Do the Right Thing...

Please take your Bibles and find Luke 14:1. I want to share a message with entitled, “Do the Right Thing.”

 

However, I want to continue that thought.  Do the right thing in the face of criticism.  Disciples of Jesus should do the right thing even when others will find fault.

 

After we read today’s text, you might think, “This sounds really familiar,” and you’re right.  We had a similar story back in Luke 13:10-17.

 

If Luke 13 was about the kingdom of God, Luke 14 is about being a disciple of Jesus.  What is a disciple? A disciple is a dedicated student of a certain follower.  In this case, we are talking about Jesus.

 

Lastly, before reading the text, I need to remind about the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week that God intended for rest, and it goes all the way back to Genesis 2.

 

2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

 

Keep in mind that God didn’t rest because He needed it.  He rested as an example for us.  He knew that we would need it.

 

Consequently, resting and worship is so important, it is one of the ten commandments.  See Exodus 20:8-11.

 

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

 

Evidently, the Sabbath was a regular subject of controversy as this is now the fourth instance we encounter it in Luke.  See Luke 6:1, 6:6, and 13:10-11.

 

1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.

 

6 Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered.

 

10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.

 

Therefore, the Sabbath was important.  It was important to keep it, and to understand what we should do and shouldn’t do on it.

 

BTW…The Sabbath is still important.  Brothers and sisters, you need a day of rest.  It doesn’t matter who you are or how old you are.  You need 24 hours of rest from your normal work, job, or vocation. 

 

God created you that way.  To do otherwise would be you thinking that you know better than God. 

 

In today’s text, I am going to make three observations with you.  You will see an invitation to fail, an illustration of good, and the incrimination of self.

 

 

1. An Invitation to Fail, Luke 14:1-3

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?”

 

Verse 1 opens on a Sabbath.  As I said previously, this story is all about the Sabbath.  You find it three times in verse 1, verse 3, and verse 5.

 

More than likely, worship had already taken place in the synagogue, and Jesus was probably the guest teacher for that day.  As it was customary, the guest teacher was then invited to local house for lunch.

 

This house belonged to a ruler of the Pharisees.  They were Jewish religious leaders who were known for their knowledge of the Old Testament Law and for their man-made traditions.

 

Notice the end of verse 1.  They watched Him closely.

 

Why?  They were setting a trap for Jesus.  They invited Him to lunch to watch Him fail.

 

One of the reasons why this seems to be true is because of who else we see at lunch.  Verse 2 says there was a man with dropsy.

 

This was a physical condition of retaining fluid.  His arms and legs and abdomen were all swollen as they retained water. 

 

The NIV says swelling of his body.  The NASB says edema.

 

Regardless, he had a physical condition that was seen as punishment for his sins.  He would be considered unclean and a very unlikely guest at this lunch unless he was being used for bait in the invitation to fail.

 

Verse 3 says Jesus spoke to the Jewish religious leaders about the man.  He asked if it was lawful to heal him on the Sabbath?

 

Keep in mind that He was referring to the Old Testament Law.  He was not referring to man-made tradition.

 

Nowhere did the OT prohibit healing on the Sabbath.  However, the Pharisees had man-made traditions that said otherwise. 

 

If they said no, they would have been considered inhumane.  If they said yes, they would have been violating their own conviction and discrediting their character and authority.

 

So what happened?  Look at verse 4.

 

 

2. An Illustration of Good, Luke 14:4

4 But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go.

 

When the Pharisees kept silent, Jesus did good.  He took the man who was swollen with fluid retention, and healed him, and sent him on his way.

 

Did Jesus heal his diseased liver or kidney or heart that was causing him to retain fluid?  Or, did He just cause the fluid to disappear?

 

We don’t know for sure, and I don’t think it matters.  Jesus healed Him because it was the right thing to do, and He did it.

 

 

3. The Incrimination of Self, Luke 14:4-6

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.

 

In His dialogue with the Pharisees, He asked two questions of them.  The first was in verse 3 about whether it was lawful to heal this man on the Sabbath. 

 

The second is here verse 5.  If your animal fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would you get him out?

 

This was a rhetorical question.  The implied answer was yes.

 

For the Pharisees, their answer to both questions was the same.  They were silent.

 

Consequently, they incriminated themselves.  What were they guilty of?

 

I think there are multiple answers to that question.  However, in this specific instance, they were guilty of not doing good.

 

Applications/Conclusion

So what do we learn and apply from today’s text.  Let me give you three.

 

First, the Sabbath is important. It is from God. It is for us.  Take time to rest.

 

Second, this man’s physical healing is a picture of our spiritual healing. Jesus still heals today.  Call on Him.

 

Jesus still saves today.  Notice that Jesus initiated healing this man.  Jesus is calling you today to be saved.  Will you answer?

 

Third, if you are a disciple of Jesus, you ought to be committed to doing the right thing even in the face of criticism.  Do the right thing even when it is hard.  Do the right thing even when no one else is doing it at home in your marriage, at work with your boss and coworkers, at school with your teachers and classmates and teammates, and wherever God takes you.