Luke 14:3 Commentary and Bible Study

Many of the scribes, lawyers and Pharisees are there. This has all been planned quite carefully. Jesus has deliberately been invited on the sabbath day, and at the same time there is someone who is very unwell, and they are sure that his compassion will compel him to heal this person, and he will do what he believes he should do without fear of men. So the trap has been set, and they are ready to pounce the moment he acts. On previous occasions something similar has happened. In Luke 13:14, after Christ has healed the crippled woman with a spirit of infirmity, the ruler of the synagogue had severely criticised him because he had healed her on the sabbath. But the man had been exposed as a hypocrite by the Lord, who pointed out that this was not how he would treat his own animals. He would certainly loose them from the stall and water them, even on the sabbath. The Lord knows what they are doing, and he provokes this conflict because these things need to be brought out into the open, and besides, he is going to go ahead and heal this man. He knows how hypocritical they are, and he asks them, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?’ But they have learnt their lesson, and seem to have agreed among themselves beforehand not to say a word and nobody breaks rank. ‘Don't charge him with healing on the sabbath. Don't say a word, because every time we have done that in the past, and we have challenged him, he has had an answer for us that we couldn't respond to. He had us completely cold, and we were made to look foolish.’ But their silence condemns them, because the question is entirely legitimate, and the answer is so obvious. It is clearly silence born out of stubbornness, and evasiveness, and a realisation they are in the wrong.Although he knows their perversity, and that they are going to use this healing against him, he does not hesitate for a moment. Christ did good to all, regardless of how much his enemies hated him for it. He heals the man, and lets him leave the house, which he is apparently eager to do.