There are many stories of Jesus healing people on the Sabbath found in the Gospels. Have you ever wondered why? It was obviously a bone of contention with the religious leaders of the day. Was He just looking to pick a fight with them or is there something more? Let’s dig into the Word and discuss!!!

[Luke 14.1-6]

1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 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. 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.

[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?

+ Why do you think there are so many examples of Jesus healing on the Sabbath, especially with the religious leaders of the day in attendance?

+ What does the fact that this unnamed Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner on the Sabbath tell you? What do you make of the phrase “they were watching Him (Jesus) carefully” tell you? Do you think the man with dropsy was an originally invited guest? Why or why not?

+ So, according to the Pharisees, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not? The Essenes, another Jewish sect, specifically listed pulling an animal out of a pit as an activity forbidden on the Sabbath. Why do you think Jesus used the illustrations He did in v. 5?

[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?

+ Is there sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?

+ I believe Jesus healed on the Sabbath primarily to reveal the hypocrisy of the religious leaders and to show the true heart of His Father toward humanity, His crowning achievement!!! This scenario probably appears as many times as it does in the Gospels because Jesus was probably healing ALL the time [read John 21.25].

But was Jesus saying all work is acceptable on the Sabbath? Where does keeping the Sabbath holy fit in? I must confess, I don’t think about the fourth commandment as much as I should. I make sure gathering together with fellow believers in Jesus in corporate worship is a priority on the Lord’s day, of course. But if I am honest with myself, I do things on Sunday that I do every other day of the week for the most part. I am going to confess my sin and ponder what keeping the Sabbath holy should look like in my life. How about you???

[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?

+ What is my next step?