“God Rested”

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

As a child, I always wondered why God had to rest after creating the world. He’s God, right? He doesn’t get tired. So why rest?

There’s a theological answer to that which simply says that the expression “God rested” doesn’t mean he was tired and laid down for a nap, but that he put an end to his work of creating. Accurate, but really falls short of answering the deeper question: Why did the Holy Spirit inspire Moses to write this detail about God’s activity? Why not just say that he created everything in six days, end of story?

The answer to that deeper question becomes clearer as we move forward into Exodus, where God’s people, called out of Egypt, are given the Law.

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God … For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:9-11).

Some theologians will tell you that God’s purpose in highlighting his own Sabbath rest was to set a pattern for his people, and really for all of us – that work is good, and so is rest, that we need both, and that it is a godly activity to take a break and focus on him. I don’t disagree with that, but if that’s where we leave it, it’s little more than sanctified life advice; moralistic therapeutic deism. There must be more.

We see something more in the life of Jesus. There’s this episode in his ministry where his disciples are hungry and are picking grain to munch on as they walk along the road. Some sanctimonious men see this happening and criticize the disciples because it’s the Sabbath, and they accuse the disciples of working on the Sabbath and accuse Jesus of allowing such hedonism.

Into the middle of this ridiculous debate, Jesus speaks a sentence that blazes with all the glory of his divinity: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8). This is Jesus, the Son of God, the One who made the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The first Sabbath was his, and every Sabbath since belongs to him.

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We have to back up a moment. We don’t want to miss this. In six days God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. On the sixth day of that week, he made the crown of his creation – mankind. He declared that it was very good. And then he stopped, because he was finished. Creation was complete. The work was done.

On the first day of the week, Jesus rode into Jerusalem. On the sixth day of that week, Jesus redeemed the crown of his creation – mankind. He declared that it was finished. And then he rested. Salvation was complete. The work was done.

The more I read Scripture, the more I see the beauty of its grand narrative. And like any good narrative, the best parts are the ones where you see that all the clues were there all along, you just didn’t see how they come together until the end. This is one of those best parts. It reveals the dedication and planning of our God, that even at creation he was preparing for his story of Salvation to be told, and that the big idea behind it all is this: Completion.

God rested on the seventh day of creation because there was no more creating to be done, and never would be until all this world is destroyed and made new. Jesus rested on the seventh day of Holy Week because there was no more saving work to be done, and never would be until he calls all of the redeemed home for eternity. We can no more add to salvation than we can add to creation, and we do not need to, because salvation is as complete as creation.

That’s why Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, and why he rested: to show us that our salvation is complete. Finished. Like the Sabbath, it is his, to give as he chooses, and like the Sabbath, it is for all mankind.

Andrew Peterson’s newest EP is called Resurrection Letters: Prologue. It’s a short collection of music reflecting on the darkest day in history when the Son of God and Creator of the universe was given up as a sacrifice for sin. This is one of a series of devotions inspired by these songs. Check out the song at the end of this post, and if you like it, pick up the album. Resurrection Letters: Vol. 1 will celebrate the victory of Easter, and is released March 30, 2018. For some thoughts on this song from Andrew himself, check out this post.

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