Sunday 22nd September 2024. Trinity 17.

Pastor Pete Myers explains Luke 14:1-11.

What does love look like under the microscope?

What does love look like under the microscope?

What does love look like under the microscope?

Our Gospel story today starts with the Pharisees scrutinizing Jesus. Take a look at v. 1:

One Sabbath, when [Jesus] went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.

The Greek word translated here “watch” means “to give careful consideration,” “to scrutinize”. All of us know the feeling of being under careful examination: …whether that’s a written exam, …being under review by a critical boss, …or having to watch your every move on a first date.

Well… even in those everyday experiences—Jesus knows how you feel.

For most of his public ministry, he lived under the microscope: and during that time, more and more people watched him; and more and more of those people wanted to see him fail.

But by watching Jesus carefully, what the Pharisees didn’t realise was they weren’t just scrutinizing some religious nutter. They were scrutinizing love incarnate, love itself.

And in defiance of their wish for judgment to remain a one way street Jesus takes the initiative—and scrutinizes them back.

So, we’re going to look at this story twice, from two different perspectives: First, we’ll see ourselves as the Law of love scrutinizes us. Second, we’ll see the Law’s love as we scrutinize Jesus.

We see ourselves as the Law of love scrutinizes us.

So, first, we see ourselves as the Law of love scrutinizes us.

There’s three things about love and the Law here: —all Law exists to promote love, —so all Law should be interpreted through love, —and love puts others first.

All Law exists to promote love… Take a look at vv. 1-3:

One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”

Now do you see the slightly odd word used of Jesus in v. 3?

Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees…

The word in Greek is usually translated “answered”. And that’s a slightly odd word to use here, because at this point in the story, the lawyers and Pharisees have said nothing. —What is Jesus responding to? Notice where Jesus is? V. 1 he was dining…

…at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees…

And in plain sight in front of him at this house is, V. 2…

…a man before him who had dropsy

Dropsy causes disgusting, unpleasant, swelling… …it is not a socialable sickness… …so how did this man end up in the house of an important Pharisee?

He must have been invited and placed there by the Pharisees… …deliberately to try and entice and trap Jesus into breaking the Law on the Sabbath.

That’s why what Jesus says in v. 3 is an answer, or a response, to the lawyers and Pharisees—because Jesus is replying to their trap. And so Jesus’ question goes the heart of their hypocrisy, v. 3,

“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”

Jesus and the Pharisees know full well that the Jewish oral traditional interpretation of the Law explicitly says that medicine for sickness—even where there is no imminent danger—can be applied on the Sabbath.

After all the Law is summarised in two commands: Love the Lord your God, and Love your neighbour.

In other words: all Law exists to promote love.

But that is not why the Pharisees and lawyers brought this poor man with dropsy here on the Sabbath. Rather than love, they were motivated by hate to test Jesus and to trap him.

And all of us do this, by the way… …all of us have that legalistic, accusing streak …that wants to catch others out and trap them using some rules.

What triggers that feeling in your heart? Difficult experiences? Memories of past hurts? Who, why and when do you find your mind revelling in the thought of someone else being caught out?

These lawyers and Pharisees intended to trap Jesus, But because of his love and integrity, Jesus instead traps them: And so he shows that because all Law exists to promote love all Law should be interpreted through love vv. 4-6:

But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” And they could not reply to these things.

Twice we are told the Pharisees have nothing to say… v. 4 they remained silent v. 6 they could not reply.

Jesus has caught them out and laid bare their hypocrisy. Because Jesus’ questions reveal their total lack of love for this man. v. 5—if he was a Son, they would love him and heal him without question —even if he was a pet, they would help him out of a pit. But they did not love this man with dropsy. They did not care for him at all. And Jesus made their double standards clear for everyone to see.

Everyone here knows what it is like to cling to a technicality at someone else’s expense. Why do we do that? Jesus’ question shows us that it’s simply a lack of love.

Everyone here knows what it is like to be hurt by other people and to harbour hatred as a result and so to use whatever rules we can grab to get even. When do you do that? How do you do that? Who do you do that with?

Because all Law exists to promote love; all Law should be interpreted through love …and love—explains Jesus—puts others first. Please look again at vv. 7-11:

Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honour, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honour, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Humble yourself—says Jesus—and put others first.

And it’s just incredible how this Law is twisted and turned by our evil hearts that are desperate to avoid love.

We are obsessed with rank and status… …longing to be first, …longing to be honoured …longing to be high up and lifted

Which by definition means… …needing others to be last …needing others to be in our shadow …needing others to be lower than us.

Because the nature of status is it’s a zero-sum-game: we can’t have high status without others being below us. And all of us have seen and experienced this principle perverted …how people pretend to be humble …in the expectation they’ll be elevated. That is the kind of people we are.

So this passage begins with the Pharisees scrutinizing Jesus. But in his response, we see ourselves as the Law of love scrutinizes us.

All Law exists to promote love, but the Pharisees are using the law for hate as we so often do ourselves.

All Law should be interpreted through love so our desire to punish others using technicalities reveals our lack of love.

And love puts others first, but we need others to be last so that we can be elevated. That is who we are. That is who I am.

Christ perfectly fulfils the Law of love

But there is a second perspective on this story. Another way to look at it. Which is to see that Christ perfectly fulfils the Law of love.

And this shines through in all three parts of the story, and in all three truths about the law and love.

The first truth from vv. 1-3 was All Law exists to promote love. Just look at what Jesus chooses to do v. 1:

they were watching him carefully.

The Pharisees are trying to catch Jesus out, and normally Jesus doesn’t rise to the bait. Jesus usually chooses to be silent, to be smart, to avoid the trap. But here he doesn’t—why? Because, v. 2:

there was a man before him who had dropsy.

This time they set the trap with a real human being, a man, a person, whom the Pharisees had put on public display. This poor guy had a humiliating sickness. It was embarrassing enough, and the Pharisees were willing to humiliate him further to meet their goals. So, v. 3:

And Jesus responded

Jesus acted out of love. He will rise to this bait, not for himself, but for this man with dropsy.

All Law exists to promote love, and so all Law is fulfilled in Jesus—the embodiment of love.

And so naturally, Christ interprets the Law in love… Interpretation of the Law was the point of vv. 4-6. Just look again at v. 4:

But they remained silent.

In their hatred, they cannot interpret the Law, but now look at what Jesus does:

Then he took him and healed him

Jesus interprets the Law of love and says: “I will associate with you, poor man, even if it will get me killed”

and sent him away.

Jesus loves this man so much, he wants to spare him from the argument that is to come. As Jesus rolls up his sleeves to deal with these legalists, he loves the man by removing him from the argument.

So, All Law exists to promote love: —Jesus is the embodiment of love.

And all Law should be interpreted through love—Jesus interprets the law in perfect love.

And finally, love puts others first—and Jesus puts you first. That’s the highest and most important meaning of vv. 7-11: Jesus puts you first.

Later on in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus will sit with his friends, and he will say these words:

“I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

“This is my body, which is given for you.

“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

“But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.

This is a feast that Jesus still offers us today. A feast not where he is merely the most distinguished guest—he is the host, the king who should sit in honour.

But instead he sat with one he knew would betray him. He stood in silence before the courts as they falsely accused him.

He hung in shame and disgrace as he bled out on the cross. And so at this meal he is present, not as the rich and royal host in glory, but as the very food on which we dine.

Jesus did this, made himself last, for you.

All Law promotes love. All Law should be interpreted through love. And so Jesus, the embodiment of love, puts… you… first.

That is why he chose to be so painfully last.

But, as Jesus says in v. 11

everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

And Jesus’ humble appearance will not last forever. For there is another, even greater, meal to which this story points: not a Supper celebrating a last will and testament, but a feast, which, like this one, celebrates a wedding.

A wedding where Jesus is the host, the groom, and the one sitting at the top table.

What does love look like under the microscope?

So, what does love look like under the microscope?

It looks like a wedding, on the last day, after all things are done, all pains are in the past, where you and I, the church, are Jesus’ bride,

We have been made first with him, seated at the top table, not because we made ourselves last, but because he chose to be last for us.