Sermon #103 Luke
Sermons
Title: A Day For Mercy
Text: Luke
14:1-6
Subject: The
Healing of The Man with Dropsy
Date: Sunday
Evening—
Tape # X-73b
Introduction:
The Lord God declares by the
prophet Isaiah…
(Isa 58:13-14) If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my
holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and
shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor
speaking thine own words: (14) Then shalt thou delight thyself in
the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and
feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath
spoken it.
Our all-glorious Savior made the sabbath
a delight for many while he was upon the earth, and continues to make the
gospel sabbath that the old, legal sabbath portrayed a delight to sinners to
this day.
Christ is our Sabbath, and we find delight in him. When a sinner is turned from his way, from
his sin, from the pleasure of his depraved heart, and from this world to the
Lord Jesus Christ, finding mercy, grace, salvation, and rest in him, he finds
that Christ, in whom he rests, is a delight, a luxury, and that faith in him is
an honor. Indeed, all who trust Christ, delight themselves in him, triumph over
all their foes in him, and shall at last obtain the full heritage of the
heavenly
During the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry the sabbath day was used as a day for healing. By his example,
our Savior displayed that the Old Testament sabbath
day was intended and designed by our God to portray this day of grace.
(Luke
14:1) "And it came to pass,
as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.”
The
Jews commonly held great, lavish feasts on their sabbath
day. On this occasion our Lord was invited to the house of one of the chief of
the Pharisees, one of the Sanhedrim, one of the primary, best known of that
band of self-righteous legalists.
Our
Lord was not invited to the Pharisee’s house out of courteousy, but because
these fine, law-keeping, sabbath-keeping religionists had hatched a plan to
trap the Master. So “they watched him.”
(v.
2) “And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the
dropsy.”
These
good, kind religious men baited their trap by setting a certain man
before the Savior who had “the dropsy.”
This
condition is accompanied by swelling, scanty urine, poor appetite,
sluggishness, and debility. The swelling usually begins in the feet and ankles
and proceeds up the legs towards the abdomen. It is fairly common among diabetics.
In addition to the swelling, the bladder functions poorly, a person loses his
appetite and becomes very sluggish. His swollen limbs become debilitating.
After a while, it becomes obvious that he is terribly sick and will soon die if
something is not done to help him.
When
sulfuric acid is generated in the body, it unites with water and causes the
swelling. This produces heat, which expands the capillaries. The pressure
forces the serum through the walls of the blood vessels, producing inflammation
and dropsy.
It
is interesting that only Luke, the physician, records this miracle performed by
our Lord. Perhaps he did so because in his day, any man found in the condition
of this man was doomed to a slow, painful death. There was no cure for him, at
least no cure that could be wrought by the hands of men.
These
men brought this poor, dying wretch to the Pharisee’s house for no other reason
than to entrap the Son of God. They cared nothing for him. As religion always
does, they were simply using him for their own purposes. But it is written…
(Psa
76:10) "Surely the wrath of man
shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."
And
their wrath soon showed forth our Savior’s praise. These devils were but
vassals by whom the Lord of glory was pleased to bring a certain, chosen, dying
man to him, that he might show in that man the
wondrous, saving power of his mercy, love and grace.
(v.
3) “And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying,
Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?”
Though
they never spoke a word, the Savior answered them. He answered their thoughts.
They were not merely dealing with a man. They were not attempting to trick a
mere prophet. They were dealing with the God of Glory, trying to lay a trap for
the omnipotent, omniscient God, and he lets them know it. The Lord Jesus knew
exactly what they were up to. He asked them, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?”
(v.
4) And they held their peace. And he took him,
and healed him, and let him go;”
They
held their peace because they dared not answer. They were trapped by their own
trap. They dared not say anything that might show any agreement with the
Master. They could not say, “yes,” without consenting
to what he was about to do. And they could not say “no,” without denying that
works of mercy were permitted on the sabbath day by
Moses. Indeed, the sabbath day was, as I said in the
beginning of this message, designed to portray this great gospel day in which
we live, this day of mercy.
Once
the Master had shamed these babblers into silence, he took the man with the
dropsy and healed him. He who could dry up the
What
a picture this is of our Savior’s works of grace in chosen, redeemed sinners!
· He took him!
· He healed him!
· He let him go!
(v.
5) “And answered them, saying, Which of you
shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him
out on the sabbath day?”
Again,
our Master answered the unspoken quibbles of this cruel, merciless, religious
crowd that hated him, hated God, and hated men. They were obviously incensed by
what he had done, incensed that a poor, dying man was made whole on the sabbath day. Yet, not one of them would allow his own ox or
ass to drown on the sabbath day, if he could help it.
Our Lord’s obvious, bold insinuation was this.—You
gentlemen obviously care much more for your property, for your own beasts than
you do for a human being!
(v.
6) “And they could not answer him again to these things.”
Did you ever notice how often our Lord chose to
perform his miracles of mercy upon poor, needy souls on the sabbath
day? In the gospels, we are given six specific cases of cures wrought on the sabbath day. I need not remind you that man was created on
the sixth day. Six is the number of man. Our Lord, by performing these six
cures on the sabbath day, seems to be saying, “The
sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.”
1. The case before us in Luke 14 is one.
2. On the sabbath
day our Savior cast the devil out of a man (Luke
(Luke
4:31-37) "And came down to
·
Here is the cure of a man who was determined not to be cured. He was in
such a horrible state that the devil within him cried out to the Son of God, “Let us alone; what
have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?”
·
Here is a display of our Savior’s power over Satan and the demons of
hell.
3. Luke 6 tells us of our Lord
healing a man’s withered hand on the sabbath day (Luke
6:6-11).
(Luke
6:6-11) "And it came to pass also
on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue
and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. {7} And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would
heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. {8}
But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered
hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
{9} Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one
thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? {10} And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man,
Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the
other. {11} And they were filled with madness;
and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus."
·
Here is a poor, helpless man. His right hand, the hand of honor,
strength and labor, was completely withered. And he knew it. Unlike the man in
Luke 5, this man portrays a sinner who is at least aware that he is a poor,
helpless sinner.
·
He was singled out and separated from the crowd by the Master.
·
He was healed by a personal word from Christ being spoken to him—"Stretch
forth thy hand." He had no ability to do that; but he did. When Christ
speaks, the sinner who cannot believe, being commanded by omnipotent grace,
believes on the Son of God.
·
This man did not ask the Savior to heal him. He had no thought of being
healed. He knew his hand was withered, but fully expected it to stay that way.
Then, the Son of God stepped into the synagogue and spoke to him!
4. Turn to Luke 13, and watch
the Savior work again. Here he heals a woman who had been plagued with a crippling
infirmity for eighteen years (Luke
(Luke
13:10-17) "And he was teaching in
one of the synagogues on the sabbath. {11} And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of
infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could
in no wise lift up herself. {12} And
when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and
said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
{13} And he laid his hands on her:
and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. {14} And
the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had
healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in
which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the
sabbath day. {15} The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite,
doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox
or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? {16}
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan
hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the
sabbath day? {17} And when he had said
these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the
people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him."
5. In John 5, we see our Savior
healing a poor, impotent man, a man who had been impotent for a long, long time (John 5:1-9).
(John
5:1-9) "After this there was a
feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to
·
He was just one among many others just like him.
·
He was filled with religious superstition that kept him from looking
for any help from any other source, but his magical pool.
·
He had been in this condition for 38 years!
·
He was the object of God’s everlasting love.
·
The Lord Jesus saw him.
·
He knew him.
·
He asked him a question.—“Wilt thou be made whole?”
·
Then he said unto him, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.”
·
“And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and
walked: and on the same day was the sabbath."
6. In John 9 our Lord heals a
man born blind, again on the sabbath day (John 9:1-14).
(John
9:1-14) "And as Jesus passed
by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
{2} And his disciples asked him, saying, Master,
who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? {3} Jesus
answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his
parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
{4} I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night
cometh, when no man can work. {5} As long as I am in the world, I am the
light of the world. {6} When he had thus spoken, he spat on the
ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of
the blind man with the clay, {7} And said unto him, Go,
wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He
went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. {8} The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him
that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
{9} Some said, This is he: others said, He
is like him: but he said, I am he. {10} Therefore
said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? {11} He
answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made
clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and
wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. {12} Then
said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
{13} They brought to the Pharisees him that
aforetime was blind. {14} And
it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his
eyes."
There are three special, very instructive features
about all of these six miracles that ought to catch our attention.
·
First,
they were all performed on the sabbath day.—This
day is the day of salvation. Oh, may it be for you the day of salvation. Then,
you will call Christ our Sabbath and this his day of grace a delight.
(Isa
49:8) "Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of
salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a
covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the
desolate heritages;"
(2 Cor 6:1-2)
"We then, as workers together with him, beseech you
also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. {2} (For he
saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I
succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the
day of salvation.)"
·
Second,
each of these wonders was performed by Christ alone.
·
Third,
not one of these poor souls sought the Lord’s mercy.
The possessed, man entreated Christ to leave him
alone (Luke
But the Lord of the Sabbath is not bound by men.
Omnipotent grace is never withered. The arm of the Lord never waits for the
will of the sinner (Rom.
The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to save
chosen sinners; and save them he will. He has redeemed them by his precious
blood. He will save them by his omnipotent mercy. And he will do it without
their aid, without their work, without their will, even without their desire,
freely!
Physicians never come to the sick until someone
sends for them. Christ came to us, who sent not for him, which made him say,
"I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought
me not" (Isa. 65:1 ). He came to us, before we
ever thought of coming to him. He sought us long before we sought him. He found
us before we ever dreamed of finding him.
When the physician does come, he expects to be paid
for his services, whether or not they are effectual. "The Son of man is
come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke
The great Physician now is
here,
The sympathizing Jesus!
He speaks the drooping heart
to cheer—
O hear
the voice of Jesus!
Your many sins are all
forgiven.
O hear
the voice of Jesus!
Go on you way in peace to
heaven,
And wear a crown with Jesus!
All glory to the
dying Lamb!
I now believe in Jesus.
I love the blessed Savior’s
name,
I love the name of Jesus.
And when to that
bright world above
We rise to be with Jesus,
We’ll sing around the throne
of love,
His name, the name of Jesus!