The Sabbath is a wonderful gift from God, bestowed to help us produce an abundant life. God made the Sabbath for man, as Jesus declares in Mark 2:27, to equip us to come out of spiritual slavery and to aid in staying free from it. Genesis 2:3 reveals that God blessed the Sabbath day, a unique blessing not given to any other day, acting as the capstone of Creation week. This blessing, conferred upon the whole creation, promises that God will be our benefactor through the course of human history, invoking His favor primarily as our spiritual benefactor, while including the physical as well. Jesus ties His ministry to the Sabbath concepts of blessing, deliverance, liberty, and redemption, showing through His actions and words that it is a day for doing good and showing mercy. In His inaugural sermon, quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, Jesus identifies His mission as setting people free from bondage, specifically mentioning the poor, brokenhearted, captive, blind, and oppressed. He connects this mission to the liberating intent of the Sabbaths, both weekly and annual, as seen in the Old Testament institutions of the seventh year land Sabbath and the Jubilee year, which were considered liberators of the oppressed. Jesus clearly shows that the Sabbath is a time when God chooses to deliver people, fulfilling this purpose on a Sabbath day as He declares the Scripture fulfilled in their hearing. Furthermore, the Sabbath serves as a memorial of God's acts of liberation, reminding us each week that He is both Creator and Liberator. Deuteronomy 5 emphasizes that we keep the Sabbath because we were slaves in Egypt and desire to remain free. Throughout history, God has used His Sabbaths to perform acts of liberation for Israel, reinforcing the importance of sustaining liberty through observance. This recurring memorial reorients us to our spiritual heritage and original release from sin, ensuring we do not turn aside from His purpose. Jesus' actions on the Sabbath, such as healing the man with the withered hand and others who were chronically ill, demonstrate His intent to restore the Sabbath to its original divine value and function. He emphasizes that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, and failing to do so when the opportunity arises implies evil. The Sabbath, as shown in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 and Exodus 23:12, is ordained to show compassion toward the needy and defenseless, refreshing all within our reach. Jesus exemplifies this by lightening burdens and saving lives, revealing that redemption, spiritual creation, and love of neighbor are the essence of Sabbath keeping. In encounters with the Pharisees, as in Matthew 12:1-8, Jesus highlights that the Sabbath is a day of mercy, where loving service outweighs ritual fulfillment. He reasons that if unusual circumstances allow for actions not normally lawful to sustain life, then mercy takes precedence over strict adherence to rules. As the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus shows that it is not meant to enslave us with regulations but to ensure our physical and spiritual well-being through active, loving service as circumstances arise. Let us thank Him for this precious gift and strive to glorify Him in using it.