September 30, 2026
Pretense - Part 3
Luke 14:2-4
09/30/2026
2 And behold, there was a man before him who had
dropsy.
3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees,
saying, ``Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or
not?''
4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and
healed him and sent him away. (ESV)
This week we pray that God preserves us from the temptation
to be prideful, arrogant, and hypocritical:
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.
Jesus was invited to dine at the home of a chief among the
Pharisees. Saint Luke recorded:
And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.
And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees,
saying, ``Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or
not?'' But they remained silent. Then he took him and
healed him and sent him away.
This is the third time in Luke's Gospel that records Jesus
healing on the Sabbath day, the day of rest. Other rulers of the
Synagogue had already complained about Jesus doing this work on
the day when all work was prohibited.
By keeping silent, the Pharisees and lawyers present at the
Sabbath banquet refused to admit that the traditions of the
people did not permit such good to be done as releasing someone
from the bondage of disease. The Sabbath traditions were in
direct contradiction to God's Word, spoken through Moses, ``You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.''[1] God's holy law never
suggests that it is right to neglect those in need, be it the
Sabbath or any other day. As Saint Paul reminds us, ``Love does
no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the
law.''[2]
May our Lord grant us faith to reflect His love to our
neighbor. Amen.
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1. Leviticus 19:18b (ESV)
2. Romans 13:10 (ESV)