Unit 1: Love Completes, Law Falls Short
Key Verse:
Luke 14:3-4 NLT
3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” 4 When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away.
When I have been silent in the face of injustice, Lord forgive me.
Prelude:
Isaiah 56:1-2 NLT
1
This is what the Lord says:
“Be just and fair to all.
Do what is right and good,
for I am coming soon to rescue you
and to display my righteousness among you.
2
Blessed are all those
who are careful to do this.
Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest
and keep themselves from doing wrong.
God gifted Israel with the Law and the Prophets. The Law was given to set apart a people who would be holy before God. The prophets were given to reflect the heart of God to His people. God cannot be put into a box. Those who adhered to the letter sought to do just that. It was the prophets, led by the Spirit of God, who revealed the character of God. It was the prophet Isaiah (above) revealing what God cares about, so that we could learn to care about the same.
2 Corinthians 3:15-17 NLT
15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
The Lesson
Luke 14:1 NLT
1 One Sabbath day, Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely.
At this point in His earthly ministry, even though Jesus’ relationship with the Pharisees had become adversarial, He still accepted invitations to dine and debate with them, possibly hoping to break through to some of them with the truth of the Gospel. After all, they represented the religious leadership of God’s chosen people. Unfortunately, the intentions of His hosts were not so pure. Note to self: The Sabbath is not only a day of rest, but also a day for acting out of a pure heart.
Luke 14:2 NLT
2 There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen.
This is how we know that the Pharisees weren’t sincere. There was a man there with dropsy, a condition that affected the limbs in such a way that they were rendered swollen and sometimes useless. Surely, this was a setup. Under ordinary circumstances, the Pharisees would never have allowed the afflicted man in their midst, especially on the Sabbath. To do so would render them unclean. His very presence demonstrated their true disregard for the Law of Moses. Their actions betrayed them. The darkness of their hearts was clearly evident.
Luke 14:3 NLT
3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?”
Jesus immediately read the room. He understood the situation in its entirety. The Pharisees were, once again, trying to trap Him. Jesus had healed the sick on the Sabbath before. After all, He had come to bring the children of Abraham into their divine inheritance, an inheritance that included freedom from oppression. If ever there were a day to be set free, would that have not been on the Sabbath, the day designated for Israel to enter into God’s Rest. why wouldn’t that include a respite from torment?
Luke 14:4 NLT
4 When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away.
Interestingly, what happened next reveals much about what is really happening this evening. The Bible says that Jesus healed the afflicted man and sent him away. Why is this unusual? Because ordinarily, in an environment where there was little expectation for healing, Jesus couldn’t heal. However, that is not the case on this day. It appears that the Pharisees fully expected Jesus to heal the afflicted man. They were counting on it. Otherwise, how would they be able to bring their plan to trap Him to fruition? Incredible.
Luke 14:5 NLT
5 Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son[b] or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?”
The Pharisees refused to answer Jesus’ first concerning healing on the Sabbath. Though, the law did not expressly forbid healing, the Pharisees knew that to answer to answer either way would expose their hypocrisy. Jesus gives them an easier hypothetical the next time. Would it be proper to rescue a beast of burden, the lively hood of any given household? What about a child? Was it acceptable to rescue a child on the Sabbath? Clearly the correct answer was ‘yes’. The law did provide for the rescue of livestock or people on the Sabbath in the event of an emergency. This presented a dilemma for the Pharisees. To agree with Christ on the ‘letter’ of the Law of Moses would clearly suggest that Jesus was correct to heal on the Sabbath. In essence, they would have to admit that the Spirit of the Law was in express agreement with the letter of the law. Healing on the Sabbath made perfect sense. What were the Pharisees to do?
Luke 14:6 NLT
6 Again they could not answer.
Their lack of response spoke volumes. They were held prisoner by their own piousness. If they did not answer the first time, they could not answer the second. The vacuousness of their self righteousnee was fully exposed by their silence. They could not answer. They were rendered … powerless. Pay attention. The Pharisees were revealed to be powerless because they could not acknowledge the truth.
Do we, as Christians, render ourselves powerless when we cannot respond to the truth in love? Sounds like it. When we cannot respond to injustice with truth, in love, we render ourselves powerless. Our self-righteousness is as filthy rags. Beloved, there is work to do in these last days outside of the confines of the church building. When we are silent in the face of inequity, we are complicit in the injustices committed against the poor, the immigrants, the orphans, and the homeless. Beloved, real love speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves. Love takes sides. Beloved, take a side. Let love guide you into the harvest.
Selah,
wb
Luke 4: 16-21 NLT
16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.[f]”
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
Micah 6:8 NKJV
8
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love [d]mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Deuteronomy 27:19 NLT
19 ‘Cursed is anyone who denies justice to foreigners, orphans, or widows.’
And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’
Jeremiah 22:3 NLT
3 This is what the Lord says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent!
Proverbs 31:8-9 NLT
8
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those being crushed.
9
Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
and see that they get justice.
No comments:
Post a Comment