Because Christ went into the synagogue on Sabbath day, means he observed the Sabbath day?

The answer is a big  NO!

The Sabbath observer like the Seventh Day Adventist is citing verses Luke 6:6  4:16;  Mark 6:1-2;  Acts 13:13-14,42-44;  17:2;  18:4 to prove that even the Apostles and Christ Himself observed the Sabbath because they went to the synagogue. Is this really the case? Let us find out...

With regard to the verses Luke 6:6  4:16;  Mark 6:1-2;  Acts 13:13-14,42-44;  17:2;  18:4 in which it is taught that Christ and the Apostles “went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day”
Furthermore, Christ pronounced in Mark 2:27-28, “the Sabbath was mad for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath”
The question is, whose Sabbath is that? Did the apostles and Christ observed that Sabbath? Had Christ made His own Sabbath? To answer this questions we need to study on what is these verses is telling us.

The Sabbath being referred to in the verses quoted above is none other than that which God commanded to ancient Israelites as a sign of His covenant with them.(Exod. 31:16; Deuter. 5:1-3,  12-14;  Mal.4:4)
They were to observe the Sabbath to commemorate their deliverance from bondage in Egypt, hence it was exclusive to the Israelites as it was they who became slaves in Egypt.(Deuter.5:15 TEV)
Observance of the Sabbath includes strict prohibition on doing one’s work on the ‘seventh day’ that even kindling of fire(Exod.35:3) and cooking(Exod.16:23) were forbidden, let alone plowing and harvesting(Exod.34:21)

The biblical verses listed above do not teach that Christ and the Apostles observed this Sabbath, or any Sabbath for that matter.  Though these do state that Christ and the Apostles went into the synagogue on Sabbaths, the verses  themselves clarify their purpose in going there ----- “to teach” (Mark 6:2; Luke 6:6) “ to speak”  ( Acts 13:14-16; 16:13)  “to preach”  (Acts 13:42) and  “to reason with people” (Acts 17:2;  18:4). During the Sabbath, the Jews in Christ’s time would gather in the synagogue, hence Christ and the Apostles made use of such opportune times to preach the gospel to many people.

The biblical accounts of Christ healing the sick on the Sabbath (Mat.12:11-13; Luke 13:10-17) and His disciples working on that day (Luke 6:1-5) all the more show that the observance of the Sabbath was not their practice.  In fact, Christ  was even accused by Sabbath observers  of being “not from God” for not obeying the Sabbath law (John 9:16).

The incident in which Christ declared  “ The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for  the Sabbath…..the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath”  even more underscores His consistency in not keeping the Sabbath law.  Jesus then was defending His disciples who plucked the heads of grain in the fields on the Sabbath:  “ now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath? But He said to them,  have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him;  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiatar the high priest,  and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priest, and also gave some to those who were with him? And He said to them, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath”  (Mark 2:23-28 NKJV)

Christ’s being “the Lord of the Sabbath” only means that He is above it and is not bound by it, as He Himself demonstrated in His actions.  But, by not observing the Sabbath, did Christ and His apostles violate any of God’s laws?  No, for it was God Himself who had put an end to the observance of the Sabbath (Lam.2:6;  Hosea 2:11 TEV)

Proving that such a has no longer been in effect in the Christian Era, the apostle Paul teaches us this concerning the Sabbath:  “ Let no one criticize you in matters of food or drink or for not observing festivals, new moons or the Sabbath…… These doctrines may seem to be profound because they speak of religious observance and humility and of disregarding the body. In fact, they are useless in overcoming selfishness” ( Col.2:16, 23, Christian community Bible)