The Sabbath Setup: Luke 14:1-6
“It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” And they could make no reply to this.” Luke 14:1-6
The story unfolds in a Pharisees home on the Sabbath. This particular Pharisee was a leader. As they gathered for a Sabbath meal, a man with dropsy was present.
The exact condition of dropsy comes down to some speculation. It is no longer a common medical term. Some believe it was a form of edema where the body retains fluid, the skin gets tight and joint pain becomes chronic. It is a very unsightly and painful condition.
Because the setting was in a private residence, some believe it was a set up. This is hinted at in the text because they set him right in front of Jesus and all eyes were on Him.
There was also a group of lawyers present. This was not a casual gathering.
Jesus addressed them with a question; “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” They kept absolutely silent.
Jesus responded by taking hold of the man and healing him. To my knowledge, Jesus never encountered a sick, injured, diseased, deformed, or demon possessed person without healing them or setting them free.
What is intriguing about this story, no one asked Jesus to heal the man. The man with dropsy was merely placed right in front of Jesus. Think about this, they were beginning to understand that it was His nature to heal people.
Jesus acted accordingly. He took hold of him, healed him, and sent him away! The miracle was undeniable!
After the miracle, Jesus asked a profound question to His critics; “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” It was understood that there were certain emergency provisions for an owner on the Sabbath.
Upon asserting this proposition, they made no reply to Him. But there is an irony in the question, it assumed ownership. How could Jesus infer ownership of the man with dropsy?
The answer is found in Matthew 22:17-22. It related to another test related to paying poll tax. Jesus took a coin as asked; “Whose image is on this coin?” Upon saying “Caesar’s”, He replied; “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”” By healing the man with dropsy on the Sabbath, Jesus was making a subtle claim both ownership and Deity. Follow my logic. Jesus was inferring, “because he was created in My image, he belongs to Me, therefore I can heal him on the Sabbath.”
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
“It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” And they could make no reply to this.” Luke 14:1-6
The story unfolds in a Pharisees home on the Sabbath. This particular Pharisee was a leader. As they gathered for a Sabbath meal, a man with dropsy was present.
The exact condition of dropsy comes down to some speculation. It is no longer a common medical term. Some believe it was a form of edema where the body retains fluid, the skin gets tight and joint pain becomes chronic. It is a very unsightly and painful condition.
Because the setting was in a private residence, some believe it was a set up. This is hinted at in the text because they set him right in front of Jesus and all eyes were on Him.
There was also a group of lawyers present. This was not a casual gathering.
Jesus addressed them with a question; “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” They kept absolutely silent.
Jesus responded by taking hold of the man and healing him. To my knowledge, Jesus never encountered a sick, injured, diseased, deformed, or demon possessed person without healing them or setting them free.
What is intriguing about this story, no one asked Jesus to heal the man. The man with dropsy was merely placed right in front of Jesus. Think about this, they were beginning to understand that it was His nature to heal people.
Jesus acted accordingly. He took hold of him, healed him, and sent him away! The miracle was undeniable!
After the miracle, Jesus asked a profound question to His critics; “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” It was understood that there were certain emergency provisions for an owner on the Sabbath.
Upon asserting this proposition, they made no reply to Him. But there is an irony in the question, it assumed ownership. How could Jesus infer ownership of the man with dropsy?
The answer is found in Matthew 22:17-22. It related to another test related to paying poll tax. Jesus took a coin as asked; “Whose image is on this coin?” Upon saying “Caesar’s”, He replied; “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”” By healing the man with dropsy on the Sabbath, Jesus was making a subtle claim both ownership and Deity. Follow my logic. Jesus was inferring, “because he was created in My image, he belongs to Me, therefore I can heal him on the Sabbath.”
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
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