Jesus Reveals the Heart of God [Luke 14]
1It 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.
2And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy
3And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"
4But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away.
5And 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?"
6And they could make no reply to this.
Well it happened. Have you ever had a guest for dinner who started talking about things that made everyone uncomfortable? I have and I can tell you how I respond. I scramble for words to diminish or distract from the topic at hand. I also get a pit in my stomach and feel it is my responsibility to clear the air.
But this particular lunch seemed to be a trap set for Jesus. The Pharisees invited Him to eat with them on the Sabbath. They also invited a man "whose body was swollen with fluid" and set him right in front of Jesus. (Holman,CSB). He knew they were watching Him closely and He knew what they were hoping to catch Him doing. I love that in response to the trap Jesus opens up the difficult topic for discussion. He asks the question they are all thinking about, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"
They didn't answer His question but that didn't stop Jesus from doing what He knew was right. "And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away." Before they can say a word of accusation He asks another difficult question, "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?" He asked the very question they had been pondering themselves. Does the law forbid us to do good on the Sabbath? What if my son needs help? Can I pull him out of a well and save his life if it happens on a Sabbath? They didn't know the answer because they didn't know the heart of God.
At risk to His own life, Jesus shows these people the heart of God. His heart is to heal the sick, even on a day set aside to worship Him. It is worshiping to reflect God's heart.
Lord, thank You for Jesus clearly showing Your heart to the lost around Him. Thank You for His example of gently but unreservedly asking questions that helped reveal Your heart. Thank You that Your laws don't tie You up and keep You from expressing Your intentional love for Your children.
Verna McCrillis, 3/9/2009