September 29, 2026
Pretense - Part 2
Luke 14:1
09/29/2026
1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of
a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him
carefully. (ESV)
This week we pray:
Lord, we implore You, grant Your people grace to
withstand the temptations of the devil and with pure
hearts and minds to follow You, the only God.
The temptation of the devil is to give us the pretense that
we are above the law, that the rules do not apply to us. That
was true for Adam and Eve, it is true for us.
We forget the three purposes of the law. The first is a
curb against overt bad behavior. As we fear punishment, as we
are concerned about the cost of getting caught, we follow the
rules. The second is a mirror which shows us that we have failed
to keep the law. The third is a guideline so that we may better
live with those around us.
Jesus was invited to a Sabbath dinner by a ruler of the
Pharisees. Those who were invited, in their arrogance, sought to
discredit Jesus by catching him breaking one of the numerous
traditional Sabbath laws. ``One Sabbath, when [Jesus] went to
dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching
him carefully.''
The teaching of Jesus, teaching with authority and power, a
call to repent because the kingdom of God is at hand, was
upsetting the religious leaders. Time and again Jesus pointed
out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who on the surface were
highly religious, but were prideful sinners. Eventually, the
Pharisees would put Jesus to death for teaching of God's grace,
love, and mercy. May our Lord grant us faith to hear Jesus'
words of love which bring us salvation from sin and death. Amen.