MORE VALUABLE THAN AN OX (LUKE 14:1-6)
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After I finished my book on People Jesus Met for the people Jesus healed last month, I was literally soaking my feet one day in hot water with herbs, salt and vinegar when I checked the KJV word “dropsy” on the Internet. I had purposefully left out the miracle from the book because the sick person had just a small part in the account. The internet says:
Dropsy: An old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of excess water.
Edema/Dropsy: Edema means swelling caused by fluid in your body's tissues. It usually occurs in the feet, ankles and legs, but it can involve your entire body. I said to myself, “That’s me!”
I had a stroke less than one week before my 58th birthday, for which I was hospitalized and given medication to lower my blood pressure. One of the drugs, unfortunately, caused unbearable swelling for two years, to the point I could not wear shoes and walk normally. A young man who lived with me for three months looked up the problem on the web and told me it’s the drugs that caused my swelling, so I reduced one of the two drugs by half and arrested the problem, to the horror of my friends in the medical field.
What made this man so unappealing to me previously? Out of six verses in the passage, the man appeared in two verses of the chapter (vv 2, 4), the Pharisees in five verses and Jesus in all six verses. The man never said a word, nor did Jesus talk to him. He did not make a move, not did Jesus require him to act. His faith was not evident. Apparently Jesus never mentioned the man in the two questions he asked!
What makes a person worthy of Jesus’ attention and action? Why is a person’s life of more value than that of an ox or a bird? How are we to respond to a person who is sick or suffering?
Sympathize Rather Than Speculate
1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.
On the Internet is a cute and lovable image of Snoopy stretching his hands for a hug under the title: “The Perfect Friend,” with arrows pointing to his different body parts.
Pointing to his eyes: Happy to see you
Pointing to his mouth: Love to see a smile
Hands: Good for holding and helping
Tummy: A warm spot here for you
Feet: For standing by your side
Shoulder: Available to lean on
Ears: ready to listen on a moment’s notice
Mind: Full of great advice!
This is the last of three contentious incidents Jesus had with religious leaders in the book of Luke over healing on the Sabbath (Luke 6:1, 7, 13:10, 14:1). The first was with the scribes and Pharisees (Luke 6:7) who watched to see if he would heal the man with withered hand. The second was with ruler of the synagogue who was indignant when Jesus healed a woman who was sick for 18 years (Luke 13:10-14). The last is the man with the swollen body here in this chapter. The book of John added the contention with the Pharisees over the man born blind (John 9:16). (Jesus healed two more times on the Sabbath without religious leaders present - Mark 1:21-26, John 5:9)
The three response of the lawyers and Pharisees in this chapter were: they watched him (Luke 14:1), they remained silent/held their peace (Luke 14:4) and they had nothing to say or they could not answer him (v 6).
The Pharisees and the scribes
Jesus
They watched him (v 1)
Jesus answered, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?” (v 3),
They remained silent/held their peace (v 4)
He took him, and healed him, and let him go (v 4)
They had nothing to say or they could not answer him (v 6)
Jesus answered them, “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?” (v 5).
In contrast to Jesus’ three actions: Jesus answered, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” (v 3), he took him, and healed him, and let him go (v 4), and Jesus answered them, “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?” (v 5).
In the previous chapter, Jesus had received a stern warning from the Pharisees in the imperative: “Get thee out,” and “depart “hence: for Herod will kill thee (Luke 13:28), but it did not stop him from entering the house of the house of a prominent Pharisee in the next chapter. In other versions it’s one of the chief Pharisees (KJV), one of the leaders of the Pharisees (NASB) and a ruler of the Pharisees (ESV). As you can see, the Pharisee was definitely in a leadership position, not “prominent” (NIV) in the sense of a respected or renowned person, but a ruling Pharisee. Jesus did not dodge, defer or dread it because He had a person in mind.
The verb “watch” occurs merely six times in the Bible, out of which four times are in the gospels related to Jesus (Mark 3:2 – “watched” by Pharisees, Luke 6:7 – “watched” by scribes and Pharisees, Luke 20:20 - “watched” by chief priests and the scribes). Even more dramatic all three verses have the “hina” purpose clause with its corresponding subjunctive verb (in bold):
Mark 3:2 - they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; THAT (hina) they might ACCUSE him.
Luke 6:7 - the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; THAT (hina) they might FIND an accusation against him.
Luke 20:20 - they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, THAT (hina) they might TAKE HOLD of his words.
It was planned, purposeful and premeditated.
Support Rather Than Suppress
3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.
Renowned Campus Crusade stalwart Dennis Rainey shares his experience working with Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright:
“I was to go to work with Bill (Bright) some three years later and work with him until his death back about a decade ago and I was with him early on in my ministry and I had a chance to have kind of an informal time with him and I said ‘Dr. Bright, have you ever have you ever been discouraged and wanted to quit?’ And I will never forget this as long as I live. I was a young man in my late 20s, early 30s. He looked back at me with steel eyes and he said, ‘Never,” and I said, “Oh, come on, when those guys walked into your office and demanded your resignation, didn't you think about tossing it in?’ ‘Never!”
I was beginning to get the point because I was sitting there as a young man facing all kinds of obstacles in my life in my ministry in my marriage and my family and I got to tell you the thought of quitting had crossed my mind but Bill challenged me to step up to embrace the call of God.
DTS Chapel, Dennis Rainey, Contagious Courage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57ff_nNckl4
The Pharisees were famous in the Bible, but the experts in the law or lawyers made six of its seven occurrences in the gospels in Luke (Luke 7:30, 10:25, 11:45, 46, 52, 14:3), with one exception In Matthew (Matt 22:35). The lawyers therefore asked pointedly, Is it lawful on the Sabbath to heal? (Greek order) With divinity in their presence, all they cared about was to question what He did, but not who He was.
The man with the illness was strangely invited, not because they’re thinking of and thoughtful to him, but to test and trap Jesus. The man must have felt strange that someone would invite him over on a work-less Sabbath day, let alone a senior religious leader! Astonishingly, all the people who Jesus healed on the Sabbath never asked for healing in the first place Jesus – from the man with the withered hand (Luke 6:8) to a woman sick for 18 years (Luke 13:11) to the man with swelling in his body in this chapter, and the paralyzed man (John 5:6) and the man born blind (John 9:6) – never asked Jesus for a miracle, especially on a Sabbath day. Except the man paralyzed for 38 years (John 5), most of those Jesus healed on the Sabbath knew He was present or teaching, especially this man because the religious leaders had challenged Him, to which Jesus “answered” them – which is the original in Greek, as well as KJV and NASB, not “ask” in NIV. Yet none, including this man, would ever dare to ask Jesus to heal them. They knew better with the religious leaders around. It would endanger and enveloped all involved. They would be chastised, castigated and condemned forever.
Jesus’ two questions in Luke for the religious leaders over the Sabbath include:
Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? (Luke 6:9)
Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? (v 3)
The religious leaders remained silent (v 4) can be translated as held their peace (Luke 14:4), rested (Luke 23:56) and ceased (Acts 21:14). Shockingly this verb debuts in the Bible, skipping the books of Matthew and Mark! The lawyers and Pharisees were uncharacteristically quiet. We were not told what question they asked, but that Jesus “answered” a question with a question. They were not there to ascertain the truth but to assert their authority, not to assist the man abut to afflict him, not to alleviate suffering but add suffering, not to argue their case but to announce their verdict, not to admire Jesus but to accuse Him. They did not care for the man’s welfare, well-being, or wellness. They were stoic, steaming and sickened by what they heard and saw.
The verb for Jesus “sent him (the man) on his way” is “let go” traditionally. Jesus did not want the man to be involved, intimidated, insulted, investigated or even imperiled like the blind man healed in John 9:34.
Save Rather Than Stall
5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” 6 And they had nothing to say.
Youtube has an interesting video from 2018 titled “Man Saves Cow from Drowning” that dramatically captured on video how a cow was almost swept away in a canal by onrushing waters, but for the quick action of a man and a group of locals.
The men must have thought for some time before they swung into action, but not too long because the swift waters carrying the cow were passing the town bridge, where everyone watched above gasping in horror as the cow passed by. This could be the last chance with the rapid waters. First, a man rush down from the bank slope and jumped into the canal just as the cow passed the bridge. Next, he swam to reach the cow. Later he managed to rope the cow, before a second person came down to help him steady the struggling cow and get the cow near to the bank. Finally, a few men helped to drag the cow up the semi-steep bank of the canal as the two men held the struggling cow by the neck. It takes a village to save a cow!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZNPESz3h9o
The first English or Chinese translation translated the first hypothesis as “ass,” but the later translations use “child.” Even later translations discovered the first word “ass” or “child,” along with the verb “fall” is altogether missing, so we are left with the ox! According to Wikipedia, “oxen are used for plowing, for transport (pulling carts, hauling wagons and even riding), for threshing grain by trampling, and for powering machines that grind grain or supply irrigation among other purposes. Oxen may be also used to skid logs in forests, particularly in low-impact, select-cut logging.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox
The animal “ox” makes a late entry in the Gospels in the account of the woman who was sick for 18 years. In that instance, Jesus asked the ruler of the synagogue who was angry at Him after He healed the woman on a Sabbath: “You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?” (Luke 13:15)
The adverb “immediately” means straightaway, speedily or swiftly, no delay, doubt or dread. Jesus interrogated, irritated and indicted them for absolving themselves, adding burdens and avoiding responsibility.
The verb “pull out” surprisingly occurs for the first time in the Bible. Its only other occurrence in the Bible refers to a voice “let down” from heaven. The only alternative for owners was to spring, scramble and swing into action, not to debate, deliberate or decline action, or it could mean the cow’s death, demise and destruction.
Jesus “asked/answered” (apokrinomai) the Pharisees and the scribes (v 3) and the the Pharisees who “had nothing to say or could not answer again” (ant-apokrinomai in Greek) are contrasts. The second verb (v 6) is the opposite of the first, adding the preposition “anti.” They could not reply, rebuff or reproach Him, because it would only show their how heartless, hardened and harsh, how indifferent, insidious and inhumane they were.
Conclusion: Are you struggling with self-esteem, self-worth and self-image? Jesus is always willing to deliver the lost, defend the helpless and direct our lives. Let go of your insecurity, inferiority and insignificance, because He’s willing and able to redeem, repair and rejuvenate you – no matter your fortune, fears and failures in life.
