CHRIST, the divine Son, from the eternity to the eternity, changeth never. He is the example of His people in everything.
The seventh day was made the Sabbath; it was made for man; Christ, the Author of Christianity, is its Author. Christ having made the seventh day the Sabbath, it is, therefore, the Christian Sabbath, and inseparable from the Sabbath institution.
When on earth, He followed the humble occupation of a carpenter, toiling all week long until the approach of the Sabbath, during which time He was found, not in the carpenter's shop, but in the place of public worship; for we read, "And when the Sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagog; and many hearing Him were astonished." Mark 6:2.
Sabbath-Keeping Christ's Custom.
It was the life-practise of the Saviour to sacredly observe the rest day of Jehovah. The scripture records His life-example on the Sabbath question in a few words, as follows: "And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and, as His custom was, He went into the synagog on the Sabbath day." Luke 4:16.
In Christ's memorable Sermon on the Mount, He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." Matt. 5:17. Whatsoever He declared of the law as a whole He equally declared of every commandment or letter of the law; therefore, Christ did not destroy the law—Sabbath commandment or any other commandment in the law. He admonished the disciples and the multitude not to even think that He had "come to destroy the law."
To "fulfil" means to establish. To place any other meaning on the term as herein used, would be to wrest it from its divine setting, for it must be in harmony with the statement, "I am not come to destroy." However, should any one insist that "fulfil" means to bring to an end, we will let inspiration settle the question by comparing this saying of Christ with Gal. 6:2, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." If fulfil in this connection means to end, abolish, destroy, then the text would read, Bear ye one another's burdens, and so end, abolish, or destroy, the law of Christ. If "the law of Christ" herein mentioned is different from the moral law, it must refer specifically to the Gospel of love. It can not be true that the law and the Gospel of Christ's love have been abolished, for that would place all men in the attitude of aliens to "the life of God," "having no hope, and without God in the world." Eph. 4:18; 2:12. Christ came to "magnify the law," and introduce the Gospel to "save His people from their sins." John says, "Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.
The Law, Like Its Author, Abides Forever.
The great Teacher continued, saying, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Heaven and earth still remain, but both would pass away before "one jot" (the smallest Hebrew letter) or "one tittle" (a little distinguishing point of a letter) should "pass from the law."
"Till all be fulfilled." The term all refers to both the law and the prophets as mentioned in the 17th verse, and it will take eternity to fulfil some of the prophecies. For example, "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that . . . from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord." Isa. 66:22, 23. This prophecy concerning the children of God in the eternal world coming every "Sabbath" to worship before the Lord, will be continually in process of fulfilment thru all eternity. Therefore, until all the Bible prophecies are fulfilled, not a command of that eternal law can pass away, is the conclusion of the Master in verse 18.
In verse 19, He openly avows in no unmistakable terms the perpetuity of the law of which the Sabbath is a part. "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Macknight renders this text,
"Whosoever, therefore, shall violate, or teach others to violate, were it the least of these commandments, shall be in no esteem in the Reign of Heaven."
Prophecy Concerning Christ and the Law.
Isaiah prophesied of Christ and the law as follows, "He will magnify the law, and make it honorable." Isa. 42:21. To magnify an object does not abolish it. It does not alter it. True, it appears larger, and the perfect or imperfect features are made more manifest. The Jews had made the law appear dishonorable by attaching to it many of their traditional laws. They had also come to believe that to break God's holy law was only a matter of the overt act. But Christ stripped their traditions from the law, and it appeared again in its true light in the sight of men, "honorable;" and He showed that the violation of the law involved the thoughts and heart intentions as well as the outward acts.
Quoting again from the sermon, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment; but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." Matt. 5:21, 22. Christ placed law-breaking first of all in the thought and intention of the heart; thus He magnified the law. His teaching moved men and women to faith and obedience. Thirty years after His ascension the apostle Paul stated very emphatically that he believed all things that were written in the law.
"But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law." Acts 24:14. It is written in the law, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." He lived consistent with his faith in Christ and in the Master's teaching, and therefore observed the Sabbath; for we read, "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures."
Perfection of the Law.
The psalmist David extols the law, saying, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting4the soul." Ps. 19:7. The apostle James also declares the law to be perfect. "But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blest in his deed." James 1:25. Not only is the law perfect, but it does perfect work in pointing out the sins of the soul—"converting the soul;" as by looking in the mirror, smirch on the face is discovered. The mirror can not remove the smirch; the cleansing is in the water. Neither can the law remove guilt; the cleansing is in Christ.
For the benefit of all who desire to know His will, Jesus placed the Sabbath law in the new dispensation as follows: "It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath day." Matt. 12:12. Nothing could be said to be "lawful" on the Sabbath, unless there were both the Sabbath and the law controlling it.
Fruit of Christ's Teaching.
The final fruit of Christ's teaching regarding the Sabbath will be seen in His children at His second coming to reap the harvest of the world. At that time the words come forth from celestial lips in musical strains, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Commandment-keeping includes the seventh-day Sabbath. "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. . . . And He that sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped." Rev. 14:12, 14-16. Herein is the blessed assurance that the faithful and obedient will be there and have heavenly recognition.