Forty years after the resurrection the Sabbath would be as sacred as it was when Jesus spoke these words on the slopes of Olivet. He intimates no change in the sacredness of the day such as many Christians now suppose took place when He came forth from the tomb. The commotion, excitement, fear, and travel incident to flight from Jerusalem would be inappropriate on the Sabbath day. Christians were to pray that they might be able to keep the Sabbath as a day of rest, as God intended it should be kept. Christ did not abolish the Sabbath when He was nailed to the cross. It has lost none of the sacredness God originally imparted to it (see on Gen. 2:1-3).

In the wet and cold of the winter rains travel would be extremely difficult, lodging and provisions would be uncertain, and health would be difficult to preserve. Furthermore, during the rainy season the Jordan River would prove difficult to ford.

The Christians in Jerusalem and Judea could not determine the time for the withdrawal of the Roman armies, but they could pray God to mitigate the suffering and dangers that attended flight to the mountains.