City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they could not reply to these things.

Luke 14:1–6

Reflection

This passage of scripture has all the hallmarks of a set-up. Jesus is invited to dine at the house of a leader of the Pharisees, not an invitation Jesus likely received often at this point in his ministry. Luke says “they were watching him carefully”—apparently to see what He would do. Why? Because “behold” there was a man with dropsy, who just happened to be “before him.” 

Dropsy is what we now call edema. It’s a swelling of the limbs caused by an accumulation of fluid, usually related to heart, kidney, or liver problems. It was a health problem that would have been visible to those around the man, and it was, in that day, often a precursor to death. 

Furthermore, dropsy was a medical problem that may well have rendered the man“unclean” in the eyes of the Pharisees. In short, this man didn’t belong there.

It is not mentioned that he was a Pharisee, and after Jesus heals him, Jesus sent him away. If he was a Pharisee or belonged at this dinner, I’m guessing he would have hung around after his healing. And, lastly, “behold” the man appears “before him” not long after Jesus had healed the woman in the synagogue in Luke 13.

All this suggests a set-up, and that the Pharisees were using this sick, perhaps dying, man as a an object, a prop, a mere piece of bait to catch Jesus healing on the Sabbath.

Contrast all this with how Jesus treated the man. Luke says “he took him,” which suggests Jesus touched him purposively with His hands, this ostensibly unclean man. Jesus could have continued to treat him like an object and just said “be healed.” We know Jesus could heal from a distance. Instead, Jesus treated the man like a person, touching him, and allowing him to be touched with His healing hands.

Then, after He had healed the man, Jesus “sent him away.” Jesus knew the man didn’t belong there, that he had been invited only to be used by the Pharisees. Jesus could have kept him around and said, “Why don’t we ask this man I just healed whether he thinks it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” But the man didn’t need to be around for the argument that might follow. Jesus thought enough of the man’s feelings to “send him away” and spare him from any further attention or embarrassment.

Application

Despite all His power and authority as Creator and King of the universe, Jesus deals tenderly with us:

“A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish…”

Isaiah 42:3

It’s another reason to love Jesus and to run to Him in our distress and time of need.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for reminding us of Your gentleness so we will remember to turn to You in our time of need. Amen.