Pastor Scott Andrews | March 8, 2026
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Luke 14:1-11
It has always intrigued me that many unbelievers/non-Christians spend so much time examining the Bible, specifically the life of Jesus for the purpose of dispelling and denying the Christian faith. In some cases, they know the Bible better than some of us. But here’s the point – they approach their examination with minds already made up. Theirs is not an honest inquiry, but rather one simply to affirm their already held beliefs.
I shared this story some time ago, but back in the nineties, our church in Colorado Springs took a youth group to the Olympics being held in Atlanta. Our thought was, the world was coming here, why not seek to evangelize some. Well, I was with a couple of young people, who had been trained, and we approached a middle-aged couple on the street. When the man figured out why we engaged them, he exploded. He said, I’m from Florida, and I’ve devoted my life, spent years debating Christians on radio and in schools to disprove the Christian faith. After listening to him rant for a while, I asked some questions – why does this matter so much to you? If it’s all just a fairy tale, as you suggest, what difference does it make if some believe, and you don’t? Why spend so much time disproving a myth? And with a harumph, something about wasting our lives, he turned and walked away in disgust.
I’m sure there are at least a few reasons for such vehement opposition. Consider first, as there are genuine followers of Jesus around, the pressure to believe can be challenging, so some examine the life of Christ not to consider the evidence, but to build a case against Him and thereby justify their unbelief. And with the onset of the internet, there is plenty of fodder to build a case against the Christian faith, however baseless that fodder may be.
Second, somewhat related, is true followers of Christ who seek to live godly and faithful lives can be quite convicting. You see, light should expose darkness. Third, consider also the activity of the evil one, who has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. In other words, the activity of the evil one can be effective in inciting opposition to Christ. Fourth and finally, the truths of the Christian faith can be offensive. It’s a rock of offence. It proclaims all are sinners in need of a Savior, and people don’t like that. And the claims of the Christian faith are exclusive – that is, everyone needs a savior, and there is only one. And so, the exclusivity of Jesus Christ is offensive to followers of other religions, those who deny Jesus was the Son of God in the flesh. All that to say, if they consider that possibility that it may be true, it confronts them.
So, I suppose it makes sense, with such exclusive claims of Christ and His Word, that unbelievers, who remain in darkness, would be so overtly opposed to the faith. Its very existence requires them to do something with Jesus. But you should understand, while people look at Jesus, examine His life and claims, you should know that Jesus is also looking at them. Maybe you. Examining their lives, your life, and confronting them with the conviction of sin, the errors of their way, and exposing the truth they so vehemently oppose. He doesn’t just shrug His shoulders – no, He loves people, and wants them to know Him. So what will you do with Jesus when the tables are turned? We see this clearly in the text today in our continuing study of the gospel of Luke. Read it with me – Luke 14:1-11.
I want you to hear me clearly today. It is perfectly fine to examine, investigate the claims of Christ. Do that honestly, and I believe you will find the evidence irrefutable – more, you will find Jesus altogether compelling, attractive, and you will be drawn to Him. But, if your investigation is only for the purpose of dispelling, dismissing, denying the Christian faith, I want you to know, Jesus is watching you, too. To examine and dismiss Him is to do so to your eternal peril. Please, examine Jesus with an open heart and mind, and be amazed at who He is.
We are in the midst of Jesus’ six-month journey from Caesarea Philippi to Jerusalem. While in Philippi, after asking the disciples who people thought He was, He asked them, who do you say that I am? And Peter got it right, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You’re right, Peter, and upon this rock-solid truth, I will build My church, and the gates of hell won’t overcome it.
Then He told them, we’re headed to Jerusalem – it’ll take a while to get there. But when we arrive, He tells them, not once, but three times what will happen. I will be handed over to the chief priests, the scribes, the elders – the Sanhedrin – and will be mistreated, put to death by crucifixion – but know this, three days later, I will rise from the dead. That alone is irrefutable evidence as to the person and work of Jesus. He prophesied the time and manner of His own death, and that He would rise from the dead three days later, and He did. What will you do with Jesus?
Well, as He makes His somewhat meandering journey to Jerusalem, He continues to heal, He continues to teach along the way. And so the opposition from those who wish to deny Him continues to mount. That opposition is led by the religious elite, particularly the self-righteous Pharisees. Almost every mention of this group in Luke’s gospel is pejorative. They are always out to trap Him, catch Him, to ultimately destroy Him. And yet, we find Jesus continues to associate with them. Why? To teach truth, even to those who would deny. The outline of our text is simple:
- Jesus Heals on the Sabbath as They Watch Him (1-6)
- Jesus Teaches on the Sabbath as He Watches Them (7-11)
This is now the third time in Luke’s gospel that Jesus heals on the Sabbath in front of the religious, typically Pharisees, seemingly intentionally – not to break the Law of Moses, but to expose their rules which were actually opposed to the Law of Moses. The first was back in chapter 6, where we read:
6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.
8 But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.
9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”
10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.
11 But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
They watched to see if He would heal – and when He did, they were out to get Him. The next story is found in Luke 13:
10 And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.
12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”
13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.
14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?
16 “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”
17 As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.
I know we just studied that a few weeks ago, but it’s such a good story, I had to read it again. Notice how in all three instances when Jesus heals on the Sabbath, He references the Law they were supposed to be upholding – the Law they were supposed to be defending. He takes them to task, and they don’t like it. He’s drawing a line in the sand, and most of them stay firmly imbedded in their false rules, violating what God actually intended for the Sabbath. Yes, rest and worship, but also, perform acts of mercy. Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man. Think about it – when Jesus healed the withered hand, when He straightened the bent back, when He healed this man of dropsy, what Mosaic Law did He break? He didn’t. He showed mercy to those who needed it.
Well, let’s look briefly at this third Sabbath Day healing. Luke says it happened when Jesus went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread. Several things to notice. We don’t know exactly where this took place – but we know it was on the Sabbath. Of course it was. The big Sabbath Day meal was usually at noon following the synagogue service on Saturday morning. It’s the same today – it’s why there are lines at the restaurants in a couple hours. The food, of course, would have been prepared the day before.
It was quite usual for a synagogue elder or ruler to invite distinguished guests to his home for the meal – to include any visiting rabbi. Which is one reason why Jesus was invited – but it’s not the main reason. Now, this specific Pharisee was of special importance – notice, he was one of the leaders of the Pharisees. Most suggest he was at least the synagogue ruler, but this particular phrase seems to set him apart – perhaps one of the leaders, a member of the Sanhedrin. That’s interesting, why would he, a leading Pharisee, invite Jesus to lunch? He had to know who Jesus was, and that He was public enemy number 1.
Well, the next phrase tells us why – they were watching Him closely. Who were the “they”? Undoubtedly other important people from the synagogue and the community – other Pharisees and lawyers/scribes verse 3 tells us. This was not a friendly lunch. Hey, let’s kick back and have some shawarma and hummus. No. They were watching Him closely. Why, because they were interested in what this Rabbi had to say and do? Because they were examining the evidence? Could this be the Christ, the Son of God? No. Just like many today, they were examining Him to find fault with Him, to dismiss Him, to deny Him. We know by now they were seeking to trap Him, to catch Him breaking their rules, to ultimately destroy Him. Again, it’s the same today. Oh, maybe they can’t crucify Him, but they seek to bury Him and His truth nonetheless.
They even set a trap for Him. What do I mean? Look at the next verse, “And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy.” How is that a trap? Hold on. Dropsy is what we would today call edema – a retention of fluids in tissues of the body causing severe swelling – usually in the feet, ankles and legs. It was typically the result of some internal organ failure – the liver, the heart, or kidneys. Meaning, at this time, this man was very sick. Now, they didn’t know it, but Jesus did. Oh, and you should know a couple other things. First, dropsy was thought to be the disease of especially terrible sinners; a disease as a result of some egregious sin. This man was a sinner – everyone knew it. Also, given this was visibly unattractive with possible bodily emissions, this man was seen as perpetually unclean.
All of that means this guy would not be on the Pharisees guest list for lunch that day. No, he wouldn’t be on the community’s who’s who list. Not only that, as we’ll see in a minute, when Jesus heals the man, he sends him away – he wasn’t expected to stay for lunch. And yet, there he was. Why? Most suggest he was a plant, a test, to see what Jesus would do – they were watching Him closely.
And what does Jesus do? Well, the man was right there in front of him, and Dr. Luke says he was suffering from dropsy. This was a debilitating disease, leading to social shunning. Suffering he was. And so we read, Jesus answered – don’t miss that. The text doesn’t say those watching Him said anything. But He knew what they were thinking; He knew this was a trap. So He answered their paltry attempt and spoke to the lawyers – the scribes, the specialists in the Law and the Pharisees – all those present, “It is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”
He had them on the horns of a dilemma. You see, if they said yes, He would heal, and that would be that. If they said no, they would appear lacking compassion, spiritual leaders as they were. Now, to be clear, their rules did allow for healing on the Sabbath – but only in dire emergencies – life or death situations. That rule is kept today for orthodox Jewish doctors who are not permitted to work on the Sabbath unless life is at stake.
Of course, that was just their rules. Understand, they were to cease from their labors, but not from acts of mercy. So, they kept silent. I love that. That fact is, those seeking to examine the evidence and dismiss Jesus eventually have nothing to say. His words, His works, His death and undeniable resurrection silence every skeptic and critic. What will you say, what will you do about Jesus. They kept silent. But Jesus didn’t.
He took hold of the man and healed him and sent him away. He did three things – He took hold of the man – something most everyone never did given he was an egregious sinner and wore it through this disease. He was unclean. Second, He healed the man. Remember, I suggested the edema was typically a secondary symptom pointing to some organ failure. But Jesus healed him. Not just the inflammation and swelling, but whatever caused it. And it was evident to all. I don’t know how it happened, did the swelling just go away? Don’t know, but the man was clearly no longer sick. And third, Jesus sent Him away. He was no longer needed. He was no longer a prop in the drama. Jesus sent him away to his family, perhaps, to those who really loved him – these people didn’t. There was no need for him to be in the midst of a bunch of unbelievers any longer. Jesus had healed his suffering, his shunning, and sent him away whole.
Then Jesus looked back to them – the silent, no doubt now seething onlookers – and said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?” Really, you would leave them? The Law actually allowed for such action. Jesus is pointing out, you would care for your son, you would care for an animal. You care more for animals than this man. Should I not also care for him? And they could make no reply to this – their guilty silence remained.
Bringing us to our second point. Don’t miss it – while they were watching Jesus closely, looking for some guilt in Him which they could not find, Jesus was watching them, and their guilt abounded. So, He spoke in a parable to those invited to this luncheon. It was His favorite teaching method. You see, He noticed they had been picking out the places of honor at the table.
Historically and culturally, this is how it went. The dinner table would be those low triclinium couches arranged in a U-shape. There would usually be three per couch, hence, triclinium. You would lean on your left elbow with legs behind you and eat with your right hand. The host would sit in the middle of the bottom of the U with guests spreading out on each side of him. The closer to the host, the greater the honor. Of course, those immediately on his left and right would be the highest honored seats.
While they were watching Him, Jesus was watching them – and unlike they, who were unable to find any fault in Him – He observed what C. S. Lewis called the great sin of pride – self-seeking honor, in them. He noticed they were jostling for position – seeking to pick out the best seats of honor – closest to the host. Oh, it wasn’t because they necessarily wanted to be close to the host, but to be recognized as men of honor themselves. In other words, as it is with most, it was all about them.
So Jesus said to them in parable form, clearly loud enough for everyone to hear – after all, they were watching Him closely – and He turned the tables on them – pardon the pun. He said, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast [a community event of the highest order. Yes, the Sabbath Day meal was important – but that was every week – a wedding was indeed as special event with room for special honor. It’s also possible Jesus is tipping His hat to the coming Messianic feast – a wedding feast – the marriage supper of the Lamb. If that’s so, and it’s likely, Jesus is talking about much more than just a Sabbath Day meal or even a wedding feast. People at His feast will not be jockeying for position – all eyes will closely and rightly be watching Him, the most glorious One. He alone will have the seat of highest honor.]
When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor – closest to the host to gain attention and honor and recognition. For someone more distinguished than you may show up having also been invited. Then you will face the embarrassment of the host coming to you and saying, move down, go down the pecking order – give up your place to this man. Then in disgrace you will be bumped to the last– the lowest place. Why the last? Because all the other seats will already have been taken. The only one left is at the end of the line. If you seek to be first, you will last. You’ll have to walk the walk of shame.
Instead, Jesus said, when you are invited, go and recline at the last place so then, the host who invited you can come to you and say, move up higher, closer to me. Then you will have honor in the sight of all rather than be embarrassed. By the way, Solomon addressed this thought in Proverbs 25:6-7, which says, “Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, [you don’t have any – only the King has honor] And do not stand in the place of great men; For it is better that it be said to you, ‘Come up here,’ Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.”
Can you see it? People jostling for seats of honor at the marriage supper of Lamb, when the King of kings is present? I would suggest all will bow, and He alone will receive the glory due Him. Now, to be clear, Jesus is not giving a class on social etiquette, nor is He giving a way for you to surreptitiously receive the honor you think you deserve. This is not false humility 101. No, He is talking about the humility that should be apparent in the lives of people – especially His followers. We don’t seek honor and recognition – we want all honor to go to the host – the Master, the Son of God who has invited us to His table.
This isn’t a competition, where we seek to outdo one another in receiving honor, but rather we seek to outdo one another in giving honor. That’s what Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor…” The ESV has it, “Outdo one another in showing honor.” Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
This is to characterize followers of Jesus. It isn’t about us and making much of us. It’s making much of Him. Jesus summarizes in verse 11, “For everyone who exalts himself well be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
This is the way of Christ. It is, after all, what He did. Philippians 2 which tells us, with humility of mind to regard one another as more important than ourselves goes on to say:
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is the way of Christ – who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despised its shame, and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. He is a magnificent Savior. Examine His life all you want. Do so with open heart and mind, and be amazed. You will find Him altogether wonderful and glorious. You will be irresistibly attracted to this kind of Savior. And you will bow our knee to Him.