So much more than just a twenty-four-hour break from work, the Sabbath is a theologically rich and intimate gift of time from our Creator. Whatever we know about the Sabbath, “rest” assured that there is always more to discover.
But what does the Sabbath have to do with education? Think back to the moments in which you have learned the most about God. The studies, the sermons, the fellowship, the special speakers, the songs, the seminars, the vespers, the camp meetings, the potlucks—how many of these moments included the Sabbath hours? With some reflection, for many of us, the Sabbath has been a “university in time” wherein we have been inducted, schooled, and continue to be lifelong scholars-in-residence in the ways and kingdom of God.
The Sabbath also provides time to relearn what we forgot. The Sabbath/manna test was really a trust/obey test to reacquaint Israel with their God after a disorienting sojourn in Egypt. Jesus used the Sabbath to restructure holiness along the lines of relieving human suffering instead of prioritizing traditions that augmented Sabbath prohibitions (Matt. 12:11, 12). His brilliant but terse rebuke—“ ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath’ ”—stands as a monument of reeducation and correction (Mark 2:27, NKJV). Jesus is “Lord also of the sabbath,” and we can learn of the One by studying the other (Luke 6:5).
Part II: Commentary
A Testimony on Motivations
Think for a moment about how to educate one’s heart and mind to be obedient to God, including His Sabbath commandment. Over the years, there seems to be a shift—a good shift—in strategy when motivating people to obey God’s laws.
We can emphasize the negative consequences of disobedience (misery, bondage, penalties, and death). We also can use positive motivations, in which obedience is so attractively presented that people would feel as if they were missing out on a grand adventure if they were to neglect God’s laws.
I became acutely aware of this dichotomy within motivations in talking to Christians other than Adventists. When they learned that I was an annihilationist (not believing in a place of unending eternal torment), two different Christians, unacquainted with each other, made the same comment on two different occasions, as if reading from a common script: “Don’t you lose leverage for evangelism and soul winning by not using an eternally-burning hell?” I remember how struck I was by that comment and, repressing my shock, let them know that I felt that the character of Jesus and His plan of redemption were winsome enough to draw people effectively to God. They both quickly followed up, somewhat embarrassed, with something along the lines of, “Of course, yes, that would work, too.” I quietly thought, “Yes, I should hope so.” But their knee-jerk response to my annihilationism basically was, “How can you get people into heaven without turning the heat up in hell?” Notice how theology inexorably affects evangelism.
I came to realize, maybe for the first time, that Seventh-day Adventist evangelism, and by extension, education, is uniquely compelled to discover the heart of God so as to present Him in a way in which people are drawn, rather than psychologically forced. And I mean psychologically forced. Because, frankly, if eternal burning torture is the reality of the lost, I couldn’t care less who God is, at this point—just tell me the magic words or orthodox doctrines to believe so that I may escape the eternal sulfuric nightmare! Who knows to what degree churches fill their pews based on that argument? But Adventist education puts no such tool in its toolbox to use on its students. Of course, final death and regret are legitimate negatives and, in some cases, may be invoked to kickstart someone’s thinking seriously about his or her future. But for every negative, there are a dozen positives that press one to act on what he or she will receive, rather than on what he or she will avoid. Think of a happy marriage: is it fear of the pain and complex consequences of divorce that keeps spouses together, or have they found another source that keeps them bonded? Let’s apply these reflections to understanding the significance of the Sabbath.
Scripture
There are 89 chapters in the four Gospels. It is relatively easy to see how many of those chapters speak of Jesus’ understanding of the Sabbath. There are 11 instances. This translates to a ratio of 1 out of 8 chapters of the Gospels that deal with the Sabbath. That substantial figure is rendered more relevant when remembering two facts: (1) Jesus did so many things that if it were all written, John “suppose[s] that even the world itself could not contain the books” (John 21:25). (2) The earliest Gospels were probably written 30 or so years after Jesus’ death. Now put those two facts together. Among most Christians, there is an assumption that the institution of the Sabbath ended at the cross. But if that were the case, wouldn’t it be odd that 1/8 of the Gospels dealt with Jesus’ Sabbath reforms? If the Sabbath institution had been defunct for 30 years, especially in light of the fact that there was so much other material about Jesus’ life that could have been recorded, how would this emphasis on the Sabbath be relevant for the fledging church? A quick answer is to say, at least, that the Sabbath was likely still kept by early Christians. Though true, that is arguably the least interesting conclusion. There may be a deeper significance than that, however. Here are a few fascinating connections between the Sabbath, salvation, Jesus, and His kingdom. (The following is taken from Gnana Robinson, The Origin and Development of the Old Testament Sabbath—A Comprehensive Exegetical Approach [PhD Dissertation, University of Hamburg, June 1975], pp. 413, 414):
Matthew and Luke’s genealogies are organized according to a sabbatical, sevenfold arrangement or one that is based on multiples of seven. Matthew, for example, offers three groups of 14 generations in which Abraham, David, and Jesus are the highpoints. Jesus is the continuation and culmination of the salvation pattern, which began in Israel. Luke has 77 generations, starting right from Creation to Jesus. Tying Jesus to Creation through genealogy shows that His salvation is for all of humanity, a fundamental truth that the Sabbath symbolizes.
The fact that Jesus is “Lord of the Sabbath” (see Matt. 12:8) means that the Sabbath belongs to the Messiah as it belonged to Yahweh in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was a sign of the covenant that God had with Israel, that they might know that the One who is Lord of the Sabbath is God (Ezek. 20:20) and that He is the one who sanctifies them (Ezek. 20:12, Exod. 31:13). The foreigner who kept Sabbath was also guaranteed to receive a “place . . . [and] an everlasting name” in His house (Isa. 56:5), which is to be a house of prayer “for all people” (Isa. 56:7). “In this sense, Sabbath is certainly given for the sake . . . of man, for his salvation.” Jesus reinforces these same points by asking rhetorically whether the Sabbath is a time for “sav[ing] life” (Mark 3:4) and freeing the suffering from “bond[age]” (Luke 13:16). The Sabbath is intimately connected with salvation in the Old Testament (Deut. 5:15), and it is the same with Jesus in the New.
Just as the temple in the Old Testament functioned as the place of forgiveness, release, and salvation, so Jesus, being greater than the temple, is now the locus of salvation. The salvation that Jesus brings is poignantly seen in His healings (the word for “save,” sozo, is often used to refer to physical healing, e.g., Matt. 9:22, Mark 6:56, Luke 17:19). Jesus chooses to demonstrate His healing/salvation actions on the Sabbath (e.g., Mark 3:4, Luke 13:10, John 5:1, 9). Each of these cases and more could have waited till another day besides the Sabbath, but perhaps Jesus intends to “show the imminence of the Kingdom of God (Lk. 4:16-19; Lk. 7:22)” and purposefully links the Sabbath with salvation so that the Sabbath remains “the sign of the Messianic Kingdom.”
Part III: Life Application
The insights featured in the commentary section are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to seeing the significance of the Sabbath in Scripture. We Adventists spend so much time just trying to educate others to obey the Sabbath command with the same handful of texts. Thus, we are prone to overlook the breadth of Sabbath theology throughout Scripture. Finally, lest all this Sabbath talk be dismissed as simply Adventists stretching the Scriptures to find more Sabbath support, the above theology that weaves Jesus, the Messianic kingdom, new creation, and the Sabbath together was not authored by any Seventh-day Adventist. One does not have to be a Seventh-day Adventist to see these connections; one just needs a Bible and an open mind.
Some practical tips for learning more about the Sabbath other than the fact it is still to be kept:
Read and listen to more advanced theological material put out by the church’s Biblical Research Institute or the Adventist Theological Society. Even if you only understand 40 percent of what you read, you will still learn, and your comprehension will increase with continued exposure.
Form a small reading group that works through more challenging Sabbath material. In this way you can help to support one another.
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So much more than just a twenty-four-hour break from work, the Sabbath is a theologically rich and intimate gift of time from our Creator. Whatever we know about the Sabbath, “rest” assured that there is always more to discover.
But what does the Sabbath have to do with education? Think back to the moments in which you have learned the most about God. The studies, the sermons, the fellowship, the special speakers, the songs, the seminars, the vespers, the camp meetings, the potlucks—how many of these moments included the Sabbath hours? With some reflection, for many of us, the Sabbath has been a “university in time” wherein we have been inducted, schooled, and continue to be lifelong scholars-in-residence in the ways and kingdom of God.
The Sabbath also provides time to relearn what we forgot. The Sabbath/manna test was really a trust/obey test to reacquaint Israel with their God after a disorienting sojourn in Egypt. Jesus used the Sabbath to restructure holiness along the lines of relieving human suffering instead of prioritizing traditions that augmented Sabbath prohibitions (Matt. 12:11, 12). His brilliant but terse rebuke—“ ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath’ ”—stands as a monument of reeducation and correction (Mark 2:27, NKJV). Jesus is “Lord also of the sabbath,” and we can learn of the One by studying the other (Luke 6:5).
Part II: Commentary
A Testimony on Motivations
Think for a moment about how to educate one’s heart and mind to be obedient to God, including His Sabbath commandment. Over the years, there seems to be a shift—a good shift—in strategy when motivating people to obey God’s laws.
We can emphasize the negative consequences of disobedience (misery, bondage, penalties, and death). We also can use positive motivations, in which obedience is so attractively presented that people would feel as if they were missing out on a grand adventure if they were to neglect God’s laws.
I became acutely aware of this dichotomy within motivations in talking to Christians other than Adventists. When they learned that I was an annihilationist (not believing in a place of unending eternal torment), two different Christians, unacquainted with each other, made the same comment on two different occasions, as if reading from a common script: “Don’t you lose leverage for evangelism and soul winning by not using an eternally-burning hell?” I remember how struck I was by that comment and, repressing my shock, let them know that I felt that the character of Jesus and His plan of redemption were winsome enough to draw people effectively to God. They both quickly followed up, somewhat embarrassed, with something along the lines of, “Of course, yes, that would work, too.” I quietly thought, “Yes, I should hope so.” But their knee-jerk response to my annihilationism basically was, “How can you get people into heaven without turning the heat up in hell?” Notice how theology inexorably affects evangelism.
I came to realize, maybe for the first time, that Seventh-day Adventist evangelism, and by extension, education, is uniquely compelled to discover the heart of God so as to present Him in a way in which people are drawn, rather than psychologically forced. And I mean psychologically forced. Because, frankly, if eternal burning torture is the reality of the lost, I couldn’t care less who God is, at this point—just tell me the magic words or orthodox doctrines to believe so that I may escape the eternal sulfuric nightmare! Who knows to what degree churches fill their pews based on that argument? But Adventist education puts no such tool in its toolbox to use on its students. Of course, final death and regret are legitimate negatives and, in some cases, may be invoked to kickstart someone’s thinking seriously about his or her future. But for every negative, there are a dozen positives that press one to act on what he or she will receive, rather than on what he or she will avoid. Think of a happy marriage: is it fear of the pain and complex consequences of divorce that keeps spouses together, or have they found another source that keeps them bonded? Let’s apply these reflections to understanding the significance of the Sabbath.
Scripture
There are 89 chapters in the four Gospels. It is relatively easy to see how many of those chapters speak of Jesus’ understanding of the Sabbath. There are 11 instances. This translates to a ratio of 1 out of 8 chapters of the Gospels that deal with the Sabbath. That substantial figure is rendered more relevant when remembering two facts: (1) Jesus did so many things that if it were all written, John “suppose[s] that even the world itself could not contain the books” (John 21:25). (2) The earliest Gospels were probably written 30 or so years after Jesus’ death. Now put those two facts together. Among most Christians, there is an assumption that the institution of the Sabbath ended at the cross. But if that were the case, wouldn’t it be odd that 1/8 of the Gospels dealt with Jesus’ Sabbath reforms? If the Sabbath institution had been defunct for 30 years, especially in light of the fact that there was so much other material about Jesus’ life that could have been recorded, how would this emphasis on the Sabbath be relevant for the fledging church? A quick answer is to say, at least, that the Sabbath was likely still kept by early Christians. Though true, that is arguably the least interesting conclusion. There may be a deeper significance than that, however. Here are a few fascinating connections between the Sabbath, salvation, Jesus, and His kingdom. (The following is taken from Gnana Robinson, The Origin and Development of the Old Testament Sabbath—A Comprehensive Exegetical Approach [PhD Dissertation, University of Hamburg, June 1975], pp. 413, 414):
Part III: Life Application
The insights featured in the commentary section are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to seeing the significance of the Sabbath in Scripture. We Adventists spend so much time just trying to educate others to obey the Sabbath command with the same handful of texts. Thus, we are prone to overlook the breadth of Sabbath theology throughout Scripture. Finally, lest all this Sabbath talk be dismissed as simply Adventists stretching the Scriptures to find more Sabbath support, the above theology that weaves Jesus, the Messianic kingdom, new creation, and the Sabbath together was not authored by any Seventh-day Adventist. One does not have to be a Seventh-day Adventist to see these connections; one just needs a Bible and an open mind.
Some practical tips for learning more about the Sabbath other than the fact it is still to be kept: