2022-12-27 11:41:12 -05:00
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+++
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title = "Luke 14:1–6"
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date = "2022-12-27"
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+++
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lk14.1-6)
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With as much animosity as the Pharisees had for Jesus, they invited Him to
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dinner a lot. I can't tell if these dinners are just a way to get close enough
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to Jesus to find things with which to discredit Him, or if they are customary
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for civilized debate in that day, or if they are social obligations for these
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religious elite to be seen with this famous teacher when He comes through their
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towns. This time the host is a "ruler of the Pharisees" (_v. 1_), possibly a
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2022-12-27 11:46:06 -05:00
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member of the Sanhedrin—the ruling council of the Jews. Whatever the
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2022-12-27 11:41:12 -05:00
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reasons for inviting Jesus to this dinner, the lawyers and Pharisees were
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watching Him closely.
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Jesus gives them a lesson in honoring the Sabbath. Jesus poses a question about
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the law to the experts of the law, one He has contended with the Pharisees
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before: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?". One of the people at
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the dinner (though probably just an observor, not a guest) was afflicted with
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dropsy, or edema, which is where fluid swells up parts of the body. Jesus calls
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the man over, heals him, then sends him away.
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Then He asks the dinner guests if they would rescue a son or ox from a deep
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hole on the Sabbath. Surely they would, in spite of their traditions against
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doing work such as lifting something out of a well. But they are so prideful
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that they don't even answer Him, either "yes" or "no". Even their own
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traditions would say that medical treatment is lawful on the Sabbath if it's
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necessary to save someone's life. And yet, they aren't even willing to say that
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much. They don't want to admin that Jesus might possibly be right about
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anything, because they can't accept being wrong about any little thing.
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There's a lot of that attitude in the world today. Tribalism, us-versus-them,
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whatever you want to call it. If an idea comes from someone in the wrong camp,
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it is treated with suspicion and hostility, even if there is some merit to it,
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even if it's something you'd agree with if someone else had brought it up.
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Instead, be humble yet discerning. Listen and be teachable, while always making
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sure what you hear lines up with the Scriptures. Right and wrong do not always
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line up with what you already agree with.
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* * *
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Help us to recognize and admit when we are wrong, so that we may repent of our
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faults and grow in truth.
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