When discussing Jesus‘ relationship to the Sabbath, it is important to remember that He was the creator of the earth — He whom God the Father calls “the Word of my Power.” Thus, we need to equate the creation, and the day of rest, with Him and with His will for us. Jesus, as Jehovah before He was born as Jesus on the earth, was also the God of the Old Testament, so all that was given to the Old Testament prophets in regard to the sabbath day, came from Christ.

The commandment to honor the sabbath day is basic to true http://www.mormonwiki.com/Main_Page; it is one of the 10 commandments:

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8 – 11).

Nehemiah chastised his people for buying, selling, and working in the fields on the sabbath. Here the connection is established in which the people prosper when they keep the sabbath, but the land and commerce are cursed when the sabbath is broken:

“Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath (Nehemiah 13:17 – 18).

Jeremiah warned,

“But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched” (Jeremiah 17:27).

The keeping of the sabbath day is a sign and covenant between the Lord and His people:

“Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you….It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:13, 17).

The Old Testament punishment for breaking the sabbath was death. There is a reason for this. The Lord blesses His children when they keep the commandment upon which the blessing is predicated. When we keep the commanment, because of His promise to us, the Lord is bound to bless us. But if we fail to keep the commandment, and more especially, if we willfully rebel against keeping the commandment, there is no promise from the Lord. Because of the importance of keeping the sabbath, the Jews became at times, extremely fearful of breaking the sabbath. They created rules and procedures to keep themselves from inadvertantly breaking the sabbath. They would not walk more than one thousand steps and would not drive or ride at all. They would only carry the ritual objects necessary for worship at the synagogue. These restrictions continue among the very orthodox Jews.

Jesus, however, corrected them. One’s conscience can tell him whether he is doing activities that are proper for the sabbath day, if he is close to the spirit. Jesus taught that man is not meant to be a slave to the rules and restrictions of the sabbath, but that the sabbath should be a delight for man, to give him rest and refill him spiritually. In Mark it says,

“And it came to pass, that he [Jesus] went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath” (Mark 2:23 – 28).

Jesus could make this judgment, because He is the Lord of the Sabbath. We can also decide, if we are close to the spirit. Jesus can tell us whether we are keeping the sabbath day. When Jesus performed a healing on the sabbath day, the scribes and pharisees accused Him of breaking the sabbath. The Lord replied. “Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other” (Luke 6:9, 10).

The Jews did have a special dispensation to “break” the sabbath if a life-or-death situation presented itself. They could save an animal or a human being on the sabbath. Jesus referred to that when He healed the man’s hand.

After He was resurrected, Jesus visited the Israelites who had migrated to the Americas. They had been keeping the Law of Moses, but their prophets had been prophesying of Christ’s coming, and they prophesied in Christ’s name. http://mormonolympians.org/controversial_mormon_beliefs peoples had seen signs of Christ’s birth and death. During His visit, the Lord taught them and established His church as He had in the Holy Land, calling twelve disciples and sending them out as witnesses. Christ reiterated the law Moses gave to keep the sabbath holy. “And he commanded them that they should observe the sabbath day, and keep it holy, and also every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God” (Mosiah 18:23).

When the Lord restored the gospel and the priesthood power through http://www.mormonwiki.com/Joseph_Smith,_Jr., He reiterated the importance of keeping the sabbath:

“And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

“Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord. And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.

“Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer. And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, not with much laughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance— Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

“Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:9 – 19).

Mormons have had some specific counsel from their prophets and apostles, but still follow their conscience when keeping the sabbath. These are some points the prophets have made…

Neither buy or sell on the sabbath
Attend church, especially sacrament meeting, in order to partake of the sacrament and renew covenants made at baptism
Rest from your labors, but do the work of the Lord on the sabbath
Visit the sick and the needy on the sabbath
Enjoy family in quiet activities, enjoy simple meals that don’t take a lot of work to prepare or clean up after
Take a nap; read from the scriptures or other good books

Some Mormons watch TV on the sabbath, but others don’t. Many change the music they listen to, in order to make the day more spiritual.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Sabbath

Jesus the Christ Index

Pages

Free Scriptures