The Man with Dropsy
Luke 14:1-6 NLT
“One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely.”- Luke 14:1-2
Jesus had become a bit of an anomaly in that he was definitely a deviation from the norm. Therefore many people crowded about him watching his every move. There was a man there at the Pharisaic leader’s home with very swollen arms and legs*. Once again, for the 4th time in Luke’s gospel, the question of healing on the Sabbath was raised. According to the Pharisees this was the same as working and strictly forbidden on the Sabbath. The Pharisaic leader and the others had no response to Jesus query. when He asked, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” The silence was deafening. Without saying another word Jesus reached out and touched the man and sent him away completely healed. Jesus knew their laws and knew that they thought him a blasphemer. Knowing what must have been in their hearts, the Lord asked them the following question: “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?” Again they had no response.
The religious leaders in Jesus’ time were considered the ‘watchdogs’ of the faith. By all appearances the Pharisees were waiting for some theological flaw to arise out of Jesus’ teaching. The leaders of the faith had personally added hundreds of additional rules and laws to be followed as a means of controlling the Jewish people. Jesus was the arbiter of grace, for he was God in human flesh who came to be among His creation for a time. He was there to reveal God’s gracious forgiveness that was offered to all. We should thank the Pharisees, for it was their rejection of Christ that caused God the Father to open salvation up to all non-Jews, as they were allowed to be grafted into the vine, who was Jesus. (Romans 11:11-31)
How does this relate to us today? It should be fairly obvious that God pre-arranged (caused or allowed) all of the events that carried us thru the OT to and thru Jesus birth, life, ministry, and death to bring salvation to the world. The Pharisees, a once proud, righteous group who were the bastion of the Jewish faith had been reduced to an arrogant, self-righteous group who saw the Messiah as nothing more than a blaspheming heretic who sought to compromise what they had constructed. Unbeknownst to them, God knew their rejection was coming and allowed Jesus to suffer in our place, thus opening the door for all to approach God as evidenced by the tearing of the 4” thick woven veil from the top to the bottom at Christ’s crucifixion. We must never allow ourselves to become like the Pharisees, thinking we are better than anyone else because we have been saved, perhaps for a long time. Remember, God looks upon the heart of every man, woman, and child. Nothing can be kept from Him, for He knows all that can be known. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His name & for His glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament, Copyright 2004.
* Back then they called it ‘dropsy’, but today it is called ‘edema’...an excessive amount of fluid in tissue spaces or body cavities.
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