Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
- BSB Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
- NKJV Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
- NASB So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath.”
- NLT So the Son of Man is Lord, even over 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 claims lordship over the Sabbath itself, asserting his divine authority as the Son of Man. It matters because it makes his identity, not merely his argument, the decisive point.
Overview
Drawing on the exalted figure of Daniel 7, 'Son of Man' here signals authority that belongs to God alone. As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus has the right to define its proper use and ultimately to fulfill it. The verse moves from defending the disciples to revealing who Jesus is, the divine Son who is the true rest for his people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 12:8For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
- Rev 1:10I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
- John 5:17But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
- Luke 6:5And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
- Eph 1:22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
- John 9:14And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
- Luke 13:15–16The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
- John 5:9–11And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
- Mark 3:4And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
- John 9:5–11As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
- John 9:16Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 2:28 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.