Introduction
Jesus exposes their empty false religious system. They had twisted the Sabbath. The Sabbath was intended for mans good. God blessed it. Mark 2:27 – it was meant to be a day of rest in the Lord.
Exodus 20:10 (NKJV) but the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of the LORD your God. [In it] you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who [is] within your gates.
Jesus is confronting their sin of breaking the Sabbath. He frequently chose this day to heal to challenge their empty false religion.
Matthew 12:8 (NKJV) “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.””
John 5:16 (NKJV) For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
1 – selfish false religion setting the snare V1
They are watching Him closely. Following Him around. Interested and sinister espionage. Desperately wan
2 – a suffering human being in need of sabbath rest and relief v2
Dropsy is a disease of swelling and water retention. This man is here perhaps as a trap for Jesus. They (the religious leaders) had no love or care for God or neighbor.
3 – The searching question of Sabbath healing lawfulness v3
Jesus asks if it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath. They kept silent. Why not answer? They choose to remain silent because they don’t want to deter Him from healing on the Sabbath so they could accuse Him.
4 – The sign of Sabbath healing that answers the question of Jesus v3-
Jesus responds by healing the man answering His own question. Therefore it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath.
5 Selfish hypocrisy exposed by Jesus’ questioning v5
He knows they are selfish hypocrites who exchanges the truth of God for a lie. (V5) He turns their condemnation unto to themselves pointing out they would save their ox on the Sabbath. How much more an image bearer of God.
6 – Self condemning silence v6
They have no valid or legal course. If they say He is guilty then they are guilty too. A self condemning silence. He revealed their hypocrisy.
Let us beware of legalism of false religion. A cold and callous heart that exchanges love for religious practices.
Jesus came to deliver men from sin and misery.
Luke 14:1-6 (NKJV) 1 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 2 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 4 But they kept silent. And He took [him] and healed him, and let him go. 5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” 6 And they could not answer Him regarding these things.