Jesus Speaks With Pharisees and Lawyers at a Feastby CBPepper
14:2Luke 14:2
And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
The verse places Jesus on the Sabbath day going in to eat bread in the house of one of the chief Pharisees, whose host was a ruler in Israel, a member of the Sanhedrin, and a man of repute and influence. Directly before Him at that meal was a certain suffering man who had the dropsy. That setting shows the kind of company in which He mingled with others and taught lessons suited to those present.
The afflicted man had been purposely chosen and set there by the host and his guests, who from jealousy and envy had laid plans to bring Jesus into disfavor and find occasion to condemn Him to death. They watched Him to see whether He would violate their traditions by healing on the Sabbath, knowing He always expressed sympathy for human woe and exercised His power to relieve suffering humanity. He read their hearts and questionings as an open book, forestalled their arguments by asking whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, then healed the man and let him go. By restoring the man to health He gave evidence that in Him was life and answered that it is lawful to relieve human suffering on the Sabbath.
He accepted such an invitation not to gratify appetite or for an hour of amusement but, as His custom was, to sow seeds of truth in table conversation, to meet people on familiar terms, to represent the character of God, to bear witness of the truth, and to leave the impress of His own divine image upon human souls. In that setting He acted as the Teacher sent of God, the Light of the world risen to shed divine rays of light upon all in the darkness of error, and the Revelation of God speaking words the Holy Spirit would afterward bring to remembrance. Through such meals many were privileged to become acquainted with Christ and were convicted of truth not only by what He said but by the purity and elevated nobility of His character, and they remembered His words even after His humiliation, trial, rejection, condemnation, crucifixion, and resurrection when He came forth from the tomb a triumphant conqueror. His example shows Christians may safely accept invitations to dinners where a promiscuous company gathers if they follow His example and act from the same motives, keeping their influence on the right side by speaking words that impress those assembled with divine truth and thus sow seed unto eternal life.
The verse stands at the beginning of the message in Luke 14:2-14, which warns of the danger imperiling souls in striving for the highest place and teaches humbling self instead of exalting self, with honor coming through being lifted up rather than lifting up self. That message was spoken with great freedom in the demonstration of the Spirit and power of God, holding hearers as if spellbound with deep interest.
The verse places Jesus on the Sabbath day going in to eat bread in the house of one of the chief Pharisees, whose host was a ruler in Israel, a member of the Sanhedrin, and a man of repute and influence. Directly before Him at that meal was a certain suffering man who had the dropsy. That setting shows the kind of company in which He mingled with others and taught lessons suited to those present.
The afflicted man had been purposely chosen and set there by the host and his guests, who from jealousy and envy had laid plans to bring Jesus into disfavor and find occasion to condemn Him to death. They watched Him to see whether He would violate their traditions by healing on the Sabbath, knowing He always expressed sympathy for human woe and exercised His power to relieve suffering humanity. He read their hearts and questionings as an open book, forestalled their arguments by asking whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, then healed the man and let him go. By restoring the man to health He gave evidence that in Him was life and answered that it is lawful to relieve human suffering on the Sabbath.
He accepted such an invitation not to gratify appetite or for an hour of amusement but, as His custom was, to sow seeds of truth in table conversation, to meet people on familiar terms, to represent the character of God, to bear witness of the truth, and to leave the impress of His own divine image upon human souls. In that setting He acted as the Teacher sent of God, the Light of the world risen to shed divine rays of light upon all in the darkness of error, and the Revelation of God speaking words the Holy Spirit would afterward bring to remembrance. Through such meals many were privileged to become acquainted with Christ and were convicted of truth not only by what He said but by the purity and elevated nobility of His character, and they remembered His words even after His humiliation, trial, rejection, condemnation, crucifixion, and resurrection when He came forth from the tomb a triumphant conqueror. His example shows Christians may safely accept invitations to dinners where a promiscuous company gathers if they follow His example and act from the same motives, keeping their influence on the right side by speaking words that impress those assembled with divine truth and thus sow seed unto eternal life.
The verse stands at the beginning of the message in Luke 14:2-14, which warns of the danger imperiling souls in striving for the highest place and teaches humbling self instead of exalting self, with honor coming through being lifted up rather than lifting up self. That message was spoken with great freedom in the demonstration of the Spirit and power of God, holding hearers as if spellbound with deep interest.