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 ESV
Luke 14: 1-6
17Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 18For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.…
20For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 21You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.… Matthew 5: 17-22
One Sabbath - A lot of instances between Jesus and the Pharisees seem to have occurred on the Sabbath. Jesus did not dishonor the Sabbath according to God's law, which is His own, but according to their popular additions and interpretations He did.
Went to dine at a house of the ruler of the Pharisees - Now Pharisees were the moral elite. They were actually often revered as the bar of righteousness. They held a confidence in their practices and traditions, that they had done everything necessary to inherit eternal life. When people saw them coming down the streets they noted them as holy men, much like people revere monks, shaman or nuns. Like the separatists, the Amish, they look different, have an outward sense of righteousness that is displayed through their attire. They enlarged everything including their calling card phylacteries:
Phylacteries [H]
(Gr. phulakteria; i.e., "defences" or "protections"), called by modern Jews tephillin (i.e., "prayers") are mentioned only in Matthew 23:5 . They consisted of strips of parchment on which were inscribed these four texts:
11-16;
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ; Deuteronomy 11:18-21 , and which were enclosed in a square leather case, on one side of which was inscribed the Hebrew letter shin, to which the rabbis attached some significance. This case was fastened by certain straps to the forehead just between the eyes. The "making broad the phylacteries" refers to the enlarging of the case so as to make it conspicuous. (See FRONTLETS .)
Another form of the phylactery consisted of two rolls of parchment, on which the same texts were written, enclosed in a case of black calfskin. This was worn on the left arm near the elbow, to which it was bound by a thong. It was called the "Tephillah on the arm." - Bible Study Tools
They also had invented many rules about the Sabbath which would make them appear more holy from the outside, silly might be a better term for it. Outwardly they were moral. They were conservatives, reading Moses and the prophets, teaching on these things in their local synagogues. They believed in God, that the books of Moses and the prophets were inspired by God, much like a lot of Christians will give a nod to the Bible today, saying, "sure, that's God's word", until they read it, and then they find parts that they don't like, and so everything else but that is God's word. So there is quite a wall built here. Jesus has come into the world, humbled Himself by taking on the form of a man in order to call sinners to repentance. These Pharisees don't believe they are sinners, and they also don't believe that they are in any danger of God's just wrath. They believe that they know the Scriptures better than the living Word of God, Jesus, Who stands before them. To prove this they always want to test Him in accordance with their interpretations and traditions, so that if He doesn't share the same bad doctrine as them then He (God the Son) must be wrong.
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3: 1-11
They were watching Him carefully - See, there is not a lot of love lost here. He has come onto their radar due to the miracles, but also His teaching. He doesn't acknowledge them as the bar, and this is more than a little irritating to them. God's word is the bar, and so you having a title as "Pharisee, pastor, teacher, lawyer, Sadducee, Christian, Jew, man of God, man of the cloth", doesn't make what you say about God's word correct. Our opinions really don't matter and won't stand up against God's actual intent. They think their titles, their clothes, being circumcised, and following a long list of rules they made up in addition to God's law makes what they say important. The opinions of their Scribes and lawyers also took precedent over God's actual law in their minds, often creating supposed loopholes for them to disobey the clear instruction of God.
…3So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.…
…6They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed. 8But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.… Matthew 23: 3-8
Who had dropsy - An edematous condition which is the sign of an underlying disease. It would be the build up of fluid, and only noticeable depending upon where it was. This man's case must have been severe and highly visible. Oddly, this would make him not only unclean to the Pharisees, but also an immoral man in their eyes as well. When they had health and wealth they thought it due to their righteousness. What is he doing here in the house of someone so high up?
The trap was sprung! And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy (hudropikós) - Note the phrase there in front of Him! A man with dropsy (which could cause him to be shunned by the religious leaders) does not just "drop in" (pun intended)! The Pharisees were not even subtle in setting this trap! An unhealed man in front of the Healer par excellence on a Sabbath day on which no healing was allowed (per their man made rules)! Now remember that we are in the Pharisees house, and these religious bigots made a practice of associating only with the elite and not the social outcasts, so it is surprising to find this man at the lunch. The Pharisees were well aware that Jesus had performed healings on the Sabbath. And so here we are on the Sabbath with a man who is obviously in great need of healing. It sounds like a classic setup! Now think about their twisted logic -- Jesus performance of a miracle would point to His divinity, but these hard-hearted, spiritually blind legalists could not see that sign, and to the contrary earlier they interpreted similar miracles as a sign that He was not from God! Their spirituality was so "upside down" that they reasoned that surely a man from God would not break their Sabbath regulations! God's law said nothing that prohibited healing a person on the Sabbath. - Precept Austin
Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not - Jesus sees the "trap", which is none, for it is to His glory as God, and a means to teach against their false teaching.
…5Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ 6But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” 7And the man got up and went home.… Matthew 9: 5-7
But they remained silent - Now if you are a teacher of the law, this is in your house, and you think that healing on the Sabbath is wrong, aren't you obliged to say something here? If not for your own honor, the prestige connected to your title, then why not warn this man who you think is about to defy the living God. Isn't your silence not only complacent, but also complicit? I mean, you want this "great evil" to happen, right? Ah crickets.
He took him and healed and sent him away - After he healed the man he would be sent to present himself to the priest to show that he was clean. That would be in accordance with the law. Jesus knew the thoughts of these men but was not intimidated.
1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“This is the law for the one afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing, when he is brought to the priest. 3The priest is to go outside the camp to examine him, and if the skin disease of the afflicted person has healed,…
…4the priest shall order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. 5Then the priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot. 6And he is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water.… Leviticus 14: 1-6
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 - You're a hypocrite, you recognize when something is just to do on the Sabbath, but you exclude this thing wherein you would try to trap God. It says they couldn't answer Him; that is certainly the sign of a hard heart, a mind made up.
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