When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him. Behold, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him. Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Luke 14:1-3 WEB
Jesus raises an important question while attending a dinner at the house of an influential Pharisee. His question to the legalistic religious men present at the dinner creates a controversy. Jesus asks, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” As the Son of God, essentially Jesus is asking, “Is the law informed by the will of God, or is God constrained by rules made by men?
Jewish law prohibits work on the Sabbath. In the commandments received by Moses, Exodus 20:8 says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. KJV”
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
Strict adherence to this law led the legalistic Pharisees to condemn those perceived as working on the Sabbath. When Christ healed the man with dropsy, which is edema or severe swelling, the Lord knew he offended his host. The Pharisees were watching Jesus closely in hopes that they might accuse him of breaking Jewish law. Aware of this, Jesus challenged their understanding asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
In another provocative statement, Jesus says in Matthew 12:8, “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. WEB” This statement of his divinity follows two examples of those who violated human perception of Jewish law but were held blameless. When hungry and without food, David and his companions ate bread that lawfully only the priests should eat. In another example, Jesus points out that priests work on the Sabbath without accusation of violating the law.
Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? Jesus answers this question in Matthew 12:11-12 saying, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won’t he grab on to it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day. WEB” Further, Jesus says in Luke 14:5, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out? NIV”
God Desires Mercy
As Christians, we should remember the words of our Lord and Savior. Referring to a passage from Hosea 6:6, Jesus says to his detractors in Matthew 12:7, “But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you wouldn’t have condemned the guiltless. WEB” When asking, “Is it lawful,” we do best to remember that God commands love and to follow the example set by Christ.
Addressing the commandments, Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-40, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments. WEB”
The law will not save anyone but only condemns us all. Salvation comes after repentance from sin by faith in the sacrifice made by Christ through the grace of God. Legalism is vanity. As Jesus says in Mark 7:7, “But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. WEB”
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for the ministry of truth delivered by your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for paying the price for my sins. Help me to live in obedience to your word while remembering your grace and mercy. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: Test the Spirits
