Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Sabbath Rest

Why did Jesus so many times heal people on the sabbath? Was it simply to annoy the Jews, or was there some deeper reason?
I submit, after reading the story of Jesus healing the man born blind, in John 9, that He did it to show that our healing is done on a day of rest (faith) and not a day of works.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where is the Biblical connection between a day of rest and faith (which means more than mental assent)?

Jennie said...

The day of rest, which began by God's own example in Genesis 1, is fulfilled in salvation through faith in Christ. See Hebrews 3 and 4, especially Hebrews 4:3-10
3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:

“ So I swore in My wrath,

‘ They shall not enter My rest,’”

although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:


“ Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

This last verse teaches that when we enter the 'rest' of salvation, we have ceased from our works as God did from His. Then we do not work from our own power to sanctify ourselves, but by God's Spirit in us as we abide in His word (John 15 and 17).

Jennie said...

Anonymous,
Hebrews 3 makes the connection (between faith and a day of rest) clearer:
Hebrews 3:

17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.