In the liturgical year, Passion Week is the week prior to Easter. It is also known as Holy Week. The week can be divided into Palm Sunday, Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
The seventh day of Holy Week is the Sabbath day. The Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross and died. He rested from his labor in the new tomb of a rich man, away from all the worldly abuse and assaults.
There are two different recordings of the Sabbath in the Pentateuch: Exodus 20:8-11 commands the people to mark God's creation and enjoy the rest He prepares, while Deuteronomy 5:12-15 tells Israel to remember God's salvation after being delivered from Egypt, the land of slavery.
Is God's creation related to His salvation? For Moses and his generation, being delivered from the slavery of Egypt and entering into the salvation God prepared was a new creation. It was the completion of God's purpose of creating them. Today, Christians are restored by God as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! " Receiving God's salvation is the accomplishment of God's work.
Since Adam and Eve lost rest for their sins, the whole Bible keeps showing how people receive rest. The real rest lies in Jesus Christ whose salvation brings us rest.
Jesus rested after the passion of the cross. Owing to his redemption for our sins, those who accept his salvation receive rest.
Since Jesus Christ resurrected on the first day of the week, Christianity chooses Sunday as the service day to lead Christians into the salvation God prepared for them. So they can live in the rest in the seven days of a week.
- Translated by Karen Luo
