- Psalmody: Psalm 119:137, 124a; 1; Psalm 33:12, 6; Psalm 115:11; Daniel 9:4, 17a, 19b; Psalm 76:11–12
- Lection: Proverbs 25:6–14; Ephesians 4:1–6; Luke 14:1–11
In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” Such was the absurd question that the Lord Jesus had to pose to the Pharisees to point out how far their self-righteousness standards had grown to govern how they thought of other people and how it crowded out of them true, humble godliness and the fundamental characteristic of the law: to love. They had inverted the heart of God’s law, that is, to love God and to love neighbor, in order that they may be loved above all instead. Self-idolatry is a time-honored tradition among us sinners. The Pharisees’ way of self-worship was in seeking to preserve the Ten Commandments (a good thing) through the keeping of their own more stringent commandments and self-standards so that they could boast, not in the Name of the Lord, but in themselves, giving thanks to God that they are not like this tax collector, that prostitute, or the man with dropsy. God’s law is never rightly used when, by it, man exalts himself. And especially not when it’s done at the expense of neighbor. The law was never intended for us to use to puff up ourselves or to show or even think how holier we are than our neighbor. God gave it for their benefit, not our self-serving ones and only in the prior are its good intentions upheld.
Christ’s question to those at dinner was in regard to neither an evil nor trivial matter. He did not ask if it is lawful to murder a child on the Sabbath. Nor did He ask if it was lawful to stop by this bread house instead of that one for lunch. He asked them essentially whether it was lawful to love your neighbor, particularly on the Sabbath. Why would it not be? In what kind of a heart could it not be good to do good on the day of rest? Are not all the commandments good, for our good, and for the good of neighbor? There is no sensible person among the living who can deny that it is good to honor your father, your mother, and every other office of authority that stems from the building block of family as God has designed and created it to be as one man and one woman being fruitful and multiplying. Likewise, it is actually good not to murder another person, not to commit adultery with another person, not to steal from another person, not to give false testimony against another person, and not to covet what another person has.
The question that Jesus asked spears the heart of inverted, self-righteous thinking, because what kind of a person would deny another human being the gift of being healed just to be able to appear godly in the eyes of others by some self-determined measures? Was that why we were given the one day of rest out of every seven? To neglect others at all costs for the sake of appearing godly? Was the law given for us to use against one another? Was that why God Himself rested after His six days of creation? To make sure that we take the proper time to recognize those who exalt themselves? No. And God didn’t rest because He was tired either. He made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath. He rested for your sake just like He would eventually do again in the spiced tomb, then bursting forth from it as your New Creation.
The Lord instituted the perpetual day of rest among us so that man could be certain to have a regular, needed break from the labor and toil required of us on the six other days, during which hopefully we are able to earn our living peacefully and quietly. May God preserve this and give us our daily bread! He has set the standard from the Beginning that the work that characterizes the six days isn’t carried over into the one of rest, and rest doesn’t mean be lazy. The Sabbath is to be kept holy, but not as fuel for despising love of neighbor. It was given for bodily rest and also for us to gain essential spiritual rest. One does not require neglect of the other. Spiritual rest isn’t merely a refrain from doing certain things, but of doing holy ones, making sure that we are spiritually refreshed in actually doing something different; in keeping the day holy, set apart from the rest by sanctifying it with the holy things of God. We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. That happens in this glorious place where the Lord comes to us in Divine Service in His church, not with our eyes closed in the chapel of St. Mattress, nor prostrated in the valleys of Mount Lazyboy, nor tossed to and fro on the waters of Holy Recreation. Now that we as the Church gather regularly on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week instead of the last, since it was on this day that Christ was raised from the dead, we need not wonder how or what day to set apart out of the week to come together and worship our Savior in Spirit and in Truth. Sunday is the Christian’s Sabbath to be the day on which we again receive what we need most, for all the labor of six days measures not in comparison to eternal provision regularly bestowed upon us on this Sabbath.
Also, by keeping this day holy, by being in the house of the Lord, by confessing your sins, by receiving absolution, by lifting joyous voice in praise and thanksgiving, by hearing His Word, and by receiving His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins, your life confesses to the world the glory of God and that what you intentionally seek out here are treasures most worthy; that they are far above all other trinkets, entertainments, and idols that this world worships. Where else can you receive healing for your very soul than from Him Who has come into the world to give you His eternal rest? The Sabbath was given for your benefit, not for your harm nor displeasure. The law was given for your benefit, not for your harm nor displeasure.
Which brings us back to Jesus in the house of a ruler of the Pharisees. He, the great Law-giver in the flesh, came preaching Law as a good thing, while being watched closely by the overly-zealous keepers of their own law. He calls us sinners to repent of doing the same, for our tendency is to measure each other with critical, self-righteous eye and heart. We are too quick to see with fallen eyes instead of with the compassionate eyes of Christ. May we ever pray, “Lord, be Thou my vision,” for too often do we examine other people, dropsy or not, searching for reasons, digging for excuses to despise them, ridicule, judge, or criticize them based on standards we’ve come to hold precious and sacred, whether based on God’s Law or more likely just our own! The man with dropsy surely had much to be despised by Him Who sees all things, yet the Lord Jesus turned not away in disgust, did not lead question to His Pharisee host with the words, “can you believe…”, nor did He refuse to have mercy. He instead had compassion. He took him and healed him, and let him go, the exact same approach that He takes every Sabbath with us all who daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment, ridicule, criticism for the inbred, ugly dropsy of the heart. The Lord desires our minds, hearts, and words to love and follow His example by seeking to do good, even to those who don’t deserve it, for we ourselves have merited none of His goodness. We ask and thank Him for giving it all to us by grace!
So, indeed, it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath because the Lord Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law in His undefiled love for all our fallen race. Those who exalted themselves in this King’s presence were humbled as they sought over others to take the place of honor that the law provided for their neighbor through humble acts of love. When we are given the call of the law to do good, then let us pursue the self-less example that Christ set, as He humbled Himself so that He may exalt us who deserve Him not.
He has put the law to use perfectly in dealing with the man with dropsy, in dealing with the Pharisees, in dealing with us. For when the law has its way with us, when we consider our place in life according to the Ten Commandments, we are rightfully humbled in seeing that we have not loved God with our whole heart or our neighbor as ourselves, but the Gospel gives the power of God unto us to do something about that; to make use of our Sabbath rest for our good and the good of one another, even those we don’t know but simply pass by in life. The Gospel is for those humbled by the law, because righteousness doesn’t come by denying what the law reveals, but in trusting that God forgives even the worst of our daily transgressions for Christ’s sake. We need not act like we have achieved our own level of holiness when the fullness of God’s has been robed upon us in Christ; in Him Who did miraculous work on the Sabbath out of love for the man with dropsy and Who rested Himself in the tomb only to rise again, giving you now this glorious day each week to come and be healed by the work of His hands, so that all other people may benefit from your good works, even those within that are never seen or heard, but by God. It is Jesus from Whom you receive these good gifts today in the midst of others who watch…closely? Hopefully more so…joyfully as we rest together in Him Who is our true Sabbath Rest.
In ✠ Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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