Matt 12:1-21
Mark 3
Luke 6
Devotion by Cayce Fletcher (SC)
Every morning, I like to take a little bit of time after my bible study to read a few pages in a book. Currently, I am working my way through Jesus the King by Tim Keller (also called King’s Cross). This book is a compilation of Keller’s sermons on the gospel of Mark, and I’ve enjoyed it so far. Interestingly, my reading today lined up perfectly with today’s passages.
In each of the passages today, we read of Jesus doing the work of God on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were outraged, saying, ‘Who does this guy think he is?’ And, each time, Jesus responded, ‘I am Lord of the Sabbath.’
Before we can dive into what Jesus is teaching here, we have to ask: “What is the Sabbath?”
The Sabbath was instituted in the dawn of time when God rested from his work of the world and then reinforced with the Mosiac law. Why did God need to rest?
Keller answers this question in his book: “What does that mean? Does God get tired? No, God doesn’t get tired. So how could he rest? A different reason to rest is to be so satisfied with your work, so utterly satisfied, that you can leave it alone. Only when you can say about your work, “I’m so happy with it, so satisfied – it is finished!” can you walk away. When God finished creating the world, he said, “It is good.” He rested.” (Jesus the King, p. 45)
God didn’t need to strive anymore after his creation was made. It was very good, and he could cease from striving. Sabbath in Old Testament times shows a dependence upon the provision of God. The Israelites had to trust that God would provide enough manna so that they could rest on the sabbath. They had to trust that God would provide abundantly with their crops when they let their land rest every 7 years.
But, by Jesus’ time, the Sabbath had become so distorted that it turned from being a testament to God’s very good creation and provision to being a heavy load carried on the backs of his people.
As Keller says, Sabbath means ‘deep peace, deep rest.’ When Jesus says he is Lord of the Sabbath, he is saying that “he is the source of the deep rest we need” (p.44).
Hebrews 4:9-11 says, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”
Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, we can experience the same type of Sabbath rest. We can cease the striving, lay down our heavy burdens, and rest in what is already done.
Cayce Fletcher writes and podcasts at amorebeautifullifecollective.com. Check out the blog and other resources to help you create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. This free resource here will help you take your Bible study one step further with a Bible reading tracker, Bible study reflection page, and more.
Reflection Questions
- What is the point of the Sabbath? Why did God institute the Sabbath?
- Do you think believers are still called to observe the Sabbath? What does that look like under the New Covenant?
- What does it mean that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath? What does that say about Jesus? What does that say about the Sabbath?








