Simply Put – "Sabbath"

Host: Barry Cooper (Ligonier Ministries)
Date: February 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Barry Cooper unpacks the biblical and theological meaning of “Sabbath.” The goal is to clarify the purpose, history, and ongoing relevance of the Sabbath, highlighting its importance for Christians today. Barry explains both the Scriptural roots and the practical significance, addressing common confusions and misunderstandings—especially as they relate to how rest is not just a requirement but a gift.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Meaning and Origin of Sabbath

[00:00 – 01:15]

Definition: “Our English word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat, which means rest, rest.”
Creation Pattern: God rested on the seventh day after creation, not because He was tired, but as a model for humanity’s rhythm of work and rest.
- “God's choosing to rest from work on the seventh day is not because God gets tired. It's meant to demonstrate for us a regular weekly rhythm that we cannot neglect if we're to thrive as human beings.”

2. The Sabbath in the Ten Commandments

[01:16 – 02:20]

The Sabbath command in Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God…”
The Sabbath is presented as a divine gift integrated into the fabric of God's law for Israel.

3. The Sabbath Controversy in Jesus’ Day

[02:21 – 03:30]

Jesus often challenged the Pharisees' interpretation of Sabbath, performing healings on that day.
Quote: “If Jesus is who he says he is, the incarnate Second Person of the Trinity, then He is the author of the Sabbath Law, which means that he is best placed to explain what it is for and how we're meant to observe it.”
— Barry Cooper (03:10)
Jesus declared himself “Lord of the Sabbath” and corrected its misuse.

4. The Sabbath’s Intent: Gift, Not Burden

[03:31 – 05:00]

Pharisaical traditions turned Sabbath into a legalistic burden with excessive rules.
- “For example, under Pharisaical law you were forbidden from tying and untying knots, plucking a single head of grain in a grain field, or writing more than one letter of the Alphabet.”
Jesus recentered the Sabbath as a day meant for human good: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
— Barry Cooper (03:46) quoting Jesus

5. Sabbath’s Fulfillment in Christ

[05:01 – 06:10]

The ultimate purpose: to point believers to the deeper rest found in Christ’s finished work.
- “Specifically, the Sabbath points us to the rest that we enjoy in Christ. In Christ we can rest from our work because he has done all that is necessary for our salvation.”
Sabbath is now understood as spiritual rest alongside physical rest.

6. Paul’s Guidance to Christians on the Sabbath

[06:11 – 07:00]

Colossians 2:16-17: “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Christians should avoid legalism toward Sabbath observance, focusing on the rest Christ brings.
- “The key thing is that we do regularly rest from our work on the Christian Sabbath, also known as the Lord's Day, and that we do regularly remember and enjoy the ultimate rest that God has given us in Jesus Christ.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“It's meant to demonstrate for us a regular weekly rhythm that we cannot neglect if we're to thrive as human beings.” (00:48)
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (03:46, quoting Jesus)
“Christ Himself is our Sabbath rest.” (05:40)
“These (Sabbaths) are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (06:35, quoting Paul in Colossians)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[00:00] – Introduction to sleep, rest, and the origin of "Sabbath"
[01:16] – Sabbath commandment in Exodus
[02:21] – Jesus’s interactions with the Sabbath and the Pharisees
[03:31] – Examples of Pharisaical Sabbath laws
[05:01] – Sabbath as pointing to rest in Christ
[06:11] – Paul’s teaching in Colossians on Sabbath and Christian liberty

Summary

Barry Cooper demystifies the concept of the Sabbath, explaining its biblical roots in creation and law, its corruption by later traditions, and its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. The Sabbath is shown as a God-given gift for both physical and spiritual rest, not a legalistic burden. Christians today are called to embrace its true intent—regularly resting from labor and celebrating the ultimate rest found in Jesus—while resisting judgment and legalism over outward observance.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Researchers have calculated that you spend approximately a third of your life asleep, and significantly more than that if you've ever had to renew your driving license at the dmv. It is interesting that God has so ordered things that we need rest for our general well being. Our English word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat, which means rest, rest. In Genesis chapter two, we read that having completed the work of creation, God himself rested. The text says, on the seventh day God finished His work that he had done. And he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it God rested from from all his work that he had done in creation. Now, clearly, God's choosing to rest from work on the seventh day is not because God gets tired. It's meant to demonstrate for us a regular weekly rhythm that we cannot neglect if we're to thrive as human beings. Historically, there have been some significant debates around the Sabbath. One of these debates concerns the extent to which the Sabbath is still binding for Christian believers and what ex exactly it looks like to observe the Sabbath. Observing the Sabbath is of course, one of the ten commandments God gave Moses and the people of Israel. Here's Exodus 28. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work. You or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livest sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. But if you fast forward to the coming of Jesus, things really start getting interesting because Jesus himself, God the Son, frequently got into trouble with some of the religious teachers of his day, the Pharisees, for not observing the Sabbath according to their teaching. For example, by healing a disabled man on that day, Jesus was, according to the Gospel writer, John, breaking the Sabbath. That's John, chapter 5, verse 18. Now, if Jesus is who he says he is, the incarnate Second Person of the Trinity, then He is the author of the Sabbath Law, which means that he is best placed to explain what it is for and how we're meant to observe it. Jesus makes this explicit when he identifies himself as the Lord of the Sabbath. In that capacity, Jesus explains that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In other words, the Sabbath rest is intended to serve human beings, not enslave them. It's not intended to be a burden on human beings, which is what it had become under the Pharisees. Instead, it's intended by God to be a gift given for our enjoyment. The Pharisees had put into place a long list of things which they defined as work that must not be done on the Sabbath, and the list had soon become rather farcical. For example, under Pharisaical law you were forbidden from tying and untying knots, plucking a single head of grain in a grain field, or writing more than one letter of the Alphabet. They had added extra Sabbath regulations to the Word of God and had elevated obedience to these man made Sabbath laws to such an extent that they'd lost sight of God's purpose in giving human beings a Sabbath in the first place. And that purpose is that we take regular time each week to remember God, to consciously rest in him, and to join with his people in enjoying that rest together. Specifically, the Sabbath points us to the rest that we enjoy Christ. In Christ we can rest from our work because he has done all that is necessary for our salvation. We rest in his perfect obedience to God's law on our behalf. We rest in the knowledge that in him our sin is paid for. We rest in the knowledge that in him our future is is secure and so on. Christ Himself is our Sabbath rest. The Apostle Paul picks up on this in Colossians 2. He tells believers, therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Paul is telling us not to judge others in regard to exactly how they observe the Sabbath. The key thing is that we do regularly rest from our work on the Christian Sabbath, also known as the Lord's Day, and that we do regularly remember and enjoy the ultimate rest that God has given us in Jesus Christ. I'm Barry Cooper and this has been, Simply Put, a podcast from Ligonier Ministries. We would love even more people to discover Simply Put. So please leave us a review on your favourite podcast app, especially if you live outside the United States. It makes a real difference. Thanks so much for listening.