T
Todd_Easton
Guest
Keeping the Sabbath day serves two purposes for the Jews. One purpose is universally applicable to all mankind, namely the healthy practice of periodic rest from heavy manual labor, one day of rest after six days of work, in imitation of God’s one day of rest after the six days’ work of creation. The other purpose is of particular importance only to the Jews. It is the weekly remembrance of the defining event in Jewish history, the exodus, that Sabbath day when God brought the Jews out of slavery in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 5:12-15) The day of their exodus holds special significance for the Jewish people but it is understandably not so significant to people of other nations, as Bastille Day is especially significant to the people of France but not so significant to the people of the United States. Christianity still publicly remembers the exodus in its liturgy at the Easter Vigil Mass every year and during the sixteen week of Ordinary Time every other year but there are more universally significant events for it to remember than the exodus.
The defining event in Christian history is the Sunday resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which the exodus foreshadowed in that God bringing the Jews out of Egypt is similar to God bringing Jesus out of the tomb. Both actions exhibited the saving power of God but the latter action, eternally freeing Jesus from the power of death, is infinitely greater and more worthy of remembrance by all people (especially because they can share in it themselves through baptism) than the former action, temporarily freeing the Jews from the power of Egypt. Consequently, Christians rightly observe Sunday as a day of rest and remembrance rather than the Sabbath.
The defining event in Christian history is the Sunday resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which the exodus foreshadowed in that God bringing the Jews out of Egypt is similar to God bringing Jesus out of the tomb. Both actions exhibited the saving power of God but the latter action, eternally freeing Jesus from the power of death, is infinitely greater and more worthy of remembrance by all people (especially because they can share in it themselves through baptism) than the former action, temporarily freeing the Jews from the power of Egypt. Consequently, Christians rightly observe Sunday as a day of rest and remembrance rather than the Sabbath.