Sermon Tone Analysis

“Lessons at the Dinner Table”

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As a kid growing up in our home, mealtime was a special time, as our family sat around the table.

My dad made sure that we shared at least one meal a day together, usually at night.

Around the table we had a chance to see each other, and talk about our day.

We always prayed over our meal, and often, my dad shared something from the Bible with us.

There were a lot of teachable moments around the dinner table.

You should try to eat at least one meal a day together as a family, share and pray together.

Jesus often taught lessons to people at the dinner table.

This is the third time we see Jesus sharing a meal with the Pharisees.

This meal takes place after the worship service in the synagogue on the Sabbath day.

It was at the chief Pharisees house; he was the ruler of the local synagogue.

The others at the table would also be Pharisees, scribes and local leaders.

They were constantly seeking honor and recognition, and trying to elevate their social status.

It is amazing that Jesus would accept this man’s invitation after all the Pharisees had said done to him.

If I were Jesus, I wouldn’t give the Pharisees the time of day, I certainly wouldn’t step foot in one of their houses to eat with them.

Aren’t you glad I am not Jesus!

Jesus continued to reach out and seek to lead the Pharisees to repentance and faith in Him!

The conversation around this dinner table is

eye-opening and convicting.

Let’s pull up a chair, and sit down at this table and learn three great lessons.

Jesus mentions three different dinners in these verses, and each one has a lesson for us.

Lesson #1:

1. Legalism will Harden your Heart.

V:1-6.

The first lesson we learn at the dinner table is a lesson about how legalism will Harden your heart toward people.

Were told that the Pharisees invited Jesus there in order to trap him, and find something they could accuse him of.

V:1-“they watched him”.

This means to observe carefully, to pay attention to.

The Pharisees were watching Jesus every move to catch him breaking their legalistic rules.

The Pharisees were always spying on Jesus and his disciples, watching what they did to find something wrong with them.

This is what legalism loves to do: find someone doing something wrong, so they can feel superior about their spirituality.

Luke also tells us that at the meal was a man with dropsy.

What is dropsy?

We would call it today edema, which is characterized by the building up of fluids that causes swelling in the tissues, joints and body cavities.

The man was swollen by the retention of fluid, possibly indicating that his organs were failing.

That poor sick man was the first thing Jesus noticed when he entered this home.

And today, in this house, Jesus notices our needs, and He alone can meet those needs!

Get the picture in your mind, we have already been told the Pharisees were watching Jesus trying to trap him; and as soon as he walked in the door there was a man with a terrible health problem.

The truth of the matter is these hardhearted Pharisees would have never invited a sick man like this to eat with them.

So, what is he doing there?

The Pharisees had planted him there, because they knew that Jesus would break their man-made rules, and heal the man no matter what day it was!

How hard hearted of these Pharisees to “use” this man as “bait” to trap Jesus, and get him to heal on the Sabbath.

Here’s what happens when you do not love the Lord, you will not love your neighbor either.

They knew that Jesus could not be in the presence of human suffering very long without doing something about it!

Because Jesus is the great physician!

Jesus had already violated their Sabbath traditions on at least seven different occasions.

He cast out a demon on the Sabbath, healed a fever on the Sabbath, allowed his disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath, healed a lame man on the Sabbath, healed a paralyzed hand on the Sabbath, and delivered the bent over woman on the Sabbath.

Evidently they thought they were building a case against him, so they could arrest him and condemn him.

Maybe they thought because he was the chief Pharisee he wouldn’t dare break the Sabbath rules while he was at his house.

They were so focused on their man-made rules, they could not see the very proof that Jesus was God; healing people, and casting out demons.

Be careful that you don’t become self-righteous because you keep your

man-made rules, and miss knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, and having a heart of compassion for people!

These hypocrites, who were self-appointed guardians of the law, were actually encouraging Jesus to break the law, so they would feel better about themselves, and accuse him.

Legalism, keeping man-made rules, makes you feel self-righteous, and keeps you from realizing your need for Christ righteousness!

V:3-Read.

Jesus answering them… But the Pharisees had not actually said anything.

Jesus knew what they were thinking, he knew this whole thing was a set up.

So he asked them, V:3-“is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?

Is it permitted, is it proper, is it authorized to heal this man today?

According to the Law of Moses it was absolutely okay to heal this man on the Sabbath!

Everyone knew that healing on the Sabbath didn’t violate the Law of Moses.

Jesus was asking them…is your heart so hard, that you choose your legalistic rules over this sick, dying man being healed?

This is a brilliant move on Jesus part, they are planning on trapping Jesus; and Jesus has turned the tables on them, and now they’re trapped.

Jesus is publicly asking them to choose between their legalistic rules, and a compassionate heart.

Jesus question, V:3-“is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?

They could not say yes, because then they would be authorizing Jesus to violate their rules.

They could not say no, you can’t heal him on the Sabbath, because everyone would know how hardhearted they were.

That they cared for their traditions more than people.

They were trapped by their legalism, it was a divine checkmate.

V:4-“and they held their peace”.

So what does Jesus do?

V:4-“he took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away”.

What a precious sight this is to my mind!

Jesus reached out took hold of this man and pulled him to himself with both arms in a compassionate embrace.

And the man was healed!

This man was instantly and completely healed!

The fluid was gone, the swelling was gone, and his organs were healed.

And then Jesus, let him go, sent him away!

The man walked out the door healed and shouting happy.

But Jesus is not finished with these legalist yet, he is going to drive his lesson home further.

V:5-Read.

Jesus had taught the same lesson earlier but they weren’t getting it.

The question in, V:5, was a rhetorical question; if the animal fell in an open pit of course they would pulled him out on the Sabbath day.

Why, then, would they object to Jesus reaching out on the Sabbath to save a man.

Their legalistic regulations allowed them to rescue animals but not people.

There legalism had hardened their heart; and they missed the whole point of the law, to love God and their neighbor.

Unlike the Pharisees Jesus understood the real purpose of the law; to show us our need for God’s grace.

Legalism, is when you try to keep man-made rules, in order to make yourself righteous before God.

Living by legalistic rules makes you feel like you are more righteous than others.

The other ditch to avoid, is the ditch of liberalism; that says it doesn’t matter how you live, are what you do.

Both of those ditches get you off the road of God’s grace!

Jesus Christ came into this world and lived a life that you can never live, died the death you deserve, and rose again to give you salvation.

Once you’ve experienced the amazing grace of God in salvation; you don’t walk around condemning others because they’re not living up to your standards.

You understand that you are what you are by the grace of Almighty God!

-“For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast”.

Lesson #1, don’t become self-righteous, because you keep your own rules, and feel like you are better than others, and your heart gets hard toward God and others.

Listen, if it weren’t for the grace of God not a one of us would be saved!

Lesson #2:

2. Pride will take you Down.

V:7-11.