Luke 14:1-5: a reflection

1When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him. 2Behold, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him. 3Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 4But they were silent. He took him, and healed him, and let him go. 5He answered them, “Which of you, if your son or an ox fell into a well, wouldn’t immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”

Jesus is dining at the house of a leading Pharisee on the Sabbath, and everyone is watching him closely. Before him is a man suffering from a painful swelling disease. Jesus asks the experts in the law, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? They will not answer. So he heals the man and sends him away, and then he exposes their inconsistency: Which of you, if your son or your ox fell into a well, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath? They would rescue an animal, yet begrudge mercy to a suffering man.

Notice what Jesus reveals here. Those who watched him were so concerned with the letter of the Sabbath rule that they would question the rightness of healing a suffering man on that day; yet they would not hesitate to rescue their own animal from a well on the Sabbath. Their rule-keeping had crowded out compassion, so that they could countenance mercy for an ox but question mercy for a person. Jesus shows that doing good and showing mercy is never a violation of God's true will, whatever the day.

That is a warning against letting rules crowd out mercy. It is possible to be so concerned with keeping the letter of religious rules that we lose sight of the compassion God actually desires, so that our rule-keeping becomes an obstacle to doing good. But mercy is never out of season; doing good and showing compassion is always right, and never truly forbidden by God's law, which was given for good. Do not let a rigid concern for rules crowd out the compassion God desires. Where there is a chance to do good and show mercy, do it, as Jesus did, without letting rule-keeping stand in the way. God desires mercy; let compassion for those in need never be crowded out by a rigid keeping of rules.

Lord Jesus, dining on the Sabbath while they watched you, you healed a suffering man and exposed the inconsistency of those who would rescue an animal from a well yet question mercy to a person; you showed that doing good and showing mercy is never a violation of God's true will. Warn me against letting rules crowd out mercy. It is possible for me to be so concerned with keeping the letter of religious rules that I lose sight of the compassion you actually desire, so that my rule-keeping becomes an obstacle to doing good. But mercy is never out of season; doing good and showing compassion is always right. Keep me from letting a rigid concern for rules crowd out the compassion you desire. Where there is a chance to do good and show mercy, help me do it, as you did, without letting rule-keeping stand in the way. You desire mercy; let compassion for those in need never be crowded out in me by a rigid keeping of rules.