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. 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 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? 6 And they could not answer him again to these things. (Luke 14:1-6 KJV)
Healing of a Man on the Sabbath
In this passage of the story we find,
I. That the Son of Man came eating and drinking, associating freely with all kinds of people—accepting invitations from both publicans, though they had a bad reputation, and Pharisees, though they opposed him—in hopes of doing good to both. Here, he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day (Luke 14:1). This shows God’s kindness in allowing time even on His day for necessary bodily refreshment. We must be careful not to misuse that liberty. Christ went only to eat bread, just what was needed. Our Sabbath meals should be kept free from excess. On the Lord’s Day, like the early Christians, we should eat and drink with the awareness that we will pray again before rest, so that we’re spiritually prepared.
II. That he went about doing good. Wherever he went, he looked for opportunities to do good. In this case, there was a man before him who had dropsy (Luke 14:2). We don’t read that the man or his friends asked Jesus for healing, but Jesus took the initiative. It’s a blessing to be in Christ’s presence—even without asking. This man was probably visibly swollen, and may have been related to the Pharisee, which seems more likely than him being an invited guest.
III. That he endured the opposition of sinners. They watched him (Luke 14:1). It appears the Pharisee invited him with the intention of finding something to accuse him of. Jesus knew this, yet still went, fully aware of their motives and confident in how to respond. Those who are watched must be careful. As Dr. Hammond notes, it’s against hospitality to look for faults in someone you’ve invited under your protection.
These lawyers and Pharisees, like hunters lying in wait, stayed quiet. When Jesus asked whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath (Luke 14:3), he was responding to their thoughts—because to him, thoughts are as words. They didn’t answer; they didn’t want to say yes, because then they couldn’t accuse him, but they couldn’t honestly say no either. Often, good people are persecuted for doing what even their critics would admit is right, if they listened to their own consciences.
IV. That Christ wouldn’t be stopped from doing good by opposition. He took the man, healed him, and let him go (Luke 14:4). Perhaps he did it in private to avoid drawing attention, showing humility and wisdom. While we shouldn’t abandon our duty because of enemies, we can still handle it in the least provocative way. Or, “he took him” may mean he laid hands on him—perhaps even embraced him, despite his swollen condition—and restored him. Dropsy might usually require gradual healing, but Christ healed it completely and instantly. He let the man go, maybe to avoid the Pharisees turning on him, even though the man was only passive in the healing. Their opposition could lead to absurd actions.
V. That Jesus always acted in ways he could justify, silencing those who accused him (Luke 14:5-6). He responded to their unspoken objections and embarrassed those who had tried to trap him. He appealed to their own behavior: “Which of you, if your ox or donkey falls into a pit on the Sabbath, won’t immediately pull it out?” It wasn’t really compassion for the animal—it was about protecting their own property. They’d make exceptions to the Sabbath law for their own benefit, yet criticized Christ for healing.
This exposed their hypocrisy. Their issue wasn’t the Sabbath; they were angry at Christ’s miracles, the proof of his divine authority, and the influence he had with the people. People often bend the rules for personal gain, but won’t for God’s glory or their neighbor’s good. His question left them speechless: “They could not answer him again to these things” (Luke 14:6). Christ will always be justified in what he says, and every mouth will be silenced before him.