Pentecost 14 Luke Lifted by Christ

Proverbs 25:2-10 Hebrews 13:1-7 Luke 14:1-14

“One Sabbath, when Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching Him carefully.”

The Lawyers and the Pharisees were what we would call “church-going people.” They went to synagogue regularly and so did Jesus. They believed in angels and in the resurrection. They were part of the working class but tended to be more of what we would call “middle class” and they were proud of their work. They were also proud of their moral condition and were looked up to by those of the lower class. They worked hard to achieve a high level of moral uprightness and outwardly behaved with pomp and dignity

But Jesus was not impressed by their external piety or their moral uprightness. He saw them to be self-righteous rather than righteous in a Godly manner. In fact, the Pharisees had the most trouble believing in Jesus and his teachings.  

But Jesus would go to their homes for a meal when they invited Him in order to witness the truth to them.  Even though Jesus went to preach and to teach at their homes, He was always aware of the traps they would set. But as you know, the Pharisees were watching Jesus not so much to learn from Him but rather they were watching for Him to make a mistake; for Him to say or do something that was contrary to the Laws that they so scrupulously followed.  

At the same time Jesus did not play their games. Their judgmental attitude towards people whom they considered beneath them really annoyed Jesus. And their refusal to put a positive light on even joyful events such as the healing of the sick exposed their negative attitudes. Whenever they tried to lure and trap Jesus, He would turn the situation around and expose their evil intentions, attitudes and practices for what they really were-hypocrisy. Such is the case in our gospel lesson for today.

Now there happened to be a man in the house who had dropsy. The modern day term for dropsy is edema. Edema is a massive swelling usually of the arms or legs due to the accumulation of excessive fluid in the tissues. Edema or dropsy is a symptom which occurs in several forms including diseases of the liver or kidneys but it is usually caused by congestive heart failure. When the heart cannot effectively pump enough blood through the body, excess fluid builds up and causes gross swelling.  When the fluid builds up in the lungs it is called pulmonary edema.  A person can literally drown from dropsy when their lungs fill with fluid. But Jesus was willing to heal the man of his affliction.

Jesus knew that when He healed the man however, a controversy would erupt. The lawyers would claim that He had broken the Sabbath Law. So Jesus beat them to the punch. “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not,” He asked. Now the table was turned.  They could not answer without getting into a controversy among themselves. So they remained silent and Jesus healed the afflicted man.

After Jesus sent the man away, He asked, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”  In other words, here was a man who was slowly drowning from pulmonary edema just as surely as if He had fallen into a well and they were questioning whether the man should be lifted out of his difficulty.

Now these men did not understand the medical condition of the man. They failed to see the similarity between the man and a son who had fallen into a well. Even so they realized that they would rescue their son or even an ox on the Sabbath which would have required much more effort than the little exertion of Jesus. So they did not reply to our Lord’s question.

Neither did they comprehend that Jesus did not cure the man of dropsy. His dropsy was not really a disease but only an outward symptom of a more serious illness. Jesus cured the inward condition of the man so that his outward swelling was relieved.

So since they did not understand and in order to make His point clear, Jesus spoke in parables that even the most self-righteous and hardened Pharisee would understand. Jesus was not really that concerned about telling dinner guests where to sit or wedding hosts whom to invite. What he really wanted to drive home was that the way they believed, thought, and acted was not God pleasing. Truly righteous people behave differently because believers are not concerned with self-promotion and self-glorification.

Even today, you can still see how certain people have very high opinions of themselves. You can see how they put down others who are less wealthy, less educated or less successful.  They are quick to belittle others or to say that they deserved the bad things that have happened to them.  And you probably know people who only go out of their way to do nice things for people who can do something for them in return. How many guest lists for weddings have been determined by the size of the gifts the people invited might bring?

Jesus was demonstrating that those who behave in such a manner are like the man with dropsy—their swelling with pride occurs because their heart is not right with God. The lawyers and Pharisees were drowning in their sins because their hearts were not attuned to the Holy Spirit.  Instead, they were filled with hatred for Jesus and yet swelled up with their own pride. Jesus was clearly warning them that they were in danger of not entering into the kingdom of heaven.

Imagine the humiliation someone would feel to be escorted, before everyone else’s eyes, from the place of greatest honor down to the place of least honor. Imagine the eternal heartache of thinking you are entering the wedding feast of heaven and being cast into the fires of hell! All those who do not realize their sin of pride are in such danger.

Jesus is certainly not recommending that we pretend to be humble, while remaining inwardly proud. He is telling you and me to be truly humble. That means that we see everyone’s self worth in the light of God’s estimation.

Each person that we encounter is someone who Jesus Christ was willing to die for and He died on the cross so that all who believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. When you see every person regardless of their social status in such a light, you see that all His children are worthwhile to Him.  Jesus lifts you out of the well of sin that is drowning you when you turn to Him for help.

 It is also Jesus who sets you down when you act like a Pharisee and turn away from His word. As our Introit lesson says, “It is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.” The Pharisees overestimated their worth, thinking it had something to do with themselves and their self-righteousness. They also underestimated the worth of the poor, the disabled and especially other sinners. They would never think of inviting such people for dinner or associate with them in any way whatsoever.

Furthermore they underestimated Jesus. They were entertaining the very God of very God, yet they showed Him little respect or courtesy. Saint Paul says, “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Well I am afraid we have all fallen short of that kind of hospitality in our thoughts words and deeds.

 Jesus was showing these Pharisees and everyone who hears His word with an open heart that we need to look to God’s grace instead of our own interests. Jesus showed kindness even to those who would kill Him and He showed them the connection between the love of God and Christian humility.  Most of the Pharisees rejected His love and continued to harden their hearts. Jesus however, healed the hearts of many and reduced their pride so they could see their own self worth through God’s eyes.

Jesus continues to heal the hearts of many today. All Christians know God’s law, and realize that they sin daily.  No matter how hard we try, we still sin and fall far short of the perfection God requires for entrance into heaven.

But through the work of the Holy Spirit, our hearts are healed.  When our hearts are healed the swelling caused by our selfish and self-centered pride is reduced. The believer knows that without the forgiveness of sins, He will never be able to sit at the wedding feast with Jesus and His bride in the kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus teaches that you see the pride that has swelled you outwardly as a manifestation of the condition of your heart. His yearning is that you ask for forgiveness and receive His healing. There is nothing more divine than healing someone’s soul whether it is on a Sabbath or any other day of the week. 

His deepest desire is to heal your soul so that you may depart in peace today and be with Him tomorrow and for all eternity. He offers you that healing today through His word and Sacraments. My prayer is that Jesus lifts you up in both body and soul today, tomorrow and every day to share in the blessings of heaven forever and ever, Amen.