Saturday 16 March 2013

Background

This is the last in this week's series of stories highlightingmiracles in Luke's Gospel, and it picks up on many of themes we'vealready explored. It links with yesterday's reading with its focus on what can andcannot be done on the sabbath. It contrasts the Pharisees andlawyers, respectable and powerful religious figures, with anunnamed (and probably poor) man with dropsy, an illness that hascaused fluid retention and oedematous swelling, and which could becaused by heart, kidney or liver failure. It shows that Jesus'primary concern is with healing the poor man rather than keeping onthe right side of the powerful and those in authority.

We often focus on the antipathy between Jesus and the Phariseesand teachers of the religious law, but relations could not havedeteriorated too far yet as he is still being invited to the houseof the leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal (verse 1). Even sothere is an underlying sinister threat of what is to come as we aretold that "they were watching him closely" (v. 1). Perhaps theyhave invited him to test him further following the last acrimoniousmeal that they had shared together (Luke11:37-54)!

When Jesus is challenged again about healing on the sabbath, hereplies using very similar arguments to those used in Luke13:15-16. By doing so he is not suggesting that sabbathobservance is not important, simply saying that actions of love andcompassion such as healing should not be prohibited by rigidadherence to the law. When faced with human need Jesus encouragesthem and us to act immediately (verse 5). We should not to put offto another day something that can and should be done today.

To Ponder

• Reflect again on the healing miracles in Luke's Gospel that youhave read this week and remind yourself of Jesus' 'Nazarethmanifesto' (Luke 4:18-19). How is Jesus "releasing thecaptives" through his actions?

• How far do we put religious observance before practical socialaction or does the former lead to the latter?