Abba & Sabbath.

The author of Hebrews writes, “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Heb 4:9. In this reminder hearkening back to the Old Testament, we are encouraged not to forsake entering into the rest that God models and offers to his people—a rest that points to our future and complete rest in him, a rest that is our salvation.

A chiasm (also called a chiasmus) is a literary device in which a sequence of ideas is presented and then repeated in reverse order. The result is a “mirror” effect as the ideas are “reflected” back in a passage. Each idea is connected to its “reflection” by a repeated word, often in a related form. The term chiasm comes from the Greek letter chi, which looks like our letter X. Chiastic pattern is also called “ring structure.”

The structure of a chiasm is usually expressed through a series of letters, each letter representing a new idea. For example, the structure ABBA refers to two ideas (A and B) repeated in reverse order (B and A). Often, a chiasm includes another idea in the middle of the repetition: ABXBA. In this structure, the two ideas (A and B) are repeated in reverse order, but a third idea is inserted before the repetition (X). By virtue of its position, the insertion is emphasized.

Some chiasms are quite simple. The common saying “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is chiastic. The words going and tough are repeated, in reverse order, in the second half of the sentence. The structure is ABBA. Another example of a chiasm, also with the ABBA structure . Many passages in the Bible exhibit chiastic structure. For example, Jesus’ words in Mark 2:27 are in the form of a chiasm: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Using the ABBA form, the words Sabbath and man are repeated in reverse order. Matthew 23:12 is another example.

In the Bible, Abba is an Aramaic word that means father. It is used in the New Testament to refer to God as a loving and caring father. For example, in Mark 14:36, Jesus addresses God as “Abba, Father” . Similarly, in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6, the Holy Spirit is said to cry out “Abba, Father”

Abba is always followed by the word Father in Scripture, and the phrase is found in three passages. In Mark 14:36, Jesus addresses His Father as “Abba, Father” in His prayer in Gethsemane. In Romans 8:15, “Abba, Father” is mentioned in relation to the Spirit’s work of adoption that makes us God’s children and heirs with Christ. In Galatians 4:6, again in the context of adoption, the Spirit in our hearts cries out, “Abba, Father.” Together, the terms Abba and Father doubly emphasize the fatherhood of God. In two different languages, we are assured of God’s care for His children.

Many claim that all people are “children of God,” but the Bible reveals quite a different truth. We are all His creations and under His authority and lordship, and all will be judged by Him, but the right to be a child of God and call Him “Abba Father” is something that only born-again Christians have (John 1:12–13).When we are born again (John 3:1–8), we are adopted into the family of God, redeemed from the curse of sin, and made heirs of God (Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:7). Part of that new relationship is that God now deals with us differently, as family.

At first glance, the question “What is the Sabbath day?” seems fairly simple. According to Exodus 20:8–11, the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, on which the children of Israel were to rest, in remembrance that God created the universe in six days and then “rested” on the seventh day. However, due to the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of some Christian groups, the meaning of the Sabbath day rest has been confused.

Abba ( Jesus) created the Sabbath.
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The Sabbath is a day of rest and worship that is observed by Jews and Christians. It is mentioned in the Old Testament, where God declares the Sabbath holy and pauses to enjoy what had just been created. This day is mentioned again in Exodus, and then it is given as the fourth commandment to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai . The Sabbath is considered to be a day of rest and a time to focus on God and spiritual matters.

As God offered a new way to Israel when he rescued them, so he offers us, too, a freedom in Christ. In that freedom, perhaps we need to pause and ask ourselves who are we truly resting in and relying upon?

Are we finding our identity in Christ, or in something else? Are we overly relying on ourselves or other people for outcomes or provisions? Do we think everything will fall apart if we are not constantly worried about it? Are we endlessly caught up in cycles of activity and consumption? Are we living as if we cannot make it through our week if we do not work nonstop? Or if we do not have this thing or that?

So, while a day of Sabbath may look different for each us, it’s worthwhile to consider what it might mean for us to regularly set apart one day in seven to a time of ceasing from labors and resting in God, his promises, and his provisions.

Our true Sabbath rest is found in Christ. But as he reminds us, the Sabbath was made for us. As we see in the Bible, it is a gift from God and a built-in rhythm to creation. Christ did not do away with the Sabbath, but he freed it from the bindings of the religious leaders of his time, from those who made it burden and not delight. Sabbath as demonstrated by Jesus involved attending religious services, but it also included doing good, healing the sick, eating with friends, and helping others.

Often we do not consciously think these things. If asked, we would say we trust God! Practically, however, many of us operate as if we can trust no one but ourselves, that we cannot make it through without that next cup of coffee, or that we are failing if our lives do not look a certain way.

One of the reasons we might have questions surrounding the observance of Sabbath today is that there is a transition between the Old Testament and New Testament practices. That shift, of course, came in the form of Christ himself.

While Jesus observed the Jewish Sabbath and regularly attended synagogue (Luke 4:16, he had no patience with the burdensome requirements that had been added on to God’s law by the religious leaders of his time. When the Pharisees rebuke him for healing on the Sabbath, his response is that “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matt 12:12.

So, with such dire warnings for the people of God if they do not observe the Sabbath, what does this mean for us today? Let’s look at what the New Testament has to say about Sabbath.

At the same time, he said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt 5:17.

When we intentionally pause for a day of Sabbath, we are acknowledging that all is, indeed, in God’s hands. We are trusting the Creator of all with the outcomes of the day and of our lives. We are learning to be instead of how to do. We are learning to rest instead of strive.