Today, most Christians worship on Sunday. But why is that the case when Jesus and His early followers worshiped on the seventh day of the week? And many wonder why it should even matter for us today.

Since Jesus kept the Sabbath faithfully, let’s thoughtfully consider a few of the reasons why He made Sabbath-keeping a priority.

1. He Is God — Jesus kept the Sabbath because He created it. “He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath’ ” (Luke 6:5). He demonstrated internal integrity by His own example.
 
2. He fulfilled the Law — In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve failed to obey God and sin entered our world. Christ came as God in human flesh to demonstrate that His requirements were just, righteous, and attainable through the work of His Spirit in our lives. The book of Romans says, “What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (8:3, 4). Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

3. He Is Our Example — Jesus honored the Sabbath during His earthly life because He is our example in all things. “To this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus faithfully kept the laws of heaven, and He invites each of us today to follow the pattern He left for us. He said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).

You might have friends who are questioning the importance of the Sabbath. Click here for a great resource you can share about the value that Christ places on the Sabbath as a central feature of His Law.