The Gospel of Luke 14:1-3 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?” (Luke 14:1-3 KJV).

These passages describe our Lord Jesus came to dine at a prominent Pharisee’s home on the Sabbath, where He is being closely watched by religious leaders. This is setting up to expose the deep conflict between legalistic religious rules and God’s grace and mercy. A man with dropsy (swollen limbs) is set before Him, likely as a trap. In response to the watchful eyes of the religious leaders, our Lord Jesus preemptively challenged their strict, legalistic Sabbath rules by asking if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath. He is directly confronting their hypocrisy.

His coming to eat meal at the home of a "ruler of the Pharisees" on the Sabbath was a high-stakes social event. This is likely intended to ensnare Him in whatever He would do, which the Lord instantly knew by the obvious presence of a sick man before Him. The Pharisees are watching the Lord to see if He will perform a healing, which they considered "work", forbidden to do on the Sabbath. Preempting them, He takes the initiative by asking the lawyers and Pharisees directly: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?".

This question of the Lord is rhetorical, meant to draw the attention of the religious leaders to bring them to right understanding of God's original intent of the Sabbath. In grace, we being God's children, Sabbath was made for us. In the account of Mark, when the Lord encounters the Pharisees at the grain fields, they raise a question about the Sabbath. “And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

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