Luke Chapter Fourteen
Luke 14:1 “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.”
- Jesus had eaten with Pharisees before. Those times in which He did such were not without incident (Luke 7:36-50 and Luke 11:37-44).
- This was one of the chief Pharisees. Think of this such a ruler, like was Nicodemus among the Pharisees. The word translated “chief” here is the same in John 3:1 that is translated there as “ruler” (Strong’s # 758).
- Eating bread on the Sabbath meant it had been prepared ahead of that day (Exodus 16:4-5, Exodus 16:23, and Exodus 16:29) because the Jews were not to do work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11). That included not cooking (Exodus 35:1-3).
- Remember what happened when a man was picking up sticks on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-36).
- They were watching Jesus with impure motives (Luke 6:7, Luke 11:53-54, and Luke 20:20).
Luke 14:2 “And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.”
- Dropsy defined: “old-fashioned or less technical term for edema” (Oxford New American Dictionary). Edema is: “a condition characterized by an excess of watery fluid collecting in the cavities or tissues of the body” (Oxford New American Dictionary).
- The Greek word used here “ὑδρωπικός” is defined: “(as if looking watery); to be “dropsical”: - have the dropsy” (Strong’s # 5203).
Luke 14:3 “And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?”
- Jesus knows what the thoughts of man are (Matthew 9:4 and Luke 11:17).
- Jesus jumps right to the point with a question to put them on the spot as a method to answer their error (cf. Mark 11:27-33).
- The lawyers liked to interact with Jesus in ways to test Him (Matthew 22:34-40 and Luke 10:25-37) though they were not, as a whole, known to seek to obey (Luke 7:30 and Luke 11:52).
- We have to be cautious if imitating what Jesus did. There is a point wherein it is sinful to strive about the law (Titus 3:9-11) or to get into striving about words wherein there is not a profit from such (II Timothy 2:14).
- As a note, not all lawyers disobeyed our Lord (Titus 3:13).
- No, it was not sinful to heal on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6).
Luke 14:4 “And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;”
- The opposition had no answer (cf. Matthew 22:41-46).
- Jesus proceeded to heal him. Remember what happened in the previous chapter in a like account (Luke 13:10-17).
Luke 14:5 “And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?”
- Under the law of Moses, they were to be at rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 23:12). So, this is not a “work accident” under discussion.
- Under that same law, if one were to see his enemies ox or his brother’s ox he was to bring that ox to the owner or keep the ox until it could be reclaimed (Exodus 23:4 and Deuteronomy 22:1-2).
- They do not get the purpose of the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28).
Luke 14:6 “And they could not answer him again to these things.”
- It was not that they were all of a sudden mute. They could not answer in a way that served their interests (cf. Luke 20:19-26).
Luke 14:7-10 “And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.”
- Be polite, know your place (Proverbs 25:6-7).
- There were those that wanted to have preeminence, even in seating (Mark 12:38-39).
- Think about the mindset saints should have (Philippians 2:3).
- Before honor is humility (Proverbs 15:33).
Luke 14:11 “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
- The main point is… Proverbs 29:23, Isaiah 2:11, Matthew 23:1-12, Luke 18:9-14, James 4:6-10, and I Peter 5:5-6
Luke 14:12 “Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.”
- The one doing the inviting in this context is a chief Pharisee (Luke 14:1).
- Jesus had addressed those who were bidden (Luke 14:7).
- The Pharisees had an earned reputation (Matthew 3:7, Matthew 5:20, Matthew 16:5-6, Matthew 22:15, Matthew 23:13, Luke 11:43, Luke 18:9-14, etc.).
- Now think about someone who can have some form of a formal meal with guests and the warnings about such (Proverbs 23:1-3).
- Not looking to gain something in return (Luke 6:32-36).
- The rich has many friends (Proverbs 19:4 and Proverbs 14:20).
Luke 14:13 “But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:”
- What if a Pharisee could actually turn from robbing the weak (Matthew 23:14) to being kind enough to care about them (Proverbs 19:17)?
- Consider: Deuteronomy 15:7-14, Proverbs 29:7, and Galatians 2:9-10
- Just think about how Jesus was not healing those that would contribute to Him in some carnal way (Matthew 15:30).
- Jesus will later, in this context, bring this about in another Parable (Luke 14:21).
Luke 14:14 “And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”
- The reward Jesus wants the faithful to focus on is the reward to come (Matthew 16:27, Matthew 25:31-46, John 5:28-29, Romans 2:6-10, Galatians 6:7-10, and I Timothy 6:17-19).