Jesus and his disciples see life differently. The Pharisees staked their identity on the observance of the Sabbath. Jesus offers a new source of identity. Jesus explains that our identity comes not from the observance of traditional practices like the Sabbath but from our acceptance of him and his gospel. It is this new identity that led the Christians to be less scrupulous about the observance of the Sabbath than were the Pharisees. While careful observance of the Sabbath is commendable, it is not what makes a Christian acceptable before God.