Worthy Is The Lamb

They sought to kill Him…John 5:18

They sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal to God, John 5:18. Verses 19 thru 23 records Jesus’ reply to their accusation. Jesus ignores the charge of breaking the Sabbath concentrating on who He is: The Son of God.

So, either Jesus did not break the Sabbath or He did. Or, Jesus came to reform the Sabbath. Or, Jesus came to fulfill the Sabbath. Or, Jesus is our Sabbath. Whichever you may prefer, the Jews of His day saw Jesus as a man who broke the Sabbath. Not once, but many times. As such, Jesus deserved to be stoned to death.

Instead, Jesus died for their sins, not His. The law of the Sabbath was a reminder of God resting from His work of creation. The Sabbath is a reminder of God rescuing Israel from Egypt. Sabbath observance is a sign of the covenant with Israel. This was not lost on Paul, trained in the law as a Pharisee. 

Therefore, we read: Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience, Hebrews 4:11. Leading us to verse 16: Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Which of course must be understood in context. For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day, Hebrews 4:8. 

Jesus is our rest, Matthew 11:28: Come unto Me…and I will give you rest. Likewise, God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt points to our rescue from sin, Galatians 5:1: It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. God gave the Sabbath as a sign of His covenant with Israel, Exodus 31. Jesus gave us His blood as a sign of the new covenant, Luke 22:20.

We worship God and His Son Jesus who gave us true rest. This is what John was allowed to see in heaven. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a love voice: “Worth is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and such are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Revelation 5: 11-13