| Luke records a Sabbath day when Jesus was invited to the home of a prominent Pharisee for a meal. A first-century meal like this would have resembled an ancient game of Musical Chairs. Guests tried to guess their place at the table based on their importance and who else had been invited. Naturally, Jesus took the lowest seat available and observed this embarrassing shuffle. When the meal was ready to begin, a man with abnormal swelling was seated right in front of Jesus. This man would have been visibly ill and since it was the Sabbath, it was clear that the Pharisees were setting a trap for Jesus. Luke’s storytelling reveals that Jesus has already healed on the Sabbath in chapters 4, 5, 6, and 13. Now, with all the powerful religious people around the question hung in the room, what would Jesus do? You may already know, but true to form, Jesus compassionately healed the man. The Pharisees were livid! How dare this Galilean teacher ignore their Sabbath interpretation and heal this man. The religious folk were always looking for a way to trap him. Since Jesus had their attention now, he pressed his point home by exposing their prideful dinner seating practice as well, reminding them that, “all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He struck a nerve by exposing not only their faulty interpretation of the commandments, but also their self-righteous approach to following God. I have been thinking a lot about this story lately. I want to be careful not to mistake my interpretation of God’s word for the voice of the Holy Spirit. I need God’s voice, not more of my own! What’s more, I want to be careful that my tenure as a follower of Jesus doesn’t deteriorate into a kind of self-righteous, self-congratulatory Pharisaism that hides a heart not fully surrendered to Jesus. Are you in the regular habit of bringing your whole self before Jesus in prayer and asking him to chip away at the parts of you that don’t resemble him? It’s a good practice and I encourage you to build it into you lives right away. Sam |
