Set Up

Set Up

Luke 14:1-5, NKJV

Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 2And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 3And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 4But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 5Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

Setting the Scene

No sooner had Jesus arrived at the Pharisee’s house than he met a man who was obviously suffering. Luke calls the man’s condition hydropikos (dropsy), the primary symptom being swelling due to accumulation of fluids. The leaders may have stationed the man just outside the doorway where they could closely observe Jesus’ response to his need. The timing of this incident (the Sabbath) makes it probable that he was set up to trap Jesus. Those who “watched Him closely” knew Jesus had a history of violating their interpretation of Sabbath rules.

Today we can hardly appreciate the level of Sabbath-consciousness that was part of life in Jesus’ day. Rather than being truly honoring to God or even beneficial for people, the Sabbath had become a day of scrupulous observance of controlling and often arbitrary rules put in place to avoid “work.” Yet even within such a high degree of control, there were agreed-upon exceptions to the rules, which Jesus pointed out. Part of Jesus’ argument here parallels Luke 13:15-16. If it made sense to practice compassion with one’s family or animals on the Sabbath, how could we fail to treat hurting people on the Sabbath? The observers’ refusal to answer Jesus’ question reveals that their true purpose was to use the law to trap Jesus.

Note the three parts of Jesus’ action. He “took him,” “healed him,” and “let him go.” Jesus not only confronted the callous disregard for real suffering, he also treated those he healed with a wholesome compassion that conveyed his power to heal at the spiritual as well as at the physical level. He continues to treat us in the same fashion today.

Getting Personal

When have you practiced compassion in the face of potential conflict?

What might you do to help people even when it may bring opposition?

Routines and rules of thumb get entrenched in our lives because they seem to work—most of the time. But life often conspires to create exceptions that challenge our higher commitment to compassion. Compassion is often measured by our willingness to break our own rules.

Talking to God

Ask the Lord for his wisdom and help in establishing good guidelines and rules of thumb for your everyday life. And then ask God also to help you recognize when others’ needs are more important than that good structure.