On a sabbath he went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. 2 In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” 4 But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. 5 Then he said to them, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” 6 But they were unable to answer his question.
Jesus is invited to dine at the home of a leading Pharisee on the sabbath, and all eyes are on him. In that charged setting, a man suffering from dropsy—severe swelling or edema—is placed “in front of him.”
Jesus asks a simple question: “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” They remain silent. The silence exposes the tension. The Law commands rest, but the purpose of that rest is communion with God, which includes mercy. Without debate, Jesus heals the man and sends him on his way. His action teaches that God’s rest is not indifference to suffering but the restoration of life.
He presses the point with an image everyone understands: if your son—or even your ox—falls into a cistern on the sabbath, you pull him out immediately. Scripture’s command to rest never forbids rescue; it presumes it. Some copies of Luke read “donkey” instead of “son,” but the lesson is the same: love responds at once when a life is at risk. Their inability to answer shows that Jesus has brought the Law’s intention into the light—even if they were unwilling to acknowledge it.
Luke wants us to see that the sabbath finds its true meaning in acts that free and heal. The leaders “observe” Jesus carefully, but he observes the suffering man more carefully still. The right reading of God’s command always begins with the person in need before us. When charity leads, the Law is fulfilled, not broken (cf. Rom. 13:10).
Early Christian teachers consistently read these scenes as revelations of charity’s primacy. St. John Chrysostom (c. 349–407) noted that works of mercy are not exceptions to God’s command but the heart of it; St. Augustine (354–430) read the sabbath healings as signs that Christ restores what sin has bent and burdened, so that true rest becomes possible in him.
Lord Jesus, teach us to keep your day by loving as you love. Make us quick to notice suffering and prompt to act, so that our rest in you becomes a source of freedom for others.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- The Navarre Bible: St. Luke, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Aguilar Chiu et al. (2018), Luke.
- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Brown et al. (1990), Luke.
- St. John Chrysostom (c. 349–407), homiletic comments on Gospel sabbath healings.
- St. Augustine (354–430), pastoral reflections on charity and the fulfillment of the Law.
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