Why did Jesus say “Pray that your flight may not be on a Sabbath”? (Matthew 24:20)

In response to my recent article “What is the place of the Old Testament Law in the Christian life” I received some questions and rather opposition from my Sabbath keeping friends. In short my article concludes that the Old Testament Law is not eternal, it was a Covenant between God and the nation of Israel, and we can not separate the law in “moral” and “ceremonial” parts, therefore when the bible says the law was nailed to the cross it means that the Ten Commandments were also nailed to the cross. This naturally puts me in the “bad books” of those who keep the seventh day Sabbath, because it is the Fourth Commandment. I probably already lost some friends among the Seventh-day Adventist people and I apologize if I hurt anyone’s feelings, but will continue to share what I believe is the truth according to the gospel of Christ.

Now, one of the verses pointed out to me as proof that Jesus did not abolish the Sabbath is Matthew 24:20: “Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.” Why would Jesus say such a thing if Christians are not obligated to keep the Sabbath anymore? I have to admit it sounds like a convincing piece of evidence. No wonder this is a favorite verse used by Sabbath keepers to prove their point.

Let’s examine the text. Jesus is answering direct question asked by His disciples: "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Matthew 24:3. Jesus answers, talking about His second coming, but He’s mixing it with another event, which is to come first – the destruction of Jerusalem. "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.” Note in verse 15, Jesus makes reference to the Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 11:31, Daniel 12:11), which we know points to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. History tells us, this took place in 70 AD.

Since we know which event Jesus is talking about, let’s look at the three things He mentions and let us try to understand why:

1. Pregnant women and nursing mothers – I think it’s quite obvious why it would be difficult or even impossible for them to flee the city.

2. Winter conditions – again it is obvious cold and snow would make the evacuation and survival difficult.

3. Sabbath – Jerusalem was predominantly Jewish city, which kept the Law. All inhabitants of the city and this includes all Christians, were subject to certain rules. In Nehemiah 13:19-22 we see that the gates of the city were closed on the Sabbath. How can the Christians or anyone for that matter escape if the gates are closed? It would certainly be a difficult thing to do. This is why Jesus told His disciples to pray so that their flight will not be on the Sabbath.

Those readers who still think that in Matthew 24:20, Jesus wanted to emphasize on the importance of the Sabbath, must also believe that our Lord expected His followers to sacrifice their lives in order to keep the Sabbath. This is rather illogical conclusion when we know this same Jesus said “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27), this is the same Jesus who will not condemn a man for taking his farm animal out of the ditch on Sabbath. I’m sorry, but I don’t believe Christ would allow Sabbath breaking in order to save the life of a goat or a donkey, but at the same time would condemn men for running to save their lives on Sabbath.

More to follow…