We all know that Jesus was crucified and died on Friday. Every year we recognize this day as Good Friday. On that day Joseph of Arimathaea took Jesus’ body from the cross and buried it. Luke 23:50-24:3 describes this event and tells us that the next day, Saturday, was the Sabbath. "And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counselor; and he was a good man, and a just: (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, that came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices that they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus."

So Jesus died on Good Friday, rested in the tomb during the following day, Saturday, which was the Sabbath, and then rose early on Sunday morning, the day we call Easter Sunday.

Today nearly the entire Christian world goes to church and worships on Sunday. Why is this? When was the day of worship changed from the Sabbath, which we just saw is Saturday, to Sunday?

We go to church on a specific day of the week because of the Sabbath commandment. The Ten Commandments can be found in Exodus 20:3-17. In the Sabbath commandment God has not only given us a command to keep the Sabbath day holy but has also told us how to keep it holy.

This commandment is found in Exodus 20:8-11: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor the stranger that is within your gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

This commandment tells us that God’s Sabbath day is the seventh day of the week. God’s holy Sabbath day is Saturday. Sunday is the first day of the week.