In the New Testament, the encounters of Jesus Christ with the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath focus not on whether to keep it, but on how to keep it. It was His habit to be in the synagogue as part of a holy convocation on the Sabbath, demonstrating the importance of assembly. His ministry began on the Sabbath, as He read from Isaiah 61 to clarify His mission to spiritually heal and cleanse His chosen people, making them acceptable to God the Father. The Sabbath holds such significance that His ministry both started and ended on this day. There are seven recorded healings by Jesus Christ on the Sabbath, including the man with the unclean spirit, Peter's mother-in-law, the man with the withered hand, the lame man, the blind man, the crippled woman, and the man with dropsy. None of these healings were in immediate life-or-death situations, yet the Pharisees were outraged, considering them a violation of Sabbath laws. Jesus could have waited until after the Sabbath, but chose these moments for teaching. In Mark 2:23-24, Jesus and His disciples were condemned by the Pharisees for plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath, an act deemed as work under their strict laws. Jesus responded by emphasizing the need for mercy and good works on the Sabbath, referencing David's men eating the showbread and the priests' extensive labors in the Temple, which were doubled on this day. He declared that the Sabbath was made for man, representing God's mercy and sanctification work. As the Lord of the Sabbath, He showed that it is not a day of no work, but a day for great spiritual work, including acts of mercy, healing, and cleansing. Following His example, we must gather together on the Sabbath, using this time to extend mercy, heal, cleanse, and do good for each other. As priests in training, our Sabbath work must have the right motivation and purpose, never being self-focused, as such actions pollute God's holy day.

In the New Testament, the Sabbath is referenced sixty-one times, with the four Gospels mentioning it fifty-one times as Saturday, the day on which the Saviour consistently taught in synagogues and performed miracles. The Redeemer referred to Himself as the Lord of the Sabbath, as noted by Matthew and Luke, yet throughout His life, He never suggested a change from Saturday, always observing and utilizing that day. After His death, His apostles and close followers, including the holy women, continued to keep Saturday holy, as evidenced by Luke 23:56, where they rested on the Sabbath day according to the commandment, preparing spices and ointments on the preceding evening because the Sabbath drew near. This demonstrates that, up to the day of His death, they recognized no other Sabbath but Saturday. Further examination of the Acts of the Apostles over the subsequent thirty years reveals no indication of a change in the Sabbath. The Sabbath, still Saturday, is mentioned eight times in Acts, with instances such as Acts 13:14, 27, 42, 44; 15:21; 16:13; 17:2; and 18:4, where Paul reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, persuading both Jews and Greeks. Thus, from Genesis to Revelation, there is no evidence in the New Testament of any interference by the Saviour or His Apostles with the original Sabbath, but rather a complete adherence to and active participation in keeping Saturday as the designated day, with no substitution of another day observed during this period.

Having established that the Redeemer, during His life, never deviated from the faithful observance of the Sabbath (Saturday), as referenced fifty-one times by the four evangelists, and having noted that He designated Himself Lord of the Sabbath without ever hinting at a change of day by command or practice, we observe His steadfast keeping of the Sabbath. The actions of His apostles and the holy women on the evening of His death, securing spices and ointments for embalming His body on the morning after the Sabbath, as recorded by St. Luke (Luke 24:1), further confirm this divine will. The apostles, for thirty years following His death, also adhered to this practice, as St. Luke informs us in Acts 18:4, where Paul reasoned in the synagogues every Sabbath, persuading both Jews and Greeks. Examining every reference to the first day of the week in the sacred record, we find no indication of a substitution for the Sabbath. The gathering on the day of the resurrection (Easter Sunday), as noted in St. Luke 24:33-40 and St. John 20:19, was not for worship or a new observance but due to fear of the Jews. Similarly, eight days later, as recorded in St. John 20:26-29, the meeting with Thomas present offered no mention of prayer, praise, or Scripture reading to suggest a change in the day. On the Feast of Pentecost, a Sunday long observed by the Jews for over 1500 years alongside the weekly Sabbath, as seen in Acts 2:1, there is no basis for claiming a new holy day. Further, in Acts 20:6-7, the disciples coming together to break bread on the first day of the week does not establish an exclusive prerogative, as Acts 2:46 shows they broke bread daily. St. Paul's request in I Corinthians 16:1-2 for a collection on the first day of the week does not override the established Sabbath practices of Scripture reading, prayer, and preaching, which continued every Saturday. Just as the embalming of His body was deferred from the Sabbath to Sunday to honor the Sabbath's sanctity, so too was the collection arranged for a convenient day without displacing the Sabbath. Thus, having reviewed all New Testament references to the Sabbath (Saturday) and the first day of the week (Sunday), no evidence supports a substitution of Sunday for Saturday in the sacred record.