The Meaning of the Sabbath

What is the Sabbath, and why? The institution God has given for our good has too often been distorted into a burden. We see in John 5:1-18 first our Lord's compassion, second the condemnation of the Pharisees, and thirdly the correction Christ gives. The Sabbath is a positive thing, a blessing of rest, affirming life, a day on which God works for our good.