Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
- KJV And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
- NKJV And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
- NASB Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
- NLT Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus declares that the Sabbath was given as a gift to serve human flourishing, not as a burden under which people exist. It matters because it reframes God's command as gracious provision rather than oppressive ritual.
Overview
Against a legalism that had multiplied restrictions, Jesus restores the Sabbath to its created purpose: rest and refreshment for humanity. The day was instituted at creation for human good, so works of mercy and necessity honor rather than violate it. This reveals God's heart of generosity behind his law, anticipating the deeper rest Christ himself offers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Col 2:16Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath.
- Luke 6:9Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
- Deut 5:14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do.
- Ezek 20:12I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so that they would know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
- Isa 58:13If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words,
- Ezek 20:20Keep My Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us, so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’
- Exod 23:12For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.
- John 7:23If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?
- Neh 9:13–14You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just ordinances, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.
- 2 Cor 4:15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is extending to more and more people may overflow in thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
- 1 Cor 3:21–22Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 2:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.