Why I changed my Sabbath from Sunday to Saturday

Find out more at Luke 23:50-56, Luke 24:1-6, Matthew 28:1

Growing up, I was raised to believe that the Sabbath was on a Sunday. I learned that’s the day Jesus rose again, it’s the day I went to Church (and to Sunday school) and has always been associated with the end of the week. There is much debate on whether the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday and there is no doubt that the debate will be long running.

However, my bible study now leads me to believe that the Sabbath is actually on a Saturday and here’s why. In Luke 23:50-54, Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body from the cross, wrapped it in linen and laid it in the tomb. Verse 54 tells us that this was the preparation day (what we know as Good Friday – the day that Jesus was removed from the cross).

Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. Luke 23: 53-54

We know that this is before the Sabbath because Luke 23:54 says “the Sabbath drew near”. We see in Luke 23:56 that the women returned, prepared spices and fragrant oils and rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Luke 50: 55-56

Luke 24:1 tells us that the women came on the first day of the week and the body of Jesus was not there. This would have been the third day, the day that Jesus rose again. So if you’re Christian like myself, and believe Jesus rose on a Sunday, and the Bible tells us that the women rested the day before he rose again, that indicates that the Sabbath falls on a Saturday.

This is confirmed again in Matthew 28:1 where we find that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb after the Sabbath and Jesus was gone, again confirming that the Sabbath is a Saturday.

Feel free to share your thoughts. May your day be blessed with love and peace.

© Leap of Faith 2022