Flashback Episode — Caught Speechless: Luke 14:1-6

Not long after the Sabbath miracle we focused on in our last episode, we come to another miracle that Jesus did on the Sabbath. While the last miracle happened while Jesus was at the local synagogue, the miracle we are looking at in this episode likely happened after Jesus had been at the synagogue, and during lunch. Jesus had been invited to eat at the home of a prominent religious leader, and everything about this event suggests that this invitation was a setup.

Let’s read what happened and discover what we can learn from this miracle. Our passage is found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 14, and we will be reading it from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 1, Luke tells us that:

¹ On a day of rest—a holy day [most translations simply say “On the Sabbath”] Jesus went to eat at the home of a prominent Pharisee. The guests were watching Jesus very closely.

² A man whose body was swollen with fluid was there. ³ Jesus reacted by asking the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings, “Is it right to heal on the day of rest—a holy day, or not?” ⁴ But they didn’t say a thing.

So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away. ⁵ Jesus asked them, “If your son or your ox falls into a well on a day of rest—a holy day, wouldn’t you pull him out immediately?” ⁶ They couldn’t argue with him about this.

In how Luke describes the details in this passage, we see plenty of signs that this event is a setup. From the moment Luke tells us at the end of verse 1 that, “The guests were watching Jesus very closely,” we can conclude that they intended to challenge Him about something. We read this detail even before we are introduced to the detail that a man was there who was ill.

However, this miracle is unique. In no other miracle that I can think of does Jesus ask the religious leaders a question. This question is almost like Jesus is asking for permission or approval for helping this man. While everyone is looking intently at Jesus and what He will do in the presence of someone who needs help on the Sabbath, Jesus catches them off guard by asking them the question they had already determined the answer to. Verse 3 tells us this question. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in Moses’ teaching whether it was right to heal on the Sabbath or not.

This question is interesting on many levels, because with an answer, Jesus could open a dialog about how He interpreted the Sabbath commandment about rest before healing the man. Instead, Jesus is met with silence as a response. I don’t think these religious leaders were caught off guard with Jesus’ question; instead, it is more likely they had passed judgment on the idea of healing being acceptable while not having an actual scripture to back up this specific belief.

However, the silence was enough of a consent that Jesus healed the man and told him to go home.

While those present likely were preparing to debate Jesus with what was considered work and acceptable behavior on this day of rest, Jesus cuts their breath short by asking them another question, this time a partially rhetorical question. When those present were preparing their case against Jesus’ actions, Jesus speaks first, and in verse 5, He asks the obvious question about if we would help our child or an animal if he, she, or it fell into a well on the Sabbath. Only a heartless person would say no to helping their child because it was a holy day.

Luke concludes by telling us that those present couldn’t argue with Jesus over this detail, and while these religious leaders probably still disliked Jesus, they didn’t have much of a case to call Jesus’ form of healing as “work”.

In this event, we discover a group of people who believed a certain way without scripture to back their belief up. While some beliefs are fine to hold onto in places where the scripture is silent, any belief about God, about Jesus, or about eternity should be grounded in the themes and truths of the Bible. Any belief about God that the Bible speaks in opposition to is a belief that should be discarded in favor of the truth.

This also means that when we are faced with the challenge of whether to follow tradition or Bible truth, we should always follow Bible truth, because traditions change faster than generations do, and what was once a novel idea one day can become a tradition the next, even if there is no scriptural foundation present. If we pick tradition over Bible truth, we will ultimately stand speechless in front of Jesus when He challenges us regarding what we thought was true.

When resolving some tricky passages or beliefs, we would be better served looking closer at the scripture that speak against our position to understand them better. While it is easy to discount, explain away, or simply ignore passages that speak against our chosen belief, whenever we discount any portion of the Bible, we run the risk of missing truth that God wants to teach us. We can learn more from the passages we might disagree with more than the ones we agree with.

By giving greater weight to the passages we are tempted to walk away from, we can minimize the chance that Jesus will catch us speechless when He asks a question that we should have an easy answer to. By giving greater weight to the passages we are tempted to walk away from, we can avoid the trap of believing tradition over Bible truth.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Always be intentional about seeking God first in your life. Ask Him to lead you into His truth and ask Him to give you the strength, endurance, and open-mindedness to learn what He wants to teach you through His Word.

Then, make regular prayer and Bible study a habit for yourself. Ask God to show you want He wants you to learn and ask Him to help you understand His truth. The Bible is the best spiritual teacher we have, because when we open its pages with a prayerful, humble attitude, expecting to learn from God, the Holy Spirit will come teach us, and challenge us with its words. This has been my experience, and it is why I share insights with you every week! I believe God wants you to have a great study relationship with Him when you open the pages of the Bible to study His Word!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or ignore where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!