Chapter 14 begins with Jesus having dinner with a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees on a Sabbath. While they were eating, a man appeared who had dropsy (edema). Jesus asks the question whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Everyone was silent. Jesus heals the man and asks those gathered wouldn't they rescue a child or ox that fell into a well on a Sabbath. Again, no one replied.
The group found the story very similar to other healings in the gospel. When Jesus heals, it always seems to be on a Sabbath or, at least, those are the healings that are recorded. The conversation focused on how the law can get in the way of doing what God would have us do. The law was intended to help us in life, but, as Jesus points out, can become a burden and a way to justify ourselves. When Jesus talked about divorce, his concern was that men (only men could divorce in those times) were looking for an easy way out that was lawful and, therefore, allowed them to remain righteous. Jesus challenges this kind of understanding. There was also discussion about the letter of the law as opposed to the spirit of the law. It was noted, that in the end, in the eyes of the law we always come up short. The law brings us to the cross in our need for confession and forgiveness.
The question was asked about whether rescuing a child from a well was unlawful. Would God demand that kind of obedience. It was pointed out that the law would allow you to rescue your child. You could even heal on the Sabbath if the condition was life threatening. This led to a discussion about the sacrifice of Isaac. It was pointed out that the sacrifice of Isaac was really an ancient story aimed at prohibiting human sacrifice in a time when human sacrifice was done. The good news was that the God of Israel did not demand such a sacrifice. In contemporary times, it's hard for us to get past God asking for the sacrifice in the first place. We need to hear the story in a different way. We need to hear the story in its historical context. This is often true in scripture.
This led to a discussion about choosing God over family. For some, this was a choice they could not make. Is the answer really God or family? Jesus certainly seems to present the choice that way. Certainly, Jesus is challenging us to take at look at our lives. What is the role of the family in our lives? The conversation raised the issue of idolatry. What is at the center of our lives? Sometimes, a child or a spouse can take too much of the center. A person's whole world revolves around that individual in an unhealthy way. God is the only true center that, not only holds, but allows for other things in our lives. God sees family as a gift. God wants us to be good parents, good spouse, and good sons and daughters. Our family commitments are a part of God's purpose in the world.
We talked about living out our faith. Certainly, we can live out our faith within our families. However, they are many other ways. Going to church on Sunday is one way of living out our faith, but not the only way. We talked about how, in a much broader sense, we our "church" in the world and we need to recognize and celebrate those moments and times.
Finally, we talked about the silence of the dinner guests. Were they silent because they agreed with Jesus? Were they silent because they were so angry? Were they silent because they didn't know what to say? We agreed that all of those answers are possible. The beauty of the silence is the story is that it invites our response. What would we say? This is a great way to engage people while telling a story.
Once again, our time together was meaningful. Keep following the discussion on the blog. Ask questions when you have them.
Peace,
Pastor Summer
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