What Day is the Sabbath Day According to the Bible?

Pastor, writer

Updated November 22, 2024

As a young Christian, I had no real understanding of what the Sabbath was or why it mattered. In fact, I mistakenly thought that “Sabbath” simply meant “seventh,” tying it to the seventh day of the week. How wrong I was! The word “Sabbath” actually means “to rest” or “to cease.” Over time, I realized that the Sabbath is about far more than just a day—it’s about setting aside time to honor God and embrace His gift of rest.

The question of which day is the true Sabbath has sparked discussion, debate, and even division for centuries. Is it Saturday, as observed in Jewish tradition and rooted in the Old Testament commands given to Israel? For the Israelites, the Sabbath was established by God Himself as part of the Ten Commandments, a holy day to rest from work and reflect on His creation and covenant relationship with His people (Exodus 20:8-11). It was a sign between God and Israel, symbolizing His provision, holiness, and the rest He desires for His people.

Or is it Sunday, as many Christians believe, tied to New Testament practices and the resurrection of Christ? While the Old Testament focuses heavily on the Sabbath as part of God’s covenant with Israel, the New Testament provides new perspectives on how Jesus fulfilled the Law, shifting the focus from strict observance to the heart of worship and rest.

While this article won’t settle the debate once and for all, we will explore what Scripture says about the Sabbath in both the Old and New Testaments, the role it played for Israel, and how its purpose continues to shape our lives today.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Debby Hudson

Where in Scripture Does God Create the Sabbath and Why?

From the very beginning, we see God laying the groundwork for what He would eventually put in place. In Genesis chapter 2, we see a foreshadowing of what was yet to come:

“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3).

It must be made absolutely clear that the fact that God rested does not in any way imply that He was tired. It simply means that He ceased from His labor. You will also note that God blessed and sanctified this day, for that very reason.

So when is the Sabbath day? The Sabbath day is Saturday. We read:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11).

This fourth commandment was only the beginning of an entire system that the God was about to institute. That which would be called the Mosaic Law, which would number at least 613 laws, was put in place temporarily for the Jews. The intricate sacrificial system was meant to be only a stopgap measure until Christ, the perfect Lamb of God would come. The Jewish feasts in the Old Covenant, all looked forward to some aspect of the yet-to-be-revealed New Covenant. And while nearly every aspect of the Jewish feasts have now been fulfilled, and we are now no longer under Law, but under grace, the Sabbath remains intact because God set it apart.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/fizkes

Why Did the Sabbath Day Change from Saturday to Sunday?

Luke 23:53-56 and Luke 24:1 are key to understanding which day the Sabbath corresponds to and how it transitions to Sunday in Christian tradition. Here's a breakdown:

Luke 23:53-56

"Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment."

This passage describes events immediately after Jesus’ crucifixion. It states that His body was placed in the tomb on Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath. The women rested on the Sabbath, following Jewish law, before they planned to return to the tomb. This Sabbath was clearly observed on Saturday, as it aligns with Jewish tradition that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week.

Luke 24:1

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb."

This verse continues the narrative, marking the discovery of Jesus' resurrection on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. The women returned to the tomb early on Sunday morning, the day after the Sabbath, and found it empty.

These passages affirm that the Sabbath Jesus and His followers observed was Saturday, the seventh day of the week. This aligns with the Jewish practice established in the Old Testament (e.g., Exodus 20:8-11) and maintained during Jesus’ time.

However, Christians began gathering on Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection, as a celebration of the new covenant and the fulfillment of God’s promises. This shift, while not explicitly commanded in Scripture, is reflected in passages such as Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2, where the first day of the week (Sunday) is mentioned as a time for worship and gathering.

Thus, Luke 23:53-56 and Luke 24:1 show that the Sabbath Jesus observed was Saturday, but the resurrection on Sunday marked a significant shift, leading Christians to honor Sunday as a day of worship and rest in celebration of Christ’s victory over death.

In all of this, what we must remember is that like everyone else, the Jews need to come into Christ, and out from under the Law. The Law had a unique purpose: “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:24-27).

The Law acted as a schoolmaster because it showed and taught us that we were unable to keep it. Though the Law was perfect, because it came from God, there was nothing in it to show us how to keep it. Paul the apostle stated: “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good” (Romans 7:12).

We read nowhere in Scripture where God switched the Sabbath day. Some would argue this point because under grace, we now worship on Sunday-except for Adventists of course. So it is not so much that the Jews have a different Sabbath day. In Christ, since He is the fulfillment of the Law, He is now our Sabbath rest. We read of this in Hebrews: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:9-10).

As stated, when Christ sanctified the sabbath day and made it holy, it was because He ceased from His labor on that day. But what does this mean for us? Jesus serves as our Sabbath rest in that He provides freedom from living under the Law; from trying to measure up to God’s righteousness in our own strength. This is what Christ was referring to when He spoke these now familiar words: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Why It Doesn't Matter What Day of the Week It Is

Because Christ is our Sabbath rest, and we celebrate Him daily, we must remember as was stated in the beginning, that sabbath means rest, not worship; we must be careful not to confuse the two concepts. So whichever day or days one chooses to set apart is a good day, because Christ is at the center of it.

What is most important to remember is that we not continue working and laboring to make ourselves acceptable to God. It was simply not possible for the Jews to keep 613 civil, temple and ceremonial laws without failing. The Pharisees would eventually come along and add to the Law by implementing “fence laws,” which were meant to keep one from breaking the Law. The point is, there is no way that we can be free, except through Christ.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

When we come to an understanding of who Jesus is and what He did on the cross, it will begin to shed light on the rest that we have in Him. Our only rest is found in the victory that He won on our behalf there.

We are to remember to not get caught up in which day is more important than another. This has the potential of plunging us back into Law; even in this slightest way. We would do well to remember the words of the apostle Paul to the Galatians:

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).

As we continue living out our lives for the Lord, and as we continue setting apart each day to worship Him in spirit and in truth, let us be mindful of the words of the apostle Peter:

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed” (1 Peter 3:16).

When we are able to set Christ apart in our heart, we will then be able to set Him apart in all that we do. Praise the Lord!

Michael Jakes is a Bible teacher, and co-founder of That’s The Word! Ministries, a distinctly online Cross-centered outreach. He hosts several live weekly webcasts, including 'The Bible Speaks Live', 'The Cutting It Right Bible Study', and the 'Line By Line Webcast'. He has also authored three books, The Lights In The Windows, Churchified Or Sanctified?, and Living In Between Sundays. He and his wife Eddye have been married for over 40 years, and reside in New York. You can follow him on Facebook and Youtube , or listen to his podcasts on Spreaker.