Were the Pharisees Trying to Put Jesus on Display?

Luke 14 begins with Jesus being invited to the home of a Pharisee on the Sabbath for a meal.  But it seems a rather odd set up.  Jesus arrives and they are all "watching him closely".  This seems to be a key detail to the story.  Because then, as if out of nowhere, a man who had dropsy suddenly appears.  Is it too odd to be a random occurrence?   At this apparently exclusive Sabbath meal Jesus is invited to, there is a man in need of healing.  AND an audience.  Experts of the law and Pharisees are on hand, watching intently.  This is not a new situation for Jesus.  He’s healed on the Sabbath before. 

            But this feels like it is somehow ‘on demand’, something of a deliberate show.

            Jesus looks to the gathered leaders, “Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?”  Again, not a new debate.  Jesus says ‘yes’ (and heals) while the leaders have been angry in their denials of this as work.  “Pick another day…”  But today, they say nothing.  They sit in silence.

            There might be a couple of reasons for this.  They might be gathering evidence to use against Jesus.  Breaking Sabbath is a major offence against the law of Moses.  Not that this has ever stopped Jesus.  Or maybe they just don’t know.  Maybe something has actually gotten through to them.  Sabbath-breaking is a repeated theme.  Maybe they've gathered to try and settle actually division amongst the “experts”.  Personally, I think that extends too much grace in their direction, but that’s me.

            “So Jesus took him, and healed him, and sent him away.”

            They wanted a show?  Jesus gave them a show.  But not without a challenge.  “If your kid or your ox falls down a well on the sabbath, who would not immediately break the rules of sabbath to pull them out?”  Luke records, “And they could not reply to this.”  First time Jesus asked, they chose not to reply.  This time, there is no reply they can give.

            Was this a show?  Was Jesus being set up?  Well, the previous times of Sabbath debate between Jesus and the leaders, it is 'in the moment'.  As in the synagogue on a Sabbath morning where there is someone to be healed.  Or when the disciples plucked grain on Sabbath.  In this case, it seems like a stage was set for the leaders to witness Jesus 'perform'.   Whatever we are to believe, this appears to be the last debate over the Sabbath that Jesus has in the gospel of Luke. 

            The piece to remember is that the leadership was left without response.  They would not take a stand on the question one way or the other.  And Jesus left them hanging.  And Jesus is not done with them yet.

Peace,

pastor pete