October 1, 2026
Pretense - Part 4
Luke 14:5-6
10/01/2026
5 And he said to them, ``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?''
6 And they could not reply to these things. (ESV)
Original sin, that sin which is passed from Adam to all his
descendants, is the desire to be like God, to replace God.
Therefore, all temptation to sin is the temptation to believe
that God's law does not apply to us due to our exalted nature.
Our prayer pleads through God's grace that we may be kept free
from pretense and arrogance.
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 had healed a man on the Sabbath, the day of rest upon
which no person could work. The Pharisee and lawyers who
witnessed the miracle were shocked that Jesus would be so bold to
act in this way on the Sabbath.
And [Jesus] said to them, ``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?'' And they could
not reply to these things.
Although the men present at the Sabbath day banquet were
shocked at Jesus' actions, none of them would allow even a beast
of burden, much less their own son, to remain in a well if an
accident happened on the Sabbath. They would go to the aid of
the one who had fallen. They would do the very act of mercy for
which they condemned Jesus.
May our Lord guard us from hypocrisy, that we may serve Him
by serving our neighbor. Amen.