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Luke 14:1–6
“[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” (vv. 5–6).
Keeping the Sabbath properly was a major focus of the Pharisees, and for good reason. The Old Testament stresses the importance of observing the Sabbath and promises great blessings to those who hallow the prescribed day of rest (Ex. 20:8–11; Isa. 56:1–8; 58:13–14). Nothing can be greater than to be blessed by God, and if keeping the Sabbath brings divine blessing, one will certainly want to know how to do so.
Because the Sabbath was of great concern to the Pharisees, they wanted to see what Jesus believed about observing it. Luke has already recorded a few occasions on which Jesus and the Pharisees and even other Jews disputed what people can rightly do on the Sabbath (6:1–11; 13:10–17), and today’s passage tells us about yet another time when Jesus’ Sabbath practices became controversial. While Jesus was dining with a “ruler of the Pharisees,” a man with dropsy was present and the Pharisees “were watching Jesus carefully” (14:1–2). Dropsy is a condition in which fluid fills the tissues and limbs of the body, causing great swelling. The Pharisees were watching to see whether the Lord would heal the man, for they viewed such an act as unlawful labor on the Sabbath.
Jesus plainly knew that the Pharisees were trying to trap Him, for He asked about the lawfulness of healing on the Sabbath (v. 3). He knew their thoughts, indicating that Jesus is more than a mere man. Our Lord believed it proper to heal the man on the Sabbath even if his life was not in immediate danger, for Jesus cured the sick individual (v. 4). To justify His deed, our Lord appealed to the Pharisees’ own practice. They had no trouble with pulling an ox or a son out of a well on the Sabbath, so they should have no trouble with healing a man with dropsy (vv. 5–6). In other words, their understanding of God’s purpose in giving the Sabbath—the good of man and beast (Mark 2:27)—was sufficiently correct that they recognized the rightness of saving the life of a person or animal even on the day of rest. Their inability to extend the principle of providing necessary care on the Sabbath beyond the case of an ox or person’s falling into a well demonstrated the shortsightedness of their interpretation of God’s law.
God gave us a day of rest to restore us, not punish us. Properly observing the Sabbath—the new covenant Lord’s Day—involves, in part, tending to the health and welfare of human beings.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
John Calvin comments, “If we are at liberty to relieve brute animals on Sabbath, it would be unreasonable that we should not perform a similar office of kindness to man, who is formed after the image of God.” As we seek to keep the Lord’s Day, let us remember that the Sabbath was made for our well-being and seek to bless others in need on Sunday and every day.
for further study
- Deuteronomy 5:12–15
- Mark 3:1–6
the bible in a year
- Psalms 34–35
- Acts 21:37–22:29
- Psalms 36–41
- Acts 22:30–23:35