By Pastor David Holland
The scene is a setup. As Jesus approached Jerusalem, the power-center of Israel, He stops to rest for the Sabbath. The Pharisees have hatched a plot to catch Jesus violating the law of the Sabbath so they can condemn Him in the court of the Sanhedrin.
A Pharisee invited Jesus to his home for the Sabbath meal and it’s no accident he also invited a man with “dropsy.” This affliction disfigures the victim, causing them to swell with edema in their arms, legs, and abdomen. Everyone present would see the victim’s need for healing. The Pharisee set the trap for the renowned Healer.
Jesus asks his hosts if it is legal to heal on the Sabbath, and they have no answer. He heals the man immediately, because that’s who Christ is.
As the Pharisees gasp in outrage, Jesus poses the question, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” (Luke 14:5) Of course you would. So would I. If my son fell into a well, I would go in after him or die trying. So would the Pharisees. Yet, they remained silent.
With one sentence of divine insight, He dispelled the Pharisee’s argument and foiled their trap. They would leave off condemning Jesus to another day.
Christ healed the man on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees were not happy because He broke their rules. They had no compassion for the swollen man. To the man with dropsy, healing meant relief from his pain and a new beginning.
“Dropsy” is a common illness today. Edema can be life threatening, but usually it’s just irritating. Jesus feels our pain and will not turn away from us. The love of God seeks to restore the lost, hurting and afflicted!
When my daughter was a gangly third grader, she was running through the dining room, and she tripped. Falling headlong into our heat radiator, she caught it square on the cheekbone. Her eye swelled so much her eyelids lifted off her bloodied eye. The meanest black eye you ever saw shadowed her beautiful face for a month. The night after her fall, I prayed for her at bedtime, and I asked her if it still hurt. Crying, she said, “Not my eye so much, but when people look at me, they wince and turn away like I’m ugly.”
My heart broke. How could anyone think my precious child was ugly?
Jesus felt the same way for the swollen man and healed his condition and his heart. Instead of a freakish display for the Pharisees to use as a trap for Christ, Jesus saw a person made in God’s image. Our Father sees us, and His heart breaks every time we suffer from hurt, pain,or even swollenness.
How do you feel when you see someone suffering? Do they look gross? Sound whiny? Do their scabs, swollenness, or disfiguredness make you feel queasy? I vite the compassion of Christ to fill your heart. That’s normal for a genuine believer, even if it causes criticism.
I wonder how many times we have seen people who were suffering, and we remained silent like the Pharisees? Do we wince and turn away with nothing to say? Or will we allow the compassion of God to move us to feel the pain of others?
Jesus has something to say, and His words brought healing. May we answer with Christ–it is always right to do good. It is God’s will to heal and ease the suffering of others, no matter what day it is.
Dave Holland pastored churches for 38 years before retiring in Destin. He recently released his new devotional-Bible study based on the Gospel of Luke titled “Extraordinary Jesus: Ignite Your Season of Miracles.” You can get a copy of this book from his website, DaveHolland.org, or at Amazon.com. Pastor Dave is available to preach and teach in churches and conferences. Contact him at DavidvHolland54@gmail.com.
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