. But, because He claimed that He is THE ETERNAL GOD.

Here is what that means for you: You cannot accept Jesus as just a good teacher. You must accept and live your life in such a way that recognizes and honors the truth that Jesus is THE ETERNAL GOD.